A Midcentury Modern Museum Piece in Rydal for $705K
This mid-1950s rancher has been so well maintained and so faithfully updated, it's hard to tell what's new in this home from what's original. We're tempted to put this one under glass.
1126 Wrack Rd., Rydal, Pa. 19046 | Bright MLS images via Zillow
The Margaret Esherick House this ain’t — there’s no starchitect behind this home, as far as we know. But this low-slung 1955 ranch house in Rydal is one of the best-preserved examples of Midcentury Modern architecture we’ve run across in a long time.
A vision in hardwood, plywood, glass and stone, this home combines the openness that would come to dominate domestic design in the years that followed with an overall plan that demarcates the home’s distinct functions.
Living room
Living room
You enter this home from one end through a large multi-paned French door that leads into a handsome plywood-paneled foyer. That foyer in turn leads directly into the living room, which also boasts built-in shelves and a two-sided stone fireplace that divides it from the other main living spaces.
Dining room, seating area and family room
A full-height, full-length glass wall ties those two separate spaces together. On the other side of the fireplace you find a sitting area next to the fireplace, a dining room and a family room with stone accent walls.
Family room, showing skylight
That family room also boasts a stained-glass skylight.
Kitchen
On the other side of the family room lies the eat-in kitchen. Blond wood flush cabinets on opposite walls define this space, but the appliances give away its more recent origins.
Master bedroom
To the right of the foyer lie four of the home’s five bedrooms. The master bedroom has mirrored closet doors that add to its sense of roominess, and its updated bathroom has an extra-large stall shower.
Master bathroom
There is one more bedroom, on the second floor, above the garage; it can serve as a guest suite as it has its own full bathroom and a home office attached.
Patio and backyard
Thick bushes in front shield the living and dining rooms from prying eyes, and the lushly wooded grounds enhance the sense of privacy.
Yet all this tranquility is just a few minutes away from shopping along the Fairway and the heart of Jenkintown. Rydal Regional Rail station also lies just up the road.
The only thing we might alter here are the window treatments, which we think get in the way of this home’s clean lines. You might like some sort of drapery, on the other hand. This home is strong enough to handle them. This leaves only one question unanswered: Move into this home or donate it to the Smithsonian?
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 5
BATHS: 3 full, 1 half
SQUARE FEET: 3,800
SALE PRICE: $705,000
1126 Wrack Road, Rydal, Pa. 19046 [For sale by owner via Zillow]
