Courtesy of Brandy Cunningham Photography
In affluent Golden Hill, historic homes were designed for Indy’s elite, mostly between 1915 and 1940. An idyllic landscape provided a respite of privacy without compromising the convenience of downtown amenities. The homes represent an array of period revival architecture and earned the neighborhood a spot in the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
One of the first homes in the neighborhood was a Gambrel Colonial built in 1917 for James Whitcomb Riley’s nephew Edmund Eitel. In 2007, the home was completely reimagined into a sleek, ultra-modern showplace by architect Jim McQuiston. Though it has been on and off the market for the last several years, Realtor Bif Ward believes it’s now priced appropriately, coming down $1 million since its first listing. “The right buyer will appreciate the exquisite, artistic design,” Ward says. It won an American Institute of Architects award in 2009.
To modernize the space, McQuiston mixed lighter grains of maple and cherry woods with the cool texture of stainless steel and its grittier cousin, Cor-Ten steel. McQuiston devised the stunning circular staircase, fountain, and cabinetry throughout the house. The cohesiveness of his designs
creates a pseudo-funhouse feel—what’s behind door number one? Coming through the front entry, your eyes are drawn to the beams and large windows. Off to the left, a powder room is expertly concealed within a row of seemingly normal closet doors.
With over 8,600 square feet, the sprawling home never loses its contemporary aesthetic throughout the four bedrooms, four full and two half bathrooms, and an upstairs loft accessed by a catwalk. Thanks to its nearly two-acre lot, you’ll be treated to spectacular scenery year-round. All that’s left to do is determine which room has the best view.
