Trading Modernist for McMansion  

Thanks for posting Gene
The trend towards up-cycling many of these homes is almost as bad as demolition. I understand that sometimes an older home may need a few extra comforts or modern appliances but the word 'sympathetic' seems lost on many of the people who buy mid-century homes.
A fantastic example of a 1950's architect designed home on prime real estate in my suburb was recently gutted to create a modernist inspired interior. The new owners ripped out all the craftsman made built-in furniture, filled in the internal courtyard pond and reduced the home to an empty shell. To their credit they left an amazing hand carved screen but that is all that was left of the interior.
Unfortunately, these classic homes are disappearing as they transform into a generic mid-century modern makeover cliche.

Sadly..
... it is happening everywhere. Even in my neighborhood.
Just next door our neighbors ripped out all the mahogany walls in their modernist house replacing it with drywall because "it's too dark". Never mind the floor to ceiling walls of glass on the North and South exposures.
My son and I have even written a song about people who take a wonderful mid-century ranch and try to turn it into typical contemporary suburban dreck.
When we go for bike rides in our community, as we pass them by we sing to the tune of the famous Rolling Stone's song. "I see the cool house and I want to paint it beige...".

.
Sometimes there can be a surprise though, the house at the end of my street thats being renovated has white vertical siding, they stripped all that last week for a repaint and the cedar underneath was just amazing, looked lovely with the new alumnium windows, stopped and spoke to the painters and they didn't even want to repaint it.
But I like shadow and agree, the brightness of most homes now is overwhelming.

Not that I am a proponent of...
Not that I am a proponent of garishly large homes,
but those modern homes are a total eyesore.
The photo of the Schairer House looks like outdated some inner city ghetto urban school building. And I know damn well no one here drools over inner city ghetto urban school buildings.

.
I just had this mental picture of some creepy guy drooling around a school handing out lollipops.

HouseKebab
You could not be more wrong.
We were in Gary, Indiana just last Saturday and were doing just that: drooling over an outdated inner city ghetto urban school building.
Or, more accurately, admiring a beautiful modernist public school building which had sadly been abandoned and was decaying in the midst of a once thriving city.
If you think that those "modern homes are a total eyesore" I can't help but wonder what brings you to the Design Addict forum.
Is there an architecture you find more visually pleasing? Would you care to share some examples?

HouseKebab wins
For designaddict troll of the century.
Congratulations!

...
evil in the womb.

Kebab,
there was no photo of the Schairer house in that article. You're probably mistaking it for the other Ain-designed house that was pictured on exhibit in Museum of Modern Art's garden, surrounded by very tall city buildings. It does look a bit out of place there but with even a smidge of imagination one can picture it in a more appropriate setting, where it will give a completely different impression.
The Schairer house is/was on a beautifully landscaped lot.

old v's new or design v's personal taste?
I have seen some amzingly 'ahead of their time' 50's and modernist houses that look great - but you wouldn't want to live there because they are impractical for modern living - eqully the stylistically devoid apartments that are springing up in London at the moment which are no bigger than a hotel room are practical and well equipped but souless.
Having spent just a short while in LA and the suburbs/hills I came to the conclusion very quickly that the last thing that money buys is taste - but every now and then someone gets it right - in my opinion.
http://homesite.obeo.com/viewer/unbranded.aspx?tourid=598079&refURL=http...
The only problem with this one was that it caught glimpses of other peoples hideous creations - oh and about $5m.
I bet there are lots of people that simply don't like this house - i can live with that.
http://homesite.obeo.com/viewer/unbranded.aspx?tourid=598079&refURL=http...

That's a lovely house D-String
There are some details and design choices I would have done differently, but a very nice house with spectacular views.