‘Spaceship’-look midcentury Barrington home by noted local architect sells in warp speed
A midcentury Barrington home that resembles a retro spaceship on the outside — and is filled with built-in early-’60s furniture on the inside — attracted almost as many bids as browsers and sold in just one day.
The house on Cuba Road, built in 1961, has remained with the same family since 1973 and went on the market following the owner’s death. It was listed at $425,000, but Baird & Warner Realtor Lou Zucaro could not disclose the actual sales price.
Set far back from the street, the house is easy to miss when the trees are full. But details including its elevation, three-tier roof and narrow bands of shiny metal around the perimeter of the roofs remind Zucaro of a spaceship.
“It’s very striking,” he said. “It’s very long … It’s very linear.”
Inside, the single-story house is equally dramatic. Though about 2,700 square feet, it has only two bedrooms and 1½ bathrooms. Most of the space he said, is taken up by a “massive” great room filled with natural light where built-in couches and shelves stretch out across white carpet. Two wide steps lead to a conversation pit around the fireplace.
Both the look — and the house’s history — intrigued Zucaro, who specializes in helping people buy and sell midcentury homes. He heard about the house through a friend and later discovered it was designed by his favorite local architect, Don Erickson, a longtime Barrington resident who apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright.
Zucaro maintains a database of Erickson’s work, which includes the original Indian Lakes Hotel in Bloomingdale, but this property wasn’t on it. He made the discovery when looking at plans indicating the builder was Dennis Stevens.
The previous owners kept the interior true to its time period. Though the house sustained some damage during a tornado in the mid-’60s, it was rebuilt to match what was there before.
“I was amazed at how original it was,” Zucaro said. “It has not been modified.”
Most of the furniture throughout is built-in, including the “sprawling sofa” in the living room and the bedroom sets, Zucaro said. A couple of tables were custom-made and are staying.
“You can move into this house without bringing a single piece of furniture with you,” he said.