What New House?

hen asked if I'd noticed the new house on North Avalon, my answer was immediately, "What new house?" My confusion was justified I realized as soon as I saw this house. It doesn't look new at all. More likely, you'd assume the bulldozers just missed it when they leveled a broad swath through Evergreen for the interstate that wasn't.

Now the Evergreen corridor is largely rebuilt and the blocks, too long urban wasteland, are almost refilled with houses that -- due to similar massing, proportion of windows and doors, and setbacks from the street -- seamlessly reknit the neighborhood.

The designs are largely successful, but a few exhibit the tendency of proud parents to "doll up" the newborn a bit too much. It's only upon departure that you realize you have a permanently forced smile and fear you must have said, "They're sooo cute" to the exclusion of all else. This house doesn't, thankfully, require any such deferences.

The front facade is symmetrical with the door on-center but the porch off-set. This puts the door near the steps and leaves the rest of the porch out of the main path, thus an easy place to group chairs and a swing. The porch railing is made of brick piers with a cast-stone top that, like the whole house, looks like it's been there forever.

The entry has a transom and sidelights in addition to three high beveled panes in the Craftsman-style door, all letting lots of light spill into the center hall. The spaces inside are not only filled with natural light, well lighted by both recessed and pendant fixtures, but also spacious to a fault. Even the front hall has a walk-in closet. Living and dining rooms oppose each other across the front. Behind the dining is a butler's pantry with period-perfect appointments like glass-fronted upper cabinets, and luxury touches like hand-molded ceramic tile countertops.

The whole rear of the house is a great room. The kitchen occupies the pivotal spot between the breakfast bay overlooking the rear yard and the seating area, which features a ventless gas fireplace with custom Craftsman mantel. The 9-foot-tall ceilings and solid oak floors of the ground floor tie all these spaces together. The spacious layout allows the kitchen island to be generously scaled. It holds a gas cooktop with down-draft vent surrounded by more of those hand-molded tiles. A hot pot will never mar this sumptuous surface. An eating bar wraps around two sides, and a handy cookbook shelf fills the third side of this multifunctional island.

Upstairs are four bedrooms, three baths, and the laundry area. Two bedrooms occupy the front corners, with walk-in closets and a bath between. The third, guest bedroom has its own private bath, with the added feature of its dressing closet being off the bath, not the bedroom. That kind of thoughtful touch is evident throughout in both the planning and building of this home.

If the great room downstairs doesn't sell this house, the master suite upstairs will. The master bath contains a higher double vanity, an overscaled glass-enclosed shower, a jet tub, and a linen closet. Both dressing rooms are equipped with lots of shelves in addition to hanging space. The sleeping chamber continues the thoughtful layout with plenty of room for bed and a separate, sunny sitting area.

There are double rear porches with the one below connected to the great room and the ultimate luxury of yet another above, private to the master suite. Even the touch of double-rear porches ties this house so well to the turn-of-the-century originals of Evergreen, but the array of interior appointments and carefully planned layout leave no doubt that this brand-new Midtown Revival, though understated, is thoroughly updated.

285 North Avalon Street

Approximately 2,900 square feet; 4 bdrms, 3 1/2 baths; $245,000
Realtor: Sowell & Co., 278-4380; Agent: Linda Sowell, 454-0540
Open house Sunday, Nov. 2nd, 2-4 p.m.