Category: Real Estate

A smattering of brick thrown together with half-timbering creates
the picturesque suggestion of time-honored age. This was the basis of
the popularity of the Tudor Revival in America in the 1920s and 1930s.
The Tudor look was grafted onto various floor plans, including the
popular bungalow, which is exactly what happened here.

This house sits on University Circle, just north of the athletic
fields at Rhodes College. It is graced with some of the common features
of Midtown that are quite desirable: narrow-board oak floors, nine-foot
ceilings, and plaster walls. Sadly, the ceilings had been previously
blown with texture, but the current renovation has restored all these
to a smooth finish.

The kitchen and breakfast room were combined in the recent redo to
make a more space for working and entertaining. The cabinets have been
arranged to create a large “U” of counter space that includes a
breakfast bar. The fourth wall holds the built-in refrigerator and
additional storage. The original butler’s pantry with its glass-fronted
upper cabinets was retained and is now the perfect buffet for a
party.

The third major change was the reclamation of the rear utility room.
It was originally a few steps down from the main floor and held the
furnace and water heater. Fortunately, there was sufficient headroom to
raise this floor flush with the ground floor, and by relocating the
mechanical systems, a very spacious laundry room was created that could
easily accommodate a second refrigerator, a freezer, and additional
counter space.

The three bedrooms and bath occupy one side of the house, as is
typical in bungalows, with the master bedroom usually to the rear or in
the middle.

The front room here opens through French doors onto a large covered
porch that is separated from the Rhodes campus by a small park. The
porch and park make this room perfect for a den with outdoor overflow
space adjacent. Or it could be a wonderful master bedroom, particularly
if the porch had vine-covered trellises to further buffer it.

The floor plan has been improved considerably in the recent
renovation, and both the interior and exterior are freshly redone.

The bungalow plan has certainly stood the test of time as an
eminently livable layout, and the exterior Tudor detailing makes this
one spiffy Tudalow. •

2128 University Circle

Approximately 1,570 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms, 1 bath; $164,500

Realtor: Hobson Co., 761-1622

Agent: Stephanie Evans Taylor, 487-7452

Open Sunday, June 14th, 2 to 4 p.m.

Fred Montesi, owner of a small chain of Memphis grocery stores,
commissioned the architectural firm of Regan and Walker to design this
house. (The firm also designed the Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception, just up the street.)

The Montesi house is in a restrained Spanish Colonial Revival style,
with stucco walls inside and out, an early use of industrial metal
window frames (many of which have been replaced), and a terra-cotta
tile roof.

The interior has a sumptuously large living room with a vaulted and
beamed ceiling, made to feel even grander by being one step below the
rest of the house. The firebox and chimney were recently redone and a
custom, cut limestone mantel installed.

One of the character-defining elements of the house is its original
tilework, still in perfect condition. The first example most visitors
encounter is the sunroom floor, made of multicolored tiles. Both the
master bedroom, which has recently had a large dressing room added, and
the adjoining bedroom have their original, en-suite baths, each with a
Deco palette of tiles. The master has green tile with matching tub,
toilet, and pedestal sink. All of the original plumbing fittings have
been restored and reinstalled. This bath can be viewed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has a photograph of it in its
permanent collection, taken by William Eggleston, a longtime inhabitant
of the house.

The current owners have been equally meticulous in the remainder of
the house. The original third bedroom has been converted to a media
room, with doors to the rear yard and patio. Eggleston’s studio and
darkroom were converted to attached guest quarters. This new third
bedroom has its own seating area, kitchen, bath, and walk-in
closet.

The kitchen was remodeled and has a commercial, dual-fuel range with
double convection ovens. The kitchen, too, retains its original tile
floor and is further accented by a hand-painted Italian tile
backsplash. In keeping with the ceramic leitmotif, the adjoining
den/breakfast room has a new Saltillo tile floor.

The grounds were also treated beautifully. The acre lot has been
groomed to a fare-thee-well. The sunny front yard has a Colorado
red-stone patio connecting the parking court to the front entry. Broad
gravel walks encircle the remaining front yard, passing both a formal
pool with a fountain near the entry and a koi pond with a waterfall
further on.

The rear yard has an organic-shaped patio with three seating areas
under several mature shade trees. The perimeter of the property is
filled with a variety of privacy plantings, and it’s all conveniently
irrigated to keep everything picture perfect. •

1592 Central; 3,100 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms, 3 baths; $607,500

Realtor: Coleman-Etter, Fontaine, 767-4100

Agent: Jeanne Arthur

A lot of us live with creaky floors and too few baths, if the house
has the right feel. If it hasn’t got it, you have to work twice as hard
to make a house feel livable and inviting. What could be better than a
great, older house that has all the needed modern updates but maintains
it original and welcoming qualities?

Military personnel returning after WWI had seen Europe, many for the
first time. Memories of family members, who had emigrated here only a
generation or two before, were still alive. This created a new
appreciation for English cottages, Norman chateaus, and Mediterranean
villas in America.

The construction of Rhodes College in the University Gothic style
solidified the Tudor Revival’s preeminence around its campus. This
latter-day English cottage on West Drive was seen as part of the
village surrounding the cathedral of learning. So when Hein Park was
laid out, just east of the campus, it had winding lanes that followed
the flow of Cypress Creek, evoking the feel of villages in the English
countryside.

Built in 1932, this house is largely brick outside, with decorative
stonework accenting the entry and chimney. The main windows feature
diamond-patterned panes constructed to resemble medieval leaded
casements. The landscaping is well established, with perhaps the
largest Japanese maple in town anchoring the front yard.

Inside impresses immediately. The living room floor is lowered to
add height. The walls cove up to the ceiling, creating a vaulted room
that could aptly be called “old world.” The kitchen has cabinets that
run all the way to the ceiling, many with glass fronts. Black and
stainless appliances finish out the look.

The two bedrooms downstairs include an original master with en suite
bath. The entire attic has been finished out as a modern master bedroom
with tons of floor space, double vanity, jet tub, shower, and more
closets than you usually find in three Midtown houses. All the
amenities are here, including a new rear deck and two-car garage, but
what matters most is that all the updates were accomplished with no
loss of comfort or character. •

787 West Drive

Approximately 2,700 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms, 3 baths; $329,000

Realtor: Sowell & Company, 278-4380

Agent: Linda Sowell

A shotgun can be the perfect first or last house. It isn’t so large
that it’s a chore to maintain, and it’s one of the least expensive
houses to buy — all-important if you’re looking to eliminate the
superfluous and focus on the essentials.

This shotgun has not led an easy life. It had become a low-end
rental property with aluminum windows and was stripped of its interior
trim. There wasn’t much in the way of heat and air and even less in the
way of charm.

Fortunately, it was rescued nine years ago, and a slow, sensitive
renovation has updated the services and restored the finishes. Wide
exterior trim was installed around new, insulated windows and doors. A
period oak door with flanking, paneled shutters was installed at the
front. The porch was rebuilt with an antique brick foundation and wood
flooring. Old Arts and Crafts copper lanterns were added as the final
grace note at the entry.

The interior received even more attention. Antique, four-panel doors
with 1920s brass hardware, salvaged from Davies Plantation in Lakeland,
were installed throughout. Enclosing the back porch provided room to
add a laundry as well as glass-fronted, floor-to-ceiling cabinets that
provide pantry space next to the kitchen. And a central heat and air
system was installed, along with charm.

The comfortably scaled living room runs full-width across the front
and is enhanced by 10-foot ceilings. The bedroom is in the middle, with
a side hall passage to the rear. The kitchen has an assembled look,
with one wall of built-ins accompanied by furniture cupboards and a
central work/dining table.

New pine floors, stained a medium brown, were installed in both the
kitchen and bath. A vanity with a tri-fold, mirrored medicine cabinet
was also added. A large floored area in the attic is available for the
extra storage everyone needs.

You might think a shotgun is just too small to be livable. But
remember way back before texting, when we valued every vowel? Now we
communicate rather well without a lot of them. So, maybe a little,
well-renovated shotgun could now be the perfect “nw hm 4 u.” •

1069 Meda

Approximately 750 sq. ft.

1 bedroom, 1 bath; $98,000

Realtor: Kendall Haney Group, 725-1968

Agent: Nick Dacus, 729-3411

Tudor Revival cottages, like the concurrently popular Craftsman
cottages, were exemplars of hand-wrought details and rustic finishes.
The exterior of this house features half-timbering above rubble masonry
veneer, suggesting great age, as if the house had survived eons with
numerous alterations. The rubble is composed of quartz with some geode
inclusions, red and gray granite cobblestones, and even a half-brick or
so thrown in for variety.

A planked, arch-headed front door opens to a vestibule with a handy
coat closet. The chimney, just beside the entry, is set flush with the
front door, creating a cozy recess known as an inglenook, a design
detail found in both grand and modest homes of the period, sometimes
with built-in seating in larger examples. This inglenook seems to
expand the living space and adds great visual interest.

Although wrapped in a Tudor exterior, this house has a floor plan
typical of many Craftsman bungalows. Its three original bedrooms are
strung along one side, and two of them are multifunctional. The front
bedroom, connected to the living room by French doors, makes a great
study or overflow entertainment area. These two rooms have diamond pane
windows, with the diamond lights in both top and bottom sash — a
quality detail not often found even in much larger houses.

The middle bedroom has had a wall of bookcases added and currently
is used as a den/media room. The rear bedroom, overlooking the placid
rear garden, is the largest of the three and is right beside the
classic black-and-white tiled main bath.

The original kitchen, breakfast room, and back porch have been
combined into one large space. Pale wood cabinets are a perfect foil to
black counters and appliances, and the floors are covered with
appropriately rustic brick pavers.

The surprisingly large attic has oak floors and several skylights,
creating a bright and pleasant suite of three rooms, a full bath, and a
walk-in closet that could be used as a master suite, room for a couple
of kids, or as office/guest quarters.

The rear garden, installed by the current owner, is an outstanding
visual and functional expansion of the house. A naturalistic streambed
begins in the far corner of the yard and falls over several fieldstone
slabs and boulders before ending in a deep koi pond. A two-level deck
stretches across the entire back of the house and runs alongside the
stream.

For solitary relaxation or having the whole gang over, this Tudor
Revival is ready to rock and roll.

296 Hawthorne

Approximately 2,700 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms, 2 baths; $269,000

Realtor: Sowell & Co., 278-4380

Agent: John Littlefield, 246-7376

This is a house very much in the modern mode, designed by local
architect Francis Mah. For many years it was home to Ward Archer Sr. (a
founder of the advertising agency that eventually became
archer>malmo) and his family. It has a low-pitched roof with
interior ceilings following the shallow slope and deep exterior
overhangs that protect the interior from the direct rays of summer
sun.

The floor plan brilliantly separates public from private spaces
while subtly integrating the interior flow to the exterior topography.
There is a gradual fall toward the street on this acre lot in old East
Memphis.

Mah used a favorite device of both Frank Lloyd Wright and his
Arkansas understudy, Faye Jones. They both loved to bring people into a
house under a low ceiling, and then the room heights soar in the living
area. Mah accomplished this by placing the entry on the uphill, garden
side, and then dropping the floor level of the forward-facing living,
dining, and kitchen to follow the gentle grade change. The private
bedroom spaces, baths, laundry, and study are all tucked away from the
street.

The current owner has lived in the house for three years and spent
much of that time updating the place. His attention to detail is as
rigorous as was Mah’s. An understated palette of finishes was selected
for the recent renovation and carried throughout the house. The work
included enlarging the master suite and enclosing the original carport
to create a separate media/guest house.

All the rooms are now a bold white. The kitchen is softened by
cabinets of a lustrous African fiddleback anagre wood with tops of
Calcutta gold marble. The original kitchen, though conveniently placed
between the dining and living rooms, was small and enclosed. An
interior wall was removed, allowing a large island to anchor this room
as a center for entertaining or family activity.

Part of the original master bedroom was converted to a walk-through
laundry center, handy to all the bedrooms. The newly enlarged master
bedroom has gently vaulted ceilings like the original part of the
house, and great walls of glass have a view to a shady rear porch.

The new master bath is well laid out, with lots of built-in storage,
and the new master closet has a tremendous capacity. All of this
results in a thoroughly modern mid-century house that is as chic and
sleek as anything in Memphis.

4500 Minden

Approximately 3,100 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms, 4-1/2 baths; $759,000

Realtor: Coleman-Etter, Fontaine 767-4100

Agent: Fontaine Brown

This house was built in 2005 and has a blend of modern and
traditional interior details: stained- and scored-concrete floors in
some rooms, mixed with oak floors in others. Lots of windows, recessed
lights, and broad, arched openings between rooms keep the interior
light and bright.

The primary living spaces are clustered across the back and are
oriented to the rear yard and patio. They consist of a den that has a
fireplace with gas logs and a dining room; both have oak floors. The
kitchen has a jazzy appeal, with its cherry-stained cabinets topped by
black granite, black appliances, and a shiny black subway-tile
backsplash, highlighted by lots of recessed can-lights. A stained
concrete floor with a compass rose design completes the kitchen
décor. Double windows over the sink have a view to the yard and
fill the space with morning light.

The adjacent den also has double windows and a full-view glass door.
The owners have installed a tall pottery urn used as a gurgling
fountain adjacent to the patio. Azaleas are in bloom under the shade of
an oak, and dwarf magnolias have been installed as an evergreen
hedge.

The front of the main floor has the entry, which leads past a living
room, a powder room, a laundry, and the master suite. The living room
would probably function better as a library/home office.The attention
to quality throughout is shown by the use of real stone, with a
granite-topped piece of furniture used as the vanity in the powder
room, and pale travertine in the master bath. Upstairs are two
additional bedrooms and another full bath, also featuring a travertine
vanity top.

The exterior has siding on the main level with a change to wood
shingles in the front gable. A tall dormer, double columns, and a
wooden porch-rail ornament the inviting street facade. Even the red
roof is a knowing nod to turn-of-the-century taste. It’s a delight to
see such livable new construction fit so seamlessly into an older
Midtown neighborhood. •

940 Philadelphia

Approximately 1,700 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths; $219,000

Realtor: Sowell & Co., 278-4380

Agent: David de Ponte, 240-8474