Author: John Griffin

George Mahan and James Broadwell were the architects of this
elegantly massed house on the southeast corner of McLean and Autumn. This was,
in fact, Broadwell’s family home. Mahan built for himself a similarly striking
house on the northeast corner, but it was lost in the preemptive demolition
for the never-built Midtown section of I-40.

This surviving sibling is certainly one of the most romantic
houses in Memphis. The Spanish Revival style swept the country in the 1920s
after the Panama-California Exposition in 1915 in Balboa Park in San Diego.
Mahan and Broadwell were masters of the Mediterranean styles, building Italian
and Spanish fantasies for clients in Evergreen, Morningside, and Central
Gardens.

The current owner purchased this property in disheveled condition
seven years ago and has been relentless in the restoration of the house and
the development of the grounds. The circular drive off busy McLean was
eliminated and the entry reoriented to the quiet block of Autumn, where a new
two-car garage with carriage doors was built. It gives the house a much-needed
air of calm.

The entry begins with an iron-grilled view through the wooden
gate at the street that culminates in a tiered fountain on an axis with the
front door. Formal lawn is surrounded by densely planted beds of shrubs and
trees. Sweetbay magnolias hold pride of place at major points.

The house telescopes from the corner of Autumn and thus increases
in scale as you approach the front door. The asymmetrical massing allows for a
great variety of room heights and window placements. The tiled entry opens to
a multi-level staircase with delicate iron railing that overlooks the double-
height living room. Original Bruce hardwood parquet floors gleam. An
overscale, ornately carved stone mantel surrounds the wood-burning fireplace.
A gently arched, planked-and-beamed ceiling is highlighted by the original
flared-plaster light cove, which still works. A sunroom lies beyond.

Both the living and the dining area overlook a rear fountain that
cascades down to the patio. The breakfast room retains two original pantry
cabinets both with arts-and-crafts hardware and one with a back-lighted
garden-trellis pattern of stained glass. A new kitchen was carved out of three
small rooms and looks into a mini-greenhouse where bougainvillea blooms. The
opposite end of the ground floor contains a guest suite with sitting room,
eat-in kitchen, bedroom, and bath.

Upstairs are an additional three bedrooms and three baths. Two
bedrooms share a dressing/play room and adjoining bath. The master suite is
entered through a library that adds privacy to the sleeping and bathing
chambers. A window seat in the master bedroom looks discreetly over the rear
patio and gardens like a private balcony onto a public square.

This house is rich in original details which have only been
enhanced by a meticulous renovation. It’s hard to believe this quality of work
can still be achieved. The surrounding walls add mystery from the street.
Inside the walls, plantings, paved areas, and fountains harmoniously integrate
the house with its setting. This Spanish Revival residence is simply a
romantic oasis.

410 N. McLean Blvd.

3,800 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4 baths; $465,000, FSBO: Terry
Barham, 276-2854

Another shotgun. Well, where else can a single person or even a
young couple find a first home with a monthly note equal to the money you
spend in rent? Once you’ve plunged into home ownership, that monthly note
starts to build equity. Four or five years down the road, after you’ve paid
down the note and the house has increased in value, both of those sums add up
to equity, which allows you to trade up to a bigger house. It’s a double-
barreled approach to increase your net worth. But first you gotta buy a
house.

Sadly, few developers in Memphis are building starter homes under
$100,000. Signs advertise starter homes today beginning at $130,000. That’s a
mouthful for your first bite. New construction is currently all about how much
house can be built on how little land. While it’s increasing profits for the
developer, it’s not always increasing possibilities for new home owners.
Hence, two shots in a row — last and this week’s “Hot Properties”
column — about shotguns, the preeminent starter home.

Cooper-Young has been an area where, for the past 15 years, young
people could buy a well-maintained home that hadn’t been renovated and for a
good price. But even here the pickin’s are getting slimmer. This shotgun sits
only one block from the epicenter of this booming neighborhood, a block just
east of Cooper and filled end to end with shotguns. Many are still rental
properties, but occasionally one comes on the market.

This one was fully renovated four years ago. An original garage
behind the house sat right on the rear alley. It has been opened up to double
as a covered garden pavilion, but a new garage door flush with the rear fence
line also provides secure, covered parking. A brick and flagstone path through
the sunny landscaped backyard leads to the rear porch.

The kitchen and bath are located, as they would have been
historically, in the back. You enter the kitchen via a partially latticed back
porch just perfect for dining outdoors. The heart-of-pine floors and
beadboarded walls were wonderfully preserved. New appliances and an efficient
layout leave room for a cozy eating area. An antique pine door leads to a rear
ell, which has become a spacious bath. A neutral tile floor sets a quiet tone,
but when you enter the large shower, the retro color scheme of the tiling adds
a delightful touch of whimsy.

The middle and front rooms can be used interchangeably. Currently
the middle room holds the living area with separate closets to accommodate
both clothes and media. The original beadboard on the 10-foot-high ceiling is
the outstanding feature here. The front room has the luxury of a rebuilt,
wood-burning fireplace with a salvaged and stripped antique pine mantel. It’s
currently a sumptuous bedroom, but the arrangement could easily be reversed.
You would expect the fireplace to be the feature of this room, but it’s
upstaged by a pair of old French doors from New Orleans, which grace the front
and give this shotgun double-barreled appeal.

913 Blythe Street

800 square feet, 1 bedroom, 1 bath; $79,500

FSBO: Jim Marshall, 725-0707

High Point Terrace is probably named for its elevated site, not its initial sale prices. The neighborhood is now experiencing tremendous growth in value. Certainly its central location is a factor, but its large lots also make for easy additions, leaving plenty of yard. This house is a prime example of how, several expansions later, these G.I. bill starter houses can become both spacious and gracious.

The house was built in 1948 by a young developer named Kemmons Wilson. It was still occupied by the original owner until five years ago. This owner made only two spatial alterations in an almost 50-year tenure. The east side porch was enclosed for an intimate TV room. Later a master bath and dressing room were added on the west end.

This being a Colonial Revival house, two flanking wings work perfectly. And because the lot is ample there was plenty of room to expand to the side. The current owners have been much busier than the first in their five years in the house.

The living room gained a fireplace with appropriate Colonial mantel and new, well-scaled ceiling moldings. The red-oak floors were uncarpeted, sanded, and clear-sealed to highlight their inherent color. The intimate TV room was converted into a two-person office with lots of built-ins and all the latest in telephone and cable outlets.

The back of the house was the real target. The original kitchen, breakfast room, and bedroom were all gutted and combined. Lots of glass was installed to fill these rooms with light and views to the very private backyard. The new kitchen’s painted cabinets up to the ceiling provide storage for everything imaginable. There’s even an island with butcher-block top and a cozy breakfast area. The other end is a keeping room. Bookcases have been added. In addition to an ample seating area there is a counter for stools facing the kitchen. This new space can accommodate a passel of folks and, when the weather is nice, opens to an adjoining rear deck.

Still not willing to rest, the current owners continued by adding a rear wing. It is a very spacious third bedroom and/or family room. It has lots of windows onto the backyard, and there’s still plenty of room if you wanted to make this a second master suite by adding another private bath and dressing room off the rear.

The backyard has a new ell to one side and a one-car garage to the other. The garage has enough room for a workbench and a paved potting area out back. The back of the property has been terraced with stones to form raised beds filled with sun-loving perennials. While the front, which faces south, is well shaded by two beautiful oaks, the back has an open, sunny demeanor that’s perfect for playing or just watching the grass grow. After this much work that’s really all that is required.

3792 Oakley Avenue

2,100 square feet, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths; $220,000

FSBO, 230-6943, e-mail: michael.reeves@alumni.duke.edu

http://www.geocities.com/highpointterracehome/oakley.html