Last Updated on September 10, 2024 by lindseymahoney
Our home was built in 1969 and was the show home for the Scholz Bentbrook Farms model “A” design. You can see the front elevation of our exact home on the cover of the Scholz Designs Custom Collection 1978 brochure.
I know there are many architectural lovers and fans of Scholz homes, so I thought it would be fun to give a little history on our home and share photos of how it looks 50 years later!
Table of Contents
- Interior Design Features You Will Find in Scholz Homes
- Bentbrook Farms “A” Model | Scholz Home Tour
- Characteristics of Scholz Homes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Who Was Don Scholz?
- Why Were Scholz Homes Popular?
- Where can you find a Scholz home today?
- More Content You Will Love
Interior Design Features You Will Find in Scholz Homes
- Dramatic staircase – All two-story homes built by Scholz include a spectacular sweeping staircase.
- Wet Bar – Scholz homes featured built-in wet bars in the family areas for entertaining guests.
- Woodburning fireplaces – One or more fireplaces are included in each Scholz design to add to the charm. Our home has 3 fireplaces throughout.
- Wainscoting – Colonial designs feature attractive wainscoting in every dining room adding character to your custom home.
- Vaulted ceilings and beams
All of these design features can be found in my home!
Bentbrook Farms “A” Model | Scholz Home Tour
Our home is part of the Scholz Designs Custom Collection that was incredibly popular in the mid-century. The architectural design of our one-and-a-half story home is a classic New England Colonial, which is one of my favorite styles.
Bentbrook Farms Model A Floor Plan
Inside, the front half of the house includes more formal design elements that are traditional in areas meant for guests and entertaining. Our family room and kitchen are located on the back half of the house and those design elements are more casual and based on function.
Front Elevation
My favorite feature on the exterior of our Cape Cod style home has to be the cedar shake roof.
The stone wall on part of the exterior is another common detail included in Scholz designs.
Grand Foyer
When entering the home, you immediately see a key characteristic of Scholz homes, a grand foyer with a sweeping staircase. The large two-story foyer includes beautiful wainscoting that wraps around the room and up to the second floor hallway.
Since purchasing the home, we replaced the blue carpeting with white oak wood floors, painted the walls a welcoming green, and replaced the light fixtures.
Living Room
The living room includes a large bay window that brings the outdoors in. Across from the bay window is a large fireplace that we painted dark gray to give it prominence.
Crown molding wraps around the entire room adds to the formality of this entertaining space and creates a special feel.
Formal Dining Room
The dining room includes wainscot box molding that mirrors the foyer decorative trim detail that is found in Scholz Colonial designs.
It is located at the front of the house and is considered a more formal room to entertain guests. Crown molding trims out the dining room to match the formal living room.
Kitchen
We renovated the original kitchen and removed the wall so that the family room and kitchen are one big room.
Off of the kitchen is a large mudroom, a half bathroom, laundry room, and access to the garage.
Cozy Family Room
Our family room has a large brick fireplace that is back to back with the living room fireplace.
There are faux wood wall panels that we painted white to lighten up the space. It also lets in lots of natural light with the large bay window across from the brick fireplace.
Wet Bar
Another signature design element in Scholz designs is a wet bar. The original design of our home included a wet bar in a closet in our family room.
The wet bar in the family room closet remains in the same place, but we removed the closet walls so that it is a nice transition space between the kitchen and family room.
Library
The library has wood paneling on the walls with the third fireplace in our home. The fireplace is sandwiched between built-in bookcases on one wall.
This space feels masculine and is the perfect office space for my husband to work from home.
Master Bedroom
The Bentrook Farms model A design includes a first floor master bedroom with a large en suite.
We currently use this room as the guest bedroom and my office.
Second Floor
The second floor of our 1.5 story home includes 3 large bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and three large storage closets.
The first bedroom has a private bathroom and is what we use as our master bedroom. With young kids, having a bedroom on the same floor made the most sense for our family.
We updated my daughter’s bedroom with a muddy pink paint color on the walls.
Our son has the third bedroom that overlooks the backyard.
Mid-Century Bathrooms
When we purchased our home, the guest bathroom was original from 1969. Unfortunately, we had a leak behind the shower wall and could not repair it without tearing off the tiles.
I kept the original blue bathtub but replaced the blue tile with era appropriate white, square tiles. The vanity is original but I replaced the countertop and sinks.
The private bathroom in the first bedroom is a mirror image of the guest bathroom. They are back to back.
I gave the original bathroom a budget-friendly update with paint and accessories.
Backyard
Our home came with a fabulous in-ground pool in the backyard that we love. Because it was installed in the 1970s, the pool has a mid-century feel that fits perfectly with our Scholz home.
Characteristics of Scholz Homes
Scholz was known for building homes that captured the essence of mid-century modern architecture while remaining accessible to the average family.
Here are some defining characteristics of his homes:
- Open Floor Plans: Scholz homes typically featured open-concept living spaces, allowing for a seamless flow between rooms. This design promoted interaction between family members and was a departure from the more segmented layouts of earlier homes.
- Large Windows and Natural Light: In true mid-century modern fashion, Scholz homes often featured expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, bringing the outdoors in and filling the home with natural light.
- Low-Pitched Rooflines: Many Scholz homes were designed with low, flat, or gently sloping rooflines, a signature of mid-century modern architecture. This not only gave the homes a sleek and minimalist appearance but also allowed for easy maintenance.
- Integration with Nature: Scholz emphasized the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. His designs often included large patios, sliding glass doors, and abundant windows that helped blur the lines between the interior and exterior of the home.
- Efficient Construction: Scholz Homes were often pre-fabricated, meaning that many of the home’s components were manufactured off-site and assembled quickly. This allowed for faster construction and lower costs without sacrificing quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Was Don Scholz?
Don Scholz was a trained engineer but became one of the most prominent residential architects and builders of the 20th century.
He founded Scholz Homes, Inc. in 1946 in Toledo, Ohio, and was known for his “California Contemporary” designs and ranch-style homes that he brought to the Midwest.
Scholz’s designs stood out because they blended modern design elements with traditional comfort, making them highly desirable for homeowners looking to embrace modern living without sacrificing functionality.
Known for his innovative and efficient designs, Scholz Homes played a significant role in the post-World War II housing boom, bringing modernist principles to the masses.
Why Were Scholz Homes Popular?
Scholz Homes are known for their beautiful designs and high-quality materials used to construct each property. These are manufactured homes that feel custom and are well-made.
The brochure that I own describes their homes as panelized homes. Structural sections of each home are constructed in manufacturing facilities and then shipped to your builder for on-sight construction.
This allowed homes to be built incredibly fast and saved the consumer money on labor costs. They also market this process as a way to reduce building delays due to weather or vandalism. When the shell of the home is built, the hallmark designs of a Scholz home are then installed. These include circular staircases, custom trim, skylights, and more.
There are over 50,000 Scholz homes built over the years and the styles range from classic mid-century modern to more traditional architectural designs like Colonials and French chateaus.
Where can you find a Scholz home today?
Scholz Homes were built across the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. If you are in Toledo, Ohio, you can spot multiple Scholz homes within a few miles of each other.
These homes were primarily built in the Midwest and along the East Coast (like North Carolina and New York) but his designs can also be found in California. Neighborhoods featuring Scholz Homes tend to reflect the post-war suburban expansion, where families sought spacious lots and modern amenities.
If you’re a fan of mid-century modern design, spotting a Scholz home in the suburbs is like finding a hidden gem from an era of architectural innovation. These homes represent a unique chapter in American home design, where modernism met the practical needs of everyday life.
Many of Scholz’s homes have been lovingly preserved or restored by mid-century modern enthusiasts. Their timeless design and focus on simplicity, functionality, and integration with nature continue to inspire homeowners and architects alike.
While the decision to purchase our home was not based on the home designer, I am grateful to own a piece of architectural history!
I am honored to be the caretaker of one of the Scholz homes and hope that the Scholz design enthusiasts enjoy this peek into our mid-century home.