Renowned Greek architect Tician Papachristou built the Sampson-Wood house on a budget in 1958. But you wouldn’t know that from looking at the property.
For the first time in 40 years, the house in Boulder’s Chautauqua neighborhood is on the market — listed at $1,575,000.
This remnant of Papachristou’s brief stint in Boulder hearkens back to an era on the cusp of an architectural revolution.
Papachristou arrived on Boulder’s architectural scene in 1954, when rustic and timber-frame-style homes were the style. But Papachristou brought economical and innovative materials to his designs, featuring concrete, cinder blocks, wood and glass, and the community welcomed his innovation. Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Sampson-Wood house is one of roughly a dozen homes Papachristou designed in the area before Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer whisked him away to practice in New York.
“We lost Papachristou before he did too many homes in town,” said Sean McIllwain, the home’s Mod Boulder listing agent.
In 1997, William and Renate Wood purchased the property from its original owners. They raised their sons, Oliver and Chris Wood of the Americana trio the Wood Brothers in the avant-garde house.
“I like to say this house created the Wood Brothers,” McIllwain said.
But the home is more than a celebrity crib. It’s an icon of mid-century modern style, complete with stunning architectural accents and a sprawling open floor plan. In the 1990s, local architect Kristin Lewis designed a rear edition, adding natural light and building on the home’s modern feel.
The master bedroom includes a space for entertaining guests and hosting Mad Men-style gatherings because the original owners wanted an adults-only retreat. A cozy, upstairs reading room has a similar function.
The kitchen sits at the heart of the home. Large windows and beaucoups of open space illuminate the rooms without blinding everyone inside.
“In every room of the house, you’re looking outside through open glass,” McIllwain said. “You feel like you’re outside because it’s so full of glass.”