In Memphis, a Low-Slung 1970s Time Capsule Awaits Its Second Ever Owner

In these makeover-mad, teardown-crazy times, it’s increasingly uncommon to come across a vintage home that has managed to retain most of its original features. When they surface on the market, these houses offer fascinating glimpses at previous eras that no history book can duplicate. In this occasional series, DIRT cracks open noteworthy time capsules for a virtual traipse through the past. Today’s subject flips the calendar pages back to the early ’70s…

While much of the residential architecture in Memphis tends to favor the classical vernacular, there are also a fair number of outstanding modernist houses to be found in the Bluff City or, if you prefer, Grit and Grind City. Exhibit A, this rectangular residence in the River Oaks/Brierwood section of East Memphis. Designed in 1970 by local architect James Lindy, the home was commissioned by Dr. E. William Rosenberg, a professor of dermatology at the University of Tennessee medical school, and his wife, Evelyn, who raised their three children in it. More than half a century later, the Rosenberg Residence is now ready to welcome a new family, having just come on the market for the first time ever.

Located a little south of the 4,500-acre Shelby Farms Park, the well-preserved low-slung charmer offers approximately 3,700 square feet of living space. Along with four bedrooms and four full bathrooms, it’s got an entry foyer with black slate tile, an expansive step-down living room with lofty ceilings and massive windows, a pecky Cypress-paneled den with a double-sided fireplace, a U-shaped kitchen lined with original Geneva steel cabinets, a breakfast room, a formal dining room, and a game room. The home’s design also incorporates a bevy of built-ins, from bookshelves to vanities to desks to the living room’s bar.

On a tree-filled lot of 1.13 acres, the property is asking $575,000. Barbie Dan of Ware Jones Realty holds the listing.