1961 "Time Capsule" House

[lordkenmore]

"For this 1961 time capsule house, by architect John Polivka just outside Minneapolis, I’m pulling out all my favorite adjectives, this house is: Stunning, spectacular, amazing, jaw-dropping, drop-dead gorgeous."

Read more, and see pictures at: http://retrorenovation.com/2013/11/22/mid-century-modern-time-capsule-minnesota/

 

[petek]

It's everything I want in a house sigh.  

 

[frigilux]

The place is amazing, but what is the point of the sunken area except as broken limb bait? I'd be tumbling into that hole at least once a week.

 

[rp2813]

1961 Time Capsule -- Architecturally Speaking Only

Can you say, "open concept?" 

 

It's stunning for sure, but I see far more form than function.

 

The modern updates were done very well, but the dishwasher opening onto carpet is a massive fail.  I see no apparent reason why it couldn't have been placed closer to the sink.

 

At least the original blue commode in the main bathroom survived.

 

Is this a one-bedroom home?  Has that fireplace ever been used?  Is that an un-vented fire pit behind the master bath "tub?"  Where's the shower?

 

[ovrphil]

Not one bedroom....

four bedrooms and four baths are specified; not sure I like the bath that was photographed. I find, until you walk the property(interior spaces), it's better to make conclusions later.

The pit area there with the coffee table seems peculiar - I guess I expected a conversation pit, which sunken areas typically offered in the 1960's homes.

The fireplace has a nice stone hearth - nice and sharp-cornered. I'd kill myself on it by default.

It's not what I would want exactly, but it shows well in photos.

 

[gusherb]

The home is stunning. Though I wonder, it must be very expensive to heat being in Minnesota, with all that glass and built during a time when insulation was not used.

 

[whirlcool]

To me the home looks very Palm Springs, especially the interior design. It looks like it landed in Minnesota by mistake. Beautiful home though.

 

[brucelucenta]

Yeah, this home should be in California for sure!!! It is absolutely my taste! I love it!! Gorgeous!!! Looks like something James Bond would live in.

 

[countryguy]

Oh I do like that house! Love all the space to move around. I wonder if the dishwasher was placed at the end of the cabinets so that it would be right next to the table to make it easier to load? Looks like they have a piano (with stuck keys) on the main level and an organ on the lower level. The windows in the long hallway certainly aren't very energy efficient. It must cost a fortune to heat/cool that place. It certainly has been very well maintained.

Gary

 

[estatesale_gary]

I live less than 5 minutes from this house

Address for this house is 1875 Kyle Place, Golden Valley, MN. This house is pretty fantastic but I am shocked that this hasn't been bought and torn down or bought and the property is subdivided. Most of the properties on Sweeney Lake and that surrounding area (Hidden Lakes) have been bought,subdivided and are now on top of each other. Property taxes for this house are $15K per year. Ouch.

There are many more photos on this Facebook page:

Loading…

https

 

[tomturbomatic]

Cold, Cold, Cold looking. I hate to tell them, but white Berber carpet is impossible to keep clean because instead of having a pile, it has those nubs that don't move but just sit there, collect dirt and keep it on display.

I wonder if it was a warm weather get away house from a main residence in the city.

 

[roto204]

Yikes

That dishwasher--yes.  For the number of times I go to insert a mug, and discover the hard way there was still a little coffee inside, that carpet would be toast.  But then again, whomever chose that carpeting kept it nice, so I can only assume they eat out perpetually, and walk around in bare and pedicured feet.

 

"Oh look, we have a dishwasher!"  A nice conversation piece, on display for the dining room.

 

The main thing that strikes me about this house is the array of non-converging lines and angles.  I love the finishes, the slate, the stonework, and the planters--all MCM hallmarks.  My first reaction to the interior, though, was vertigo; with so many strong and disarrayed lines, my brain can't orient itself and get a sense of the actual space.  I'd probably curl up on the floor and suck my thumb--on a dropcloth, of course, because you know--white Berber.

 

[hooverwheelaway]

It creeps me out a bit to see that the master batrhoom doesn't appear to have a door. That would need to be fixed somehow. I don't know if this house ever actually sold; I tried looking on redfin and trulia, and some of those sites for sale history, and it just looks like it was delisted.

 

[joeekaitis]

If an Eichler home and a Frank Lloyd Wright house had a baby . . .

 

[tolivac]

Trip Down Conversation pit-these were popular in the late fifties-early 60's.Funny thing about the pit pictured-no place to sit-just the coffee table.Guess you sit on the ledges.No coverings on the windows-privacy and energy.You feel like you are in a fishbowel or a glass wall cage at a zoo.

 

[spiralator60]

Curious

There is a California design and feel to this house, no question about it.

One thing that no one has asked about, so I will: Where is the laundry area?

 

[gansky1]

Perhaps the dishwasher was an afterthought to the home and that end of the custom cabinetry was the only easy spot to convert.

 

[tomturbomatic]

What makes you think that dirty laundry ever was produced in this ethereal place? Dirty dishes did not seem to be. Perhaps the place was so special that the toilets did not need to flush. It seems more like a stage set or what the British call a folly than a real house.

There was probably a laundry room in the basement near the water heater and furnace.

It seems hard to believe that this was a year round residence with just a carport or did I miss the garage?

 

[spiralator60]

Tom,

I was wondering about that, the missing garage also.

The basement seems the most likely place for the laundry, given where the house is located.

There are similarly designed houses in Southern California, and there are various places where a washer and dryer set or combination unit could be placed: In a bathroom, in an alcove, in a family room area in plain sight or hidden behind panels, in a closet or other storage area.

Thanks!