05/09/2023
Sometimes, when you're an architect-developer even posting your L's doesn't feel all that bad...
Granite Heights I was the first of two houses envisioned to be built by our sister development firm, Solsbury Hill, on a site about a quarter mile walking distance from downtown City of Stone Mountain. The homes would have been located within the city’s historic district where preservation regulations allow for the construction of inline ranch homes as a historic house form opening the possibility of developing mid-century modern houses. Our starting point was the Georgia State Historic Preservation Officer’s (SHPO’s) 2010 Guidelines for Evaluation: The Ranch House in Georgia, which details the history of this house form and its quiet role in Georgia’s history including in the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta in the 1960’s in neighborhoods like Collier Heights. We used the Guidelines as a jumping off point for the exterior design of the home with our usual commitment to improved thermal and air barrier performance with the interior layout of this four-bedroom, three-bathroom, 1,969 square foot home paying homage to William Krisel’s residential work in Palm Springs, California in developments such as William Alexander’s Racquet Club Estates but adapted to Georgia’s climate and contemporary functional needs and technologies. Some features of the home included a rock sculpture garden and entry courtyard that gave way to an entry foyer featuring a pair of wood siding feature walls that guided visitors to the open plan kitchen and living room area and out onto a spacious outdoor living room deck. Both the indoor and outdoor living rooms share a brick hearth honoring Buff and Hensman’s Thompson/Mosely Residence in San Marino, California. The hearths would have been equipped with electric fireplace inserts to stay consistent with prevailing building industry decarbonization goals and the homes would have included other sustainable technologies such as smart thermostats, hybrid heat pump water heating, efficient HVAC systems, and an EV charger-ready garage.
Unfortunately, we were unable to make the economics of the deal work as the realities of City of Stone Mountain’s real estate market haven’t quite caught up to its potential, so we ultimately had to pass on the opportunity. However, the design is one we’re very likely to revisit in the future given how beloved the mid-century inline ranch form is within the Metro Atlanta area, especially within some of its old-growth suburbs.
