Now added to my list of top-10 time capsule houses of all time: This mind-blowingly exquisite 1955 midcentury modern home in Minneapolis — the William and Irma Dale/Victor House –designed by acclaimed architect Carl Graffunder for his sister and family, who were owners of a local tile shop. And their tile shop must have been something indeed, because for this home, they created some of the most beautiful tile installations I have ever seen. Tile is featured in every room — beautifully — complemented by glowing woodwork, including loads of pecky cypress. This house is going on the market today — co-listed by Scott Acker and Bruce Erickson of Coldwell Banker Burnet. It’s not even on the MLS quite yet! AND: Thanks to our wonderful friends at Spacecrafting, we have 69 photos to show you. Get ready — this one is amaaaazing!
- PHOTO VIEWING TIP: You can click on any photos in this story and they should double in size on screen. Keep clicking on the photo you have enlarged and all the photos should play like a slide show.
From the listing for this midcentury modern marvel:
The William and Irma Dale/Victor House
Significant mid-century modern jewel by acclaimed architect Carl Graffunder, designed for his sister and family – owners of a local tile shop. This case study home is a one-of-a-kind property that’s available for sale to the public for the first time in history. Exquisite period details, extraordinary tile work – including vintage mosaics and integrated shuffle board court, walls of glass, post & beam wood ceiling, cantilevered tile wrapped fireplace, hand crafted built-in’s and sweeping views of Diamond Lake. Listed in the AIA Guide to the Twin Cities, this centrally located, meticulous architectural home seamlessly blends the indoors with the outdoors and offers a Zen-like lifestyle.
BEDROOMS 4 BATHROOMS 3 GARAGE STALLS 2 ACREAGE .29 BUILT 1955 FSF 3,242 DIAMOND LAKE VIEWS
The house is on the market for $719,000.
Above: I hereby predict that these kitchen photos will inspire hundreds of kitchen designs across American in months to come!
And remember: This was 1955! Such a forward thinking home!
Above: We can’t even imagine how expensive it would be to replicate a fireplace like this today.
And those ceilings! Not only beautiful, but all that tile could be quite loud — the wood everywhere else soaks up the sound. Tile: also cold. Wood: warm.
Yikes! This is a two story wall of tile flanking the staircase! Can you imagine the patience that would have been required to install this wall of tile!
Above: Here’s the staircase where that two-story wall of mosaics sits!
Above; Again, note the two-story mosaic tile wall (on the left, heading downstairs.) And YES: That is a mosaic tile shuffleboard!
Wow: We love how the accent wall of small mosaics — it reads like a headboard in this bedroom.
Yes, we’d love to see the floor plan. It looks like much of the storage is built in — lovely!
This bathroom: It sure inspires me. Lookie that colorful mosaic in the loo!
Above: Okay, now we are downstairs. I’ll shut up now.
Link love:
- View the listing, co-listed by Scott Acker and Bruce Erickson of Coldwell Banker Burnet here.
- Thank you so much (!) Spacecrafting — photos by Nathan Treanor — for the amazing photos and permission to show them. Mike and Anthony and Nathan, you rock our world!
Hey, remember this Minneapolis midcentury marvel time capsule house from a few years ago? Photos also by Spacecrafting. So far, it has been our most popular time capsule house ever! Big question: Will this tile house masterpiece beat it??
We have 69 photos in all! View the slide show:
Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… click anywhere to move forward and look for previous and next buttons within photo to move back or forth… you can start or stop at any image:
Jason Foster says
My wife and I live in a mid-century home in Illinois, we really liked the kitchen wavy tile backsplash. Any idea if there is anything similar to that existing today?
pam kueber says
Hi Jason, I don’t know the answer to this question.
Ann-Marie Kirkhus says
Oh, such a beauty! A true Mid-Mod with subtle room partitions complimenting each other with the rich wood tones and soft blue/grey accents tying it all together organically. Lines become blurred in defining indoor/outdoor separation. Beautiful tilework showcasing the owner’s skill and talent. Why didn’t they just keep building these works of art? This is where I wouldn’t mind being quarantined. I wouldn’t mind at all.
jacque says
I wonder if the people that bought this house updated it or kept it in it’s beautiful condition? So many people buy mid century beauties only to destroy them by updating them. This house is a true master piece and I love everything about it.