Evergreen’s major period of construction was the 1920s. By the 1930s, the neighborhood was built out, and very few lots were available until the bulldozers cleared the right-of-way for the Midtown leg of I-40, which was never to be.
Somehow, four lots were assembled when this house was built. The house and its immediate gardens occupy two lots; the additional lots behind it are a separate parcel. Now, all are for sale.
So, in a neighborhood of four squares and bungalows, this house stands out. The floor plan is based on the center-hall layout of Colonial American houses, with the main stair in the entry. This permanent stair connects only to an attic, but the attic is floored and easily could be finished if more space were desired.
The breakfast, dining room, living room, and den are all arrayed around an open kitchen at one end of the house.
The kitchen has been gutted and light, pickled cabinets installed, with some of the upper cabinet doors accented by stained and leaded glass. The kitchen ceiling is finished in bead-board and also has a pale pickled wash to highlight it. The work island, in contrast, is dark-stained wood. Appliances have been updated, including double ovens, one of which is convection.
At the other end of the house, there are three bedrooms and two baths.
The master suite is at the furthest remove and has a surprisingly large cedar-lined closet with lots of shelves and built-in storage, in addition to hanging rods at various heights.
The other bath is conveniently close to the entry hall and functions as the powder room, too. The room is pristinely white, with a long, double vanity that has a very fine crackle-paint finish on the cabinet.
The yard is a delight from every angle. Tall crape myrtles and panicle hydrangeas are abloom at the moment out front on the street. Large flowering indica azaleas are the primary foundation planting and provide a magnificent floral display in the spring.
The rear yard is far shadier, being under the canopy of several large oaks. A gazebo covers the far end of a spacious deck that is easily reached from the kitchen and breakfast rooms. This gazebo looks down on a naturalistic pond inhabited by gold and orange koi. More azaleas enclose the pond.
This is a well-maintained, low-maintenance house in the center of Evergreen. The landscaping is well laid-out and beautifully grown in.
The house might be years younger than its neighbors, but now, with the completion of the rebuilding of the I-40 corridor, it is no longer the new kid on the block.
369 Hawthorne St.
2,100 square feet
3 bedrooms, 2 baths
$409,900
Realtor: Crye-Leike, 276-8800
Agent: Bill Malone, 359-4000
