Modernist Home of the Month: A Mod Home on the Move
Photo Credit: Modernist house at 606 Transylvania Ave., designed by NC State University’s George Matsumoto for and with his colleague Bill Weber. Raleigh Historic Commission. News & Observer.
We interrupt your regularly scheduled MHTOM programming to bring you an interesting story of a mod house that is finding a new home. This riveting account has captured the attention of local news stations, and we’ve meticulously gathered tidbits from each, weaving them together to present you with a comprehensive and enthralling narrative. Get ready for an immersive experience into the world of this mod house and its quest for a fresh beginning!
The story begins with Andy and Melinda Knowles, modern architecture lovers just like us, who heard that there were plans to demolish the “Weber Home” off of Transylvania Avenue in Raleigh. As reported by CBS 17, Melinda contacted the seller and said, “Hey, if you’re not going to keep the house, would you allow us to move it?” And, they did!
The plan is to move the 2,097-square-foot house on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, from its original location in the Country Club Hills neighborhood to a lot on Delmont Drive, seven miles away. The News & Observer has said that the move will start at 6 a.m. with a police escort. They will transport its upper-left “bedroom wing” which is roughly 21 feet wide and 42 feet deep. It contains two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a loft space. The other half of the house, which contains the main living room and kitchen, has already been gutted and Andy and Melinda have salvaged what they could, including the kitchen’s mahogany cabinets.
About The Matsumoto House/Weber Home
The Matsumoto House was designed by George Matsumoto. The Japanese-American architect was a founding faculty member of NC State’s School of Design and is credited with helping bring modernist homes to Raleigh. The home itself has a slanted, off-kilter roof, and a split-level design. While the home is a one-of-a-kind treasure, it is still worth far less than the .95-acre plot of land it sits on and in March 2023, a Raleigh couple paid $1.8 million for it and then got the green light to tear it down. The threat of losing the home got lots of people’s attention.
“It was heartbreaking, honestly, because there are only a few Matsumoto houses here in Raleigh and the Triangle houses region. I think maybe 13 in all he designed,” says David Hill, Head of the School of Architecture at State via WRAL.
What’s Next?
Preserving this piece of Raleigh’s history was very important to the Knowleses and lots of people are happy to hear it will not see a wrecking ball, however, the move will not be easy. The city of Raleigh has chipped in $275,000 from the Preservation Loan Fund to cover relocating expenses. The house has been cut in half to accommodate the move. Once relocated, the house will sit on temporary pilings as crews build a new foundation. The process will take about three months. After that, the couple plans to rebuild the house exactly like it was, or as close as they can, by using original plans from NC State’s archives and materials preserved from the demolition.
Andy and Melinda plan to rent out the house as an Airbnb so they can generate some income and share the history with others.
We are so excited to see the end product and are grateful to Andy and Melinda for working to restore this home to its original beauty. If you are out and about on Saturday, Jan. 20, be on the lookout for the mod house on the move and send us a photo! We will be sure to do a follow-up story once the house is moved.
Sources
News & Observer: Saved from demolition: Modernist home by NCSU master is being moved. What to know.
WRAL: Raleigh couple plans to move mid-century modern home to save it from demolition
CBS 17: Preparations underway to move historic Raleigh home to a new location
We Are Your Mod Experts
Hillman Real Estate Group is uniquely experienced in representing sellers and buyers who have an interest in this forward-thinking style that broke away from the traditional style of homes. We would love to talk to you about your interest in placing a modernist-style home for sale in the Triangle area or finding a property that suits your unique tastes to buy.