Design style hooks local buyers

Posted by admin on February 22, 2012 Leave a comment (0) Go to comments

1329906378 37 Design style hooks local buyers

Architects and artists like to joke that design trends hit San Antonio about a decade late.

So it’s just in time that midcentury modern homes and neighborhoods are starting to catch the eye of local homebuyers.

The look has been popular for more than 10 years in many other places, especially on the West Coast.

But the 1950s are having something of a moment culturally.

There’s the popularity of TV shows such as “Mad Men.” And last summer, the McNay Art Museum held a popular exhibit on George Nelson, the midcentury architect and designer whose work such as the ball clock and the marshmallow sofa became iconic for the era. The exhibit was promoted at “Modernist Design from the Mad Men Era.”

There’s also a new Central Texas chapter of Docomomo, the international group that advocates for the “documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern movement” in San Antonio and Austin.

Real estate agents say that buyers of midcentury homes come in two categories: people in their 20s or 30s who are often drawn to the low-slung ranch style of the homes, or those who once lived in a neighborhood and want to find a home there again.

“I think it’s the younger buyers, the ones who are watching ‘Mad Men,’” said Liz Chiego, a real estate agent with the Phyllis Browning Co. “Some people come back because they used to live in the neighborhood, but the younger people are excited about the architecture.”

Ann Benson McGlone, an architectural consultant and the former historic preservation officer for the city of San Antonio, said that because the look is just starting to gain popularity in San Antonio, homebuyers can find homes in a variety of neighborhoods for good prices.

Prices generally start in the low $100,000s and go up from there depending on the neighborhood and the home’s condition.

“You can still find them here,” McGlone said. “The exact same houses would sell for unbelievable amounts in Dallas.”

James “Rick” Lewis, senior lecturer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said the midcentury modern look in San Antonio represents some of the first true regional design.

New post-World War II materials included steel sash windows, aluminum windows and large plates of glass that could be used for wall-sized windows and sliding glass doors.

Homes became more open, with large family rooms open to the kitchen for the first time. And the use of glass and the sleek look of rooflines shows the influence of the automobile on popular culture, he said.

“The auto is influencing everything,” Lewis said. “We have for the first time drive-throughs for cleaners and pharmacies. Fast-food places are born and they become icons of the roadside.”

In San Antonio, the architect most widely known for his regional modernist designs was O’Neil Ford. He was the designer of much of the distinctive Trinity University campus and landscape, but he also designed many homes in San Antonio.

Allison Chambers, an associate with Ford, Powell & Carson Architects and Planners, said people often call the firm when a Ford house comes on the market. “People are always calling us and saying they bought an O’Neil Ford house, or they call to get information or drawings if we have them,” she said. “Sometimes they want to get advice on remodeling.”

Lewis said that led by Ford, the midcentury modern homes in San Antonio tend to have a softer look than they do in other parts of the country.

“What you find here in this regional bent,” Lewis said. “It allows for certain traditional hangovers.”

Features such as Saltillo tile floors, handmade brick and kitchen backsplashes of colorful tile offer a gesture to the city’s Hispanic heritage. There’s also a lot of texture, including warm woods. “You wouldn’t find that going on in Massachusetts or California at the same time,” Lewis said.

Midcentury modern homes and buildings are scattered throughout the city. But many large neighborhoods are clustered around the arc of Loop 410. They include Forest Oaks near the San Antonio International Airport; Castle Hills, an incorporated city that straddles the loop; and Oak Hills, located near the Oak Hills Country Club just north of Loop 410 and west of Interstate 10.

Oak Hills residents have been working with the city’s historic preservation office and could become the first midcentury neighborhood to seek historic district status.

Neighborhoods such as Northwood Estates and Bel Meade, both near Alamo Heights; and Terrell Hills have some of the largest clusters of architect-designed midcentury modern homes.

McGlone said one of her favorite neighborhoods for midcentury design is Shearer Hills, north of the Olmos Basin and south of North Star Mall. “There is some great stuff in there,” she said. “You can get a big house on a big lot. For your money, it’s a great deal.”

There are also midcentury modern homes in neighborhoods better known for their older architecture, such as Monticello Park and Monte Vista.

Real estate agent Ellen McDonough of the Phyllis Browning Co. said one challenge for buyers of midcentury homes can be the need for updates and remodeling. “Most people want instant gratification,” she said. “But these homes are tucked away all over town and in all price points, which is nice.”

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