The Battledeck House

The Battledeck House is one of the earliest International Style Modern homes in the U.S. Designed in 1930 by architect Henry Dubin for his own family, the Battledeck name comes from the house's steel plate flooring system, which mimics the construction of a battleship. The Battledeck House is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C and is a local landmark in the city of Highland Park, Illinois. This project was a complete exterior restoration, including the façade, west porch, chimney, garage door, roof, copings, and roof deck. All work was completed in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation. When the current owners purchased the house in 2010, the exterior was in dire need of repairs and had been significantly modified from the original design intent over the years. The exterior was carefully restored to match the original design and intent, utilizing historic photos and oral histories to find the most appropriate materials. The brick was stained with a mineral wash to match the historic appearance and cover areas of patched brick and residual paint. The west porch, once open air, was enclosed with a minimalistic curtail wall for year-round use and the roof deck was restored entirely. Additional repairs were made to the chimney, drive, stone copings, windows, and window hoods.