San Antonio Vintage Homes

Historically and Architecturally Significant Homes in San Antonio.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

pre-MLS Alta Vista 3-2.5 English Tudor Revival sneaky peek

Alta Vista 3-2.5 English Tudor Revival  A sneak peek before everyone else!
Historically and Architecturally Significant San Antonio Vintage Homes
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Stately, curved brick entrance portico

 
 Architectural Analysis
By: Architectural Historian Shelley Roff, Ph.D. 

This charming, brick house on West King's Highway was designed in the English Tudor Revival style, a residential style that was very popular in the neighborhoods near downtown San Antonio in the 1930s. The style is evoked by the stately, curved brick entrance portico which extends out towards the visitor, and the prominent cross gable, ornamented with triangular knee braces, that intersects the house's low-pitched four-point roof.

Often the Tudor style would also include features such as faux half-timbering; but the beauty of this design is in its elegant simplicity. The owner has improved upon this elegance by adding a turn-around drive in front, landscaping, and the bright red entry door whose color sparkles in the cut-glass insert of its body.

The interior spaces are light-filled and spacious for a house of this period. Upon entering the house you are greeted with a staircase filled with light from a window above. The staircase is ornamented with unique cut-wood side panels that dramatize the cadence of the stairs and match in character the wood cut-outs above the kitchen sink in the room beyond.

The living and dining rooms, in fact all rooms of the house, are outlined with wood ceiling moldings, baseboards, door and window moldings of a style unique to this house. The simple vertical lines and intersections of the moldings remind me of details on Art Deco buildings of the 1930s. In fact, there are several original cut-glass door knobs in the house that are connected to the door with metal v-shaped plates which look very reminiscent of Art Deco wall sconces (or an upside-down view of the Chrysler Building's tower in New York).

The fireplace in the living room and the downstairs guest bath are ornamented with brightly colored Mexican tiles, thanks to the previous owner before last. Although their design does not historically complement the house, I think they enhance the cheerful, overall bright demeanor of the house. his owner also added the alternating milky green-blue-white glass tile in the kitchen whose color scheme has Art Deco overtones. The kitchen itself is spacious and has the original cabinetry in excellent condition.

Other historical features worth seeing are the pink and white hexagonal tile in the upstairs bath, true vintage 1930s, as well as the wood-carved telephone niches on both floors of the house. The upstairs hallway is lined ceiling to floor with an oak bookcase... [Follow link to continue reading with illustrated architectural history of Alta Vista 3-2.5 English Tudor Revival]

  427 West Kings Highway Architectural Analysis with Photos


  


Dear Joe,
 427, West Kings HighwayNow here's a nice house... 427 W Kings Hwy is an immaculate English Tudor Revival-style home in Alta Vista that is coming on market shortly. As usual, my subscribers get to hear about it first. 

If you know of and friends or coworkers you care about who might be interested in a beautiful brick home near downtown, please feel free to forward this on to them them so they can get first dibs before it goes on MLS and the sign goes in front.

Joe Barfield, Broker, GRI, e-Pro, ecoBroker
210-846-9273
Specializing in Homes of Character & History
The Joe Barfield Group of Keller Williams
  Alta Vista 3-2.5 English Tudor Revival - $260,000

Living Room
Living Room

A Beautiful brick Tudor Revival home in desirable Alta Vista, well-maintained by a meticulous owner. Windows throughout with amazing light.

 
  Walkable Neighborhood
Walkscore TileAlta Vista is one one the oldest neighborhoods in San Antonio, neighboring Beacon Hill and Monte Vista. A friendly, walkable neighborhood, it is a quick hop to I-10, downtown, North Star Mall, San Pedro Park, Landa Library, Central Market, and the Quarry.

   The popular restaurants in the area include Capparelli's on Main, La Fonda on Main, Chris Madrid, Taco Taco, & Olmos Park Bharmacy.

Located in the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD), neighborhood schools include Mark Twain Middle School and Edison High School. Monte Vista Montessori is around the corner as are the recognized KIPP Aspire Academy & Hawthorne Academy.

 
 Some Wonderful Memories

Home Office
Home Office

The current owner, Ken, shares his favorite memories of 427, W King's Highway.

  • Alta Vista is centrally located and it is unbelievably easy to hop onto any major highway and get to these destinations quickly and easily. I am a very busy person with a full schedule juggling two careers. I was always able to get wherever I needed to go in a flash.
  • I have three favorite restaurants in this area: Capparelli's on Main, La Fonda on Main and that old standby, Jim's. They are all comfortable places to meet with friends and to enjoy good food and conversation. You invariably run into other people you know from the neighborhood. It is a close-knit community of the most diverse people in the city.
  • I do enjoy Jim's burgers and the manicotti and Italian salads at Capparelli's
  • I enjoy the shade trees, the friendly neighbors who all look out for each other and have become friends over the last 7.5 years I've lived here. I also love the fact that no two houses are alike. It is a friendly, welcoming place right on the edge of all the "action" of downtown. It is easy to feel a lot of pride in and love for Alta Vista. It is a very special place that evokes a simpler era of trust in people and beauty of surroundings.
  • I love older homes and the unique styles of each. I never wanted to live in suburbia where everything looks the same. There is charm here. Character. A great blend of people with varying backgrounds. And everyone here shares the love of this neighborhood. We see ourselves as a group.
  • I am single and do not know much about the schools. But I do know that in addition to public ones nearby, there are some excellent private schools in the immediate area - particularly Monte Vista. San Pedro Park is a great place for gatherings or just walking.
  • Living here taught gave me my first real taste of neighborly living. The street was as much about the people as the beautiful houses. We took pride in our homes and joy in each other. I will miss that more than anything.
  • This is a walking neighborhood, too. I regularly took walks through Alta Vista, but also I could easily cross San Pedro into Monte Vista and walk up and down the blocks, admiring the architecture of the homes and the beautiful landscaping. It is a visual treat for any walker.
  • This is definitely a neighborhood where people care about their yards. I had never enjoyed yard work before I bought this house. But I soon found myself landscaping the front yard and planting seasonal flowers along with perennials. I took great pride and pleasure in how my yard looked in the spring and summer. So did most of my neighbors. I learned a lot from them about what grows best in South Texas heat and I would often just sit on my front steps and take in the view of my flowers and all the color and textures.
  • This street is beautiful during the Christmas Holidays and I always went all out with my exterior decorations. I always managed to make my house look like a gingerbread house with the white twinkling icicle lights. Just about everyone on the street took Christmas decorating seriously and the spirit permeated our area. Also, Halloween was wonderful. We would average about 150 kids in costumes every year. They felt safe trick-or-treating here and my neighbors and I would enjoy talking outside, handing out candy, looking at all the costumes, etc.
  • I am a PR consultant and worked from home the entire time I lived here. So I couldn't have had a more comfortable or cheerful work place.
  • I felt safe and all the neighbors watched out for each other. It is a very safe place to live where people take good care of their houses and take pride in their community - and really care about each other.
  • I could get anywhere I needed to in a short time. I loved the quick and easy access to I-10, 281, 35, downtown, North Star Mall, the Quarry, small shops on North Main Avenue. Olmos Park's main business corridor on McCullough is just minutes away, so I developed friendships at the Chevron station on the corner of Hildebrand and McCullough (owned by a Greek immigrant who always took good care of my car), Schnabel's (an honest-to-God old fashioned hardware store that felt more like a country store with plenty of conversation about current events, etc.), and at the Olmos Bharmacy and my health club, Anytime Fitness, which I often walked to. And both the San Pedro Park and Landa branches of the public libraryare minutes from the house.
  • I gave several intimate dinner parties in my house and really enjoyed entertaining. The flow of the house was perfect for parties.
  • In the spring and summer months, I loved going outside to hand-water my lawn and flowers, sip coffee, and often have nice conversations with my neighbors who were doing the same thing - especially on Saturday mornings. The neighborhood is full of birds, too, so most mornings they served as my alarm clock with their cheerful chirping. I know that sounds improbable, but it's true. I would often seen blue jays and cardinals in the backyard.
  • I absolutely love my 32 windows and the bright sunshine that floods my house most mornings. This is the most cheerful and peaceful place I ever lived in and I absolutely loved opening up the blinds in the morning and enjoying coffee while peering out the windows in just about every room I will miss the tranquility and the sense of cheer in this house. It has a very positive vibe and spirit. I felt it the moment I walked in to see it and the feeling never went away.
  • My very first dinner party was a "literary feast" fundraiser for the San Antonio Public Library Foundation and served as a kind of housewarming at the same time. Because my house was built in the 1930s, I chose a "period" theme, building the party around F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel, "The Last Tycoon," set in the age of silent movies as they transitioned into "talkies." I invited my guests to dress in 1920s style formal wear, hired a pianist to play 1920's songs, and cooked and served a four-course dinner (assisted by a waiter from the Plaza Club). Then, right after dessert, we had coffee in the living room as I gave a short concert of Cole Porter songs. The style of my house, the layout of the rooms, the food, clothes and music all made it a perfect way to "christen" my home.
  • My next-door neighbors became like family to me. When I would travel, they took care of my yard, my cat, collected my mail and newspapers and kept an eye on everything. I did the same for them. We totally trusted each other. They have had a key to my house for a long time. That trust and old-fashioned neighborliness is my favorite memory of living here.
  • We had a light snowfall in the winter of 2011 and the street looked like something out of the classic film, "A Wonderful Life."  
  • All of the flower planting and greening of the lawns in spring. These wonderful old houses just look beautiful awash in marigolds, snap dragons, roses, lilies, esperanza, impatiens, petunias and other wonderful plantings and container gardens.
  • Almost never-ending sunshine. San Antonio's summer heat is brutal, no matter where you live, but I enjoyed the sunshine that poured into the house.
  • Because of the two red oaks across the street and the large number of other majestic, mature trees in this older neighborhood, we actually felt like we had a "mini-fall" on our street. Lots of colored leaves in piles everywhere. Sweaters. Walks in early evening in the chill. Lights shining from windows as the sun set around 6 p.m. Fall decorations on front porches: pumpkins, bales of hay, fall flowers, etc. And my neighbors and I would share food like carne guisada stew or other fall-style meals.

There you have it. Please don't hesitate to respond to this email or call me or my team if you or someone you know might be interested in this home.

Sincerely,

Joe Barfield

The Joe Barfield Group of Keller Williams Alamo Heights
joe@joebarfield.com
210-846-9273
 
www.SanAntonioVintageHomes.com
www.JoesListings.Blogspot.com- Architectural History Blog
www.SAMusicAndArt.com
- Art, Music & Architecture Newsletter  


The architectural write-up is provided by Dr. Roff. Any reference to families  is strictly academic. The Joe Barfield Group embraces all Equal Opportunity Housing Laws.



The Joe Barfield Group of Keller Williams Alamo Heights | 5170 Broadway, #11 | San Antonio | TX | 78209

Friday, June 18, 2010

Castle Hills 3-2 Ranch Modern

Castle Hills 3-2 Ranch Modern 
A sneak peek before everyone else!
Historically and Architecturally Significant San Antonio Vintage Homes
 
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Metal screen with a quatrefoil  pattern

 Architectural Analysis

By: Architectural Historian Shelley Roff, Ph.D.

If you are looking for a 1960s modern Ranch Style home with a bold, minimalist aesthetic, you will love the house at 504 Travertine Lane. It is quintessentially Ranch and tastefully renovated to appeal to those who like modern design.

The house stands out from all others on the street like a piece of white sculpture placed in the midst of an expansive green lawn dotted by native Texas trees. The painted white vertical planes of the house recede under the low, almost horizontal line of two gabled roofs.

At the entryway, the eaves of the first gabled roof are supported by a tall, white brick column and a screen of alternating bricks and voids. This screen stands upright out of a low horizontal planter filled, in stark contrast, with brilliant summer greenery and orange flowers, a detail which is repeated at the mailbox near the street. The line of the second gabled roof extends directly over the garage, incorporating it into the body of the house.

The front door leads you into a narrow, cozy entry tiled with pink terrazzo. From this vantage point, the total layout of the house is immediately displayed before you. The den / dining space to the right opens to you transparently through a metal screen with a quatrefoil pattern, or, looking straight ahead, the white open space of the living room opens directly to the back patio and yard, through large, period sliding glass doors, probably by Arcadia. The view is into a large enclosed yard with a fabulous multi-branched tree in the center.

The interior of the house has the clean, slick feel of a modern art gallery. The metal screen, paneled walls, and built-in bookshelf are painted crisp white, and details such as doorknobs and light fixtures have all been tastefully updated with modern hardware in a contemporary, minimalist style. The dining area can be illuminated by a built-in tray near ceiling height---a modern version of the wall sconce.

In typical Ranch fashion, the more familial spaces of the house, the kitchen and bedrooms, are tucked to either side of the living room and take advantage of the view to the back yard. The kitchen has been completely.... [Follow link to continue reading with illustrated architectural history of Ranch Modern Castle Hills 3-2].

 

 504, Travertine Lane History with Images
 
 
  
 
 

Dear Barfield,

I really enjoy the sleek lines of a modern-style home.  504, Travertine LaneI particularly like the homes with the roofline that mimics the winglines of a B-52 coming in for a landing on the front lawn!

Our newest Silent Market offering is just such a home, a sleek modern ranch in Castle Hills that has been lovingly primped to a glowing, magnificent state. John and Suzanne, the owners, are fine examples of what I lovingly refer to as "OCD Sellers," so you can be sure this spacious home has no clutter and no detail has been left unattended. (Check out the transluscent garage doors!) love a well-kept home!
 
As usual, you have the first sneak peek at this new Silent Market listing. If you know anyone who is looking to buy a home and might appreciate this fine specimen in Castle Hills, please pass it on. I haven't put my sign out front and we haven't put it in MLS so your friends, co-workers and anyone else you care about can see it first.
 
By the way, you know anyone looking to buy or sell? We would love the opportunity to help them.
 
Joe Barfield, Broker, GRI, e-Pro, ecoBroker
210-846-9273
Specializing in Homes of Character & History
The Joe Barfield Group of Keller Williams
 

  Castle Hills 3-2 Ranch Modern - $219,900


Living Room
Living Room

Clean and modern feel to this updated mid-century home in Castle Hills . It retains the vintage character with a modern twist.

View the Map


  Neighborhood

Travertine WalkscoreCastle Hills is an incorporated city towards north-east San Antonio. Located just outside Loop 410, it is just minutes away from excellent restaurants and shopping, the downtown riverwalk, San Antonio International Airport, and South Texas Medical Center.

   The North Star mall and Alamo Quarry market are in close proximity for quick movies or shopping. DOUGH! Pizzeria Napoletana is the only certified "Verace Pizzeria Napoletana" in San Antonio. The Lodge Restaurant, Old San Francisco Steak House and Sushihana Japanese Restaurant are popular restaurants here.

The Castle Hills Elementary School and Jackson Keller Elementary School are located within a mile. And Lee High School hosts several charter schools including the School of the Arts and the International School.

 


 Some Wonderful Memories


Family Room
Family Room

The current owners, John and Suzanne, share their favorite memories of 504, Travertine Lane.

  • DOUGH! - just up the road from the house is our favorite restaurant. They have great pizza and a wonderful wine list. Margareta pizza is a favorite. I like to keep it simple. Honestly, everything is delicious!
  • My favorite part about living in this particular area of the neighborhood is that the people are humble and genuine.
  • I love the diversity. There are people of all ages and walks of life.
  • The schools are interesting and without a doubt, diverse due to the varying socio-economic statuses. Nimitz Middle School, Lee High School, and Castle Hills Elementary are great schools. Lee, in particular has a phenomenal art program (magnet school) Northeast School of the Arts.
  • Bird watching - for whatever reason there are so many wonderful birds in our area.
  • Watching our 2 year old son play in the back yard - There is so much room!
  • Each room has speakers and we would often listen to our favorite music and crank up the volume - It is such a great way let loose after a long day at work.
  • Sitting out back under the umbrella (eating, drinking, etc.) and reading the paper.
  • Having people over for a BBQ and relaxing in the back - such a great place.
  • Having our closest friends over for dinner soon after moving in - being our first home there was such a great sense of pride.
  • Having our neighbors come over for a beer and just relax - it is great when there is that level of comfort and openness.
  • WE LOVE riding our cruiser bicycles up to dough and sitting outside for dinner and glass of wine - or cruising on our bike to Gallery Nord to take in some art or coffee. If you have not been to this place, please go!
  • Walking to the Alamo Draft House right up the road to catch a film - we do this often.


There you have it. Please don't hesitate to respond to this email or call me or my team if you or someone you know might be interested in this home.

Sincerely,

Joe Barfield

The Joe Barfield Group of Keller Williams Alamo Heights
joe@joebarfield.com
210-846-9273

www.SanAntonioVintageHomes.com
www.JoesListings.Blogspot.com- Architectural History Blog
www.SAMusicAndArt.com
- Art, Music & Architecture Newsletter



The architectural write-up is provided by Dr. Roff. Any reference to families  is strictly academic. The Joe Barfield Group embraces all Equal Opportunity Housing Laws.
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