Mid Century Home for Sale Tampa Archives - Mid-Century Modern Homes Tampa

As readers of this blog know, I’ve always been partial to mid-century modern. OK – let’s be truthful – I adore it! The design inspired some of our best-loved architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Gwathmey, Ludwig Miles van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen and other icons, many of whom were awed by the approach of Bauhaus artists and architects. Many such homes are living sculptures. Their elegant geometry sets them apart, and they are often one-of-a-kind masterpieces that blend beautifully with their surrounding environments.
Mid-century modern, popularized from the 1930s to the 1960s, didn’t just survive the decades to remain sought-after today, but it also produced homes that literally shaped the future of architectural home design. That’s one reason they never go out of style.

Given my passion for mid-century modern, I’m always ecstatic when that rare Tampa property falls into my hands for representation as a Realtor. I’m inevitably torn because I’m dead-sure a buyer will materialize to appreciate the home as much as I do, but a part of me is driven to snap up the home myself! I’m holding myself back from this one as, sadly, the timing just isn’t right for me. You’ll see why I’m tempted – read on!

Exceptional Value and Beauty for the Money

Priced at $535,000 and situated in the premier South Tampa area near Plant High School, this home is destined to move fast! Built in 1986, beyond the traditional time period for mid-century modern architecture, this home nevertheless is possessed of all the attributes. Let’s start with curb-appeal – always a good place to begin!

You can see from the street that the design is clean and minimalist, with an angular structure, symmetrical banks of windows and three steps to the front door. The first impression is one of supreme elegance. There’s an attached garage, but it’s side-entry on a corner lot, so takes nothing away from the front of the home. The flat planes and symmetry of design are evident from every side of this solid block, sophisticated white house, including the tiled patio. The lot features equally elegant landscaping to match.

Indoors at 4223 Cleveland, you’ll see the typical mid-century modern use of materials with generous use of porcelain flooring. Banks of glassed doors in clean white frames not only give generous views but also make it easy and tempting to step outdoors to linger over a cup of tea. A three-bedroom, two-bath home, the structure is 1,466 square feet with a spacious feel and updated bathrooms plus a new roof – with the renovation overseen by the owners, one of whom is an interior designer!

Speaking of designers, the architect is Rick Rados, who studied painting under Hiram Williams as well as earning his architectural degree from the University of Florida. He’s received dozens of awards for design excellence and been featured in periodicals, journals and books. In 2003 he won the Medal of Honor from the Tampa Bay area chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He’s taught architectural design at the university level. And, as an interesting footnote, he designed the house next door to this one, which he lived in before moving to 4223 Cleveland.

Glam Extras to Brag About!

Here’s more to consider: There are hurricane-impact skylights in both bathrooms and modern custom floating bathroom cabinetry by Hafele. The master bath has dual sinks, dual shower heads and a soaking tub. Glam lighted mirrors complete the look. The kitchen features a Bosch dishwasher and Jennair refrigerator. Appliances are stainless steel, with granite counters in kitchen and baths.

Floor to ceiling sliders on both sides of the home open onto two patios, providing that indoor-outdoor feel. The house is prewired for surround-sound in the living room. With your smartphone app, you can turn on and off the remote-controlled sprinkler system. Reclaimed water is employed with a flat fee for watering the lot’s lush lawn.

The security is “smart,” too, with integrated door locks controlled by one panel and smartphone. There are three interior cameras, and a whole house alarm connects every door and window. The Nest thermostat is new, and the AC is new as of 2012. The roof, replaced in 2013, carries a 20-year manufacturer’s warranty.

More About Mid-Century Modern

Never been to one of the Frank Lloyd Wright homes or any other mid-century modern once-private home now open to the public? Don’t assume you haven’t seen and appreciated the style. You may have already admired these architects’ handiwork. Saarinen, whom I mentioned above, designed the Washington Dulles International Airport, the TWA Flight Center in New York City and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

Mid-century modern design is “characterized by a contemporary, seemingly futuristic aesthetic and an emphasis on function,” Kelly Richman-Abdou writes on MyModernMet.com. The architects, just like the mid-century artists, reimagined traditional art and pioneered that new aesthetic, which in the case of many such homes features flat planes and little ornamentation, often played out in monochromatic brickwork.

Many mid-century builders and architects eschewed the traditional methods that employed bulky support walls, instead embracing the then-groundbreaking post-and-beam design that allowed for the massive expanses of glass that enable homeowners to gaze on green leafiness whenever they happen to glance outdoors.

Patrick Sisson, writing on Curbed.com, captures the joyous feeling of the style, calling it “a symbol of postwar American exuberance and experimentation.” He points out that for every streamlined home that has become an icon – think of Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes or Philip Johnson’s Glass House or the Stahl House in Los Angeles – “there are dozens of lesser-known gems by little-known regional architects that often get overlooked or missed.”

This home in Tampa is one of those gems!

If you’re as enthralled with this home as I am, and you’re looking to relocate, size down or size up – give me a call!

Buying or selling a Mid-Century Home in Tampa Bay? Call me to get featured on midcenturymoderntampa.com 813-784-7744

Meanwhile, you can read two of my other pieces on mid-century modern here:

Visionaries to Build Neo-Mid-Century Modern Masterpiece in …

thetamparealestateinsider.com/mid-century…/visionaries-build-neo-mid-century-mode…

Frank DePasquale Mid-Century Home on the River in Tampa! | Tampa …

thetamparealestateinsider.com/…/frank-depasquale-mid-century-home-on-the-river-in…

Meet the Home that’s Not Just a Stunner but Also an Architectural Prize!

I’m always excited to have a new listing, but this one especially gets my blood going. Two reasons: It’s a classic mid-century modern, a personal style favorite of mine, and it’s also a house with a pedigree. The Puritan Road residence is a (rare in Tampa) Frank DePasquale home – more about this fascinating, accomplished architect later.

Frank DePasquale Mid Century Home in Tampa

But first, the house is possessed of more than half a dozen elements guaranteed to take your breath away.

Its location – situated on the widest part of the Hillsborough River – cannot be replicated. As in the iconic works of Frank Lloyd Wright, an architect who greatly influenced DePasquale, the home’s placement creates the illusion that the structure sprang up organically. Like many of DePasquale’s homes both in Tampa and in Durham, North Carolina, where he became a local celebrity in his later years, the structure appears to be an inevitable part of the landscape.

The waterfront location is a launching point for the nine-mile cruise to one of the crown-jewel parks in the region, Lettuce Lake. Many islands can be spotted along the way, complete with osprey-nest-topped trees. Conveniently, a new wooden dock with lift can accommodate a 20-foot boat. A concrete boat carport with 20 foot ceilings makes protected storage a snap.

And one more word about the location: Striking cloud-filled skies on sunny days and the occasional late-afternoon dramatic, electric thunderstorm are spectacular to behold from this river vantage point.

Freakin’ Awesome Features of the Mid-Century Approach

If you’re not already sold on the mid-century style, let me share a few aspects that always win my heart. Architects in the mid-century modern tradition were breaking new ground in their time. (This three-bedroom, two-bath home was built in 1961.) A primary pleasure of living in a mid-century home is the way the separation between indoor and outdoor space is made all but invisible. The feat is achieved through the generous use of glass and floor-to-ceiling windows and sliders.

The indoor-outdoor meld plays out in this house, which contains 4,200 square feet under roof, via a raised, covered patio and a giant wall of glass sliders that creates a river-view lookout area from the family and living rooms as well as the kitchen. The master bedroom, too, offers floor-to-ceiling views of the backyard, pool and Hillsborough River on two separate walls.

Did you notice catch the mention of a pool? It offers a striking sweep of curved corners and blue shimmering water in contrast with the right angles and clean straight lines of the home’s design. An ample expanse of pool deck could be the scene of Gatsbyesque parties where the main conversation draw could be the house itself! Even the steps leading to the back patio create a touch of drama and also signal another tipoff to the mid-century design: lavish use of organic materials, including block, brick, stucco and wood.

Incidentally, much of the home’s original, phenomenal design was left intact by homeowners who appreciated the structure’s many well-thought-out details.

Who was DePasquale?

Frank DePasquale, who died in 2010, made a splash in Tampa even though he worked full-time in the city for only a few short years. Two well-known Temple Terrace homes, both on South Riverhills Drive, show his handiwork. His obituary notes that he was the architect behind Clair-Mel Elementary School, opening in 1960, “which was built on such a flat site that it required five feet of compacted fill to create drainage to Tampa Bay.”

A WWII vet and graduate of NCSU School or Architecture and Engineering in the Raleigh-Durham area, DePasquale came to Tampa at the behest of an architect formerly from Durham, Leslie Walker. After Walker’s firm dissolved, DePasquale established a solo practice in Tampa. But during a recession in late 1962 DePasquale was confronted with a drying up of projects. He returned to Durham, where he became a leading architect, making his mark by designing homes, schools and churches. His award-winning structures in Durham include the Durham Arts Council building and the Hayti Heritage Center. He helped create the Historic District Commission in Durham city government.

You can find out more about him, including photos and a personal anecdote, here: http://www.ncmodernist.org/depasquale.htm

A Few More Reasons to Jump on This House

In addition to its classic mid-century modern appeal, this home is unique. You’ll notice that the square feet of heated space is listed at 2,012, but there is more than 4,000 square feet of space under roof. That’s in part because there’s a large bonus room with an AC unit and electricity that could be an artist’s studio or a man- or femme-cave.

Other assets worth mentioning are the whole-house water-treatment system, remodeled kitchen, upgraded electrical panel, hurricane-rated garage door and 11-foot ceilings throughout (and in some places the ceiling measures 15 feet). A new well pump and pool pump mean never having to pay for water. The oversized two-car garage with workshop area has extra storage, with no deed restrictions to hamper your style. The home’s front sports a unique cantilevered porch that jets out from the bottom of the house suspended in air. The lot measures more than half an acre.

What’s not to love in this fabulous, lifestyle-enhancing, historic home with a list price of $425,000? In truth, multiple offers wouldn’t surprise me. If you’re interested, you know where you find me!

Contact me if you want to know more!

Call Rae Catanese. Click Here

Mid-Century Modern Homes Tampa

Category Archives: Mid Century Home for Sale Tampa

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Frank DePasquale Mid-Century Home For Sale in Tampa!

Mid-Century Modern Homes, MCM, Modern Homes, St. Petersburg, FL