NORFOLK — The home at 7003 Mallard Drive in Norfolk brings old and new design elements together to create something that is not only beautiful, but is also one of a kind.
Homeowner Judith Hanson said the home was designed by the renowned Norfolk Architect Alfred Lublin, who was born in Germany in 1904 but fled that country as the Nazis rose to power in the 1930s. He arrived in Norfolk in 1938 and founded the architectural firm, Lublin & McGaughy, which later grew to be a large international firm with offices in Washington D.C., Paris, Honolulu, and Ankara, Turkey.
Lublin died in 1960 when the jet he was traveling on crashed in Ankara.
“He adhered to the Bauhaus school of German design, combining the traditional Arts & Crafts movement — exemplified by Frank Lloyd Wright — with modernism,” she said. “By harmoniously balancing geometric shapes with an emphasis on function, the goal was to bring art back into contact with everyday life.”
Over the years the firm designed several buildings in Norfolk, including the Rennert Building-Maritime Tower (1959 – torn down as part of the MacArthur Mall development); the Armed Forces Staff College (1962); and the Kirn Memorial Library (1962 – demolished in 2009 to create a light rail station).
“The house exemplifies many aspects of Bauhaus design, balancing traditional elements with modern flourishes, like the large windows throughout the house,” Hanson added.
A number of interesting features stand out, starting with the front door.
The door itself is wood and arched on the top, and was custom made for the home, said Ronnie Jane Konikoff, whose parents had the home built. Konikoff lived there for 20 years.
“My mother, Beatrice Epstein, had a keen eye for design. She researched and implemented details that are still current today. The dining room once had the architectural feature of cove lighting that offered glowing ambiance beyond the light of a chandelier,” she said.
Another unique feature of the home is the den.
“It’s a traditional mahogany paneled walled den, with pocket doors (that) offer privacy, and the den also has hidden built-in storage closets, and brass encased built-in book cases that surround floor to ceiling stone fireplace,” Konikoff said.
The entry into the home is designed with a purpose.
“The rounded arch front door, dramatic staircase, and curved molding in the foyer are warm invitations to enter the house,” Hanson explained. The wood staircase and brass railing climb gently up to the second floor, allowing someone standing inside the front door to experience a variety of geometric shapes.
She said there are also a number of practical elements in the design, including an ingenious water heating system that allows near instantaneous hot water from any faucet and an energy saving whole house fan in the attic, which can be used to cool the house at night.
The home also overlooks the Lafayette River, though elevated above it and with a big back yard.
For more information about the home visit Realtor Diane Deeb Clay at Long and Foster Real Estate.
