For Sale - $797k - MCM in Barton Hills
December 9th, 2008
From the listing site:
This Mid Century Modern masterpiece was lovingly renovated and expanded to the Ideals of the Mid Century Modern Original Theory.
They were free thinkers and their homes were the cutting edge of technology. They had built in Television Wiring and Air Conditioning.
The Barton Hills subdivision was the “Parade of Homes” Tour in 1956 and
their claim to fame was the first all air conditioned subdivision… and the area was the first City of Austin Incorporated area South of the Colorado River, history in the making!
Entry Filed under: Modern Homes For Sale
6 Comments Add your own
1. Dean | December 10th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Ouch !
Sucks those awesome kitchen counters and pink bathroom are gone. Yes, the house needed work indeed…but that much work is a little nuts.
Rae Dell once was awesome :(
just build a new house and leave those ones for people with taste.
please :)
2. shania t. wayne | December 10th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Agreed. Describing this as a “MCM Masterpiece” is quite a stretch. While it’s a pretty house, and of course, I’d be quite happy to live in it, it is no longer MCM in any way.
3. Kevin | December 11th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I disagree. I think it’s a tasteful update and it’s fully in keeping with the MCM aesthetic.
The house still has clean lines, open rooms, plenty of windows to bring the outdoors in. The roof lines in the addition match the lines of the original house, it’s post and beam construction, the eaves are extra deep, they used natural materials throughout…. How is that “no longer MCM in any way?”
I agree that they might have gone a little overboard with the remodel. I mean, who needs a trash compacter?
And from the photos it looks like they might have lopped off the beams that used to extend out under the eaves. In my mind that’s a little like cutting the tail fins off of a ‘58 Cadillac!
On the whole, they did a nice job. I have seen some truly horrific updates, and this is definitely not one of them.
4. Will | December 11th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Yes, this is not a retro preservation… that was not the intent of Mid Century Modern. :-)
Mid Century Modern Architects have been QUOTED as saying they don’t care about other peoples tastes…
So when closed minded people start talking about how their taste is what everybody else should do… just makes me laugh…
In this case…
The Windows are the same aluminum frame, size and “slider” style… just replaced with double pane low e argon filled.
The Rock Work on the Addition was done by an old Austin Mason to match the Original Rock work in the front… probably the same guy who did much of the original MCM rock work in Austin.
The Addition and Remodel was Designed by an AUSTIN NATIVE… who knows better than any of the non- Austin luddites, what Austin Style is all about.
The AC system was located in the Garage, pulling hot air in, very inefficient… so the HVAC was redesigned and updated.
They agonized over the loss of the “tail fins”… they were too far gone and rotted out… it would have required taking off the whole top of the house and rebuilding it… not just a New Metal roof, which was done.
There was special TV wiring the MCM Architects built in to the living room… so it is totally consistant for a MCM Remodel to have a whole house Computer Network.
The Mohagany Doors from the Kitchen to the Living room were reused in the Study… so where possible, items were refinished or reused.
What was taken out, was re-purposed… those kitchen Cabinets found another life in someones rental re-hab.
I could go on and on…
So before everybody rushes to judgement… let it be known that every effort was made, without an unlimited budget… to save, preserve and stay in the intent of the original architects and materials…
Just updated to be Efficient in the Mid Century Modern ideal.
Thanks,
Will
Construction Superintendent
2708 Rae Dell
5. erinberry | December 20th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
It makes me sad to see that original kitchen and pink tile bathroom gone in favor of what will look totally outdated in 10 years :(
6. Derek | December 27th, 2008 at 10:15 am
I like it. Id much rather live in the remodel than what appeared to be seriously dated prior. Pink bathroom? EEK! 800k in barton hills seems a bit rough.
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