Charles M. Goodman was on the forefront of bringing up to date design to the D.C. area. The famend mid-century trendy architect is finest recognized for creating the unique terminal at Reagan Nationwide Airport and the Hollin Hills group in Fairfax County, Va. And though lots of his designs had been for rich shoppers, Goodman additionally designed comparatively cheap starter properties for developments within the Washington space, similar to this 1951 home within the Hammond Wooden neighborhood of Silver Spring, Md.
Washington
Goodman-designed house in Silver Spring, Md., lists for $829,000
Hammond Wooden, which was listed on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations in 2004, has 58 Goodman-designed homes constructed between 1949 and 1951. In line with the Maryland Historic Belief web site, “Hammond Wooden conveys Charles Goodman’s innovation in suburban planning within the metropolitan Washington area within the post-World Struggle II interval by telling the story of how pioneering architect/builder groups had been redefining the monotonous suburban cultural panorama into enclaves that had been overwhelmingly naturalistic. Hammond Wooden conveys the very best of Goodman’s architectural legacy.”
Distinguished properties on the market within the D.C. area
“The properties in Hammond Wooden have at all times been actually reasonably priced for what they’re,” stated architect Michael Cook dinner, who knew about this home from having lived within the neighborhood within the early 2000s.
Cook dinner and his companions, Sidney and Derek Kowalczyk, despatched a letter to the house owners telling them of their curiosity in shopping for it. Cook dinner had renovated 4 different Goodman homes within the cluster surrounding this home and warranted the house owners that he was intent on preserving the “soul of the home,” not simply fixing and flipping as some builders do.
The home was not in nice form once they acquired it. The largest problem was that the basement home windows had been buried in mud, trapping moisture and rotting the window frames and assist columns.
“We had no thought all of them had been rotten,” Cook dinner stated. “The entire home was falling down.”
To repair the issue, they raised the construction, inserted new window frames and assist columns, hooked up them to the inspiration and added again the glass.
One other drawback was rebuilding the retaining wall on the outside. It now goes three toes underground. The wall, which price round $20,000 to repair, was painted with a design to provide it visible curiosity.
With the mud eliminated, the decrease degree now could be a light-filled house with two bedrooms, a toilet and a household room that opens to a patio with an out of doors fire. The primary degree has a living-dining space, kitchen, two bedrooms and a toilet.
When designing homes, Goodman at all times took into consideration the topography. Homes are angled for optimum solar publicity and privateness. Bushes had been preserved. Grading was minimal. On this case, the home is tucked between huge oak timber.
“It’s a part of this cluster of seven Goodman properties, all organized round a downhill gully, that basically shows the genius of Charles Goodman,” Cook dinner stated. “To me, it creates a constructed atmosphere that basically resembles California hillsides.”
Starter homes similar to this one are sometimes in jeopardy of being razed. The land tends to be extra helpful than the home. For many builders, it makes extra sense financially to construct a brand new home than restore the prevailing one, even one designed by a well-known architect. However Cook dinner has lengthy wished to show that properties like this one nonetheless have worth and might work for in the present day’s households. He considers his work on these homes to be architectural restoration or historic preservation.
Cook dinner has renovated 35 of Goodman’s homes through the years. That is the twelfth mid-century trendy home he has labored on with the intent to promote, and he stated it could be his final.
“It simply doesn’t make monetary sense for us to persevering with growing historic neighborhoods like Hammond Wooden and [nearby, Goodman-designed] Hammond Hill as a result of the margins merely aren’t there,” he stated. “We’re competing in opposition to flippers and design-build firms that need to take advantage of cash whereas spending the least.”
Cook dinner will proceed to work with shoppers on remodeling their mid-century trendy homes. He stated he’s working with 25 shoppers and has 10 extra lined up. However his days as a developer are coming to an in depth. He hopes another person can be keen to tackle initiatives like this one.
“It’s actually unlucky that we will’t proceed growing in historic neighborhoods like Hammond Wooden and Hammond Hill as a result of we really feel strongly about preserving these particular properties and historic neighborhoods,” he stated. “To make monetary sense for us, we [would need to] transfer into an space like McLean, however we’d wish to spend money on a various group like [Hammond Wood].”
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,863-square-foot home is listed at $829,000.
11705 Faculty View Dr., Silver Spring, Md.
- Bedrooms/loos: 4/2
- Approximate square-footage: 1,860
- Lot measurement: 0.16 acre
- Options: The 1951 Charles Goodman-designed home within the Hammond Wooden neighborhood has been restored by Cook dinner Structure and Value Road Building. The kitchen has Poggenpohl cabinetry and Bosch home equipment. The patio has a wood-burning fire.
- Itemizing agent: Michael Shapiro, Compass