Redwood Alert

A home with architectural bona fides comes out of hiding.

Photo courtesy Jenna Bowen

It’s not every day that a Harry Cooler–designed residence hits the market. The late Cooler was instrumental in bringing modern home design to the state starting in 1950, and went on to earn a national reputation. He created 20 contemporary homes throughout Indianapolis, Carmel, Greenwood, and Lake Tippecanoe, spanning the architectural gamut. In 1988, he was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash for his firm’s restoration of the Indiana State Capitol.

A 1956 gem designed by Cooler has it all: gobs of natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows, an abundance of earthy design elements like wood and stone, and a serene forested setting of about two and a half acres in sought-after Brendonwood. The layout of the home is clean and deliberate—the original owners had a large family, yet didn’t want the home to feel overpowered by bedrooms. Cooler’s solution (besides assigning two children per bedroom) placed the sleeping areas, bathrooms, kitchen, and living room on the main level, while the playroom, laundry, and utilities were located on a lower level. A large balcony is cantilevered off the front, and the master bedroom occupies an attached redwood box supported by steel columns.

Just shy of 5,000 square feet, it has three bedrooms, four bathrooms, skylights throughout, two fireplaces, a wet bar, a three-car garage, and a finished lower level. In 2009, at 84, Cooler was drawn out of retirement to remodel the home, designing a substantial addition.

If you’re wooed by sunken living rooms and colorful kitchens, keep looking. This home lacks the more eccentric midcentury-modern elements, but it makes up for them with its clean lines, bright rooms, and beautiful views—more like a grown-up treehouse crafted with unparalleled attention to architectural detail.

Want to buy it?


Address: 6450 Around The Hills Rd.

List Price: $732,400

Agent
Dick Schulte,
Schulte and Associates,
317-698-7456