Nestled into a wooded hillside, surrounded by evergreen Douglas fir and pine trees, the William and Dorothy Trogdon House seamlessly connects with the natural world. Located in Spokane, Washington’s architecturally significant Rockwood National Register Historic District, the 1963-built home is listed on the Spokane Register of Historic Places. And right now, it also happens to be on the market! Let’s take a look.
ARCHITECTURAL GEM
The Trogdon House was envisioned by a team of husband-and-wife master architects, William and Dorothy Trogdon, who were some of the most successful designers of commercial and residential architecture in Spokane from 1953 to 1984. Both attended Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and William went on to study under the great Walter Gropius, founder of Germany’s Bauhaus School of Design.
Notable Northwest designs by William Trogdon include the 1965 Spokane airport terminal, several churches and many private homes. Together, the couple custom-designed and built the Trogdon House, which served as the personal residence for the couple and their children. The resulting home was considered so beautiful and revolutionary, with concepts such as having the laundry room upstairs instead of in the basement, that the home was featured in the July 1966 edition of Sunset magazine.
WELL PRESERVED
Trogdon House has unmistakable features of the modernist movement, with geometric, modern clean lines; minimal exterior ornamentation; a low-pitched roof; widely overhanging open eaves; exposed rafters and other structural members; concrete and wood construction; wide plate glass windows and sliding glass doors; asymmetrical window placement; vaulted ceilings; a mantle-less cobblestone fireplace; open-tread staircase; and pebbled concrete walkways. It has been lovingly cared for, and remains in excellent condition, with a high degree of architectural integrity in original location, design, materials, workmanship and association.
UNIQUE INTERIOR
The four-bedroom home has a huge, 30-foot living/dining room, kitchen, family room/studio, basement storage, and a basement, two-car garage. Our favorite part? The open staircase, which is the heart of the home and rises to a landing from the basement, continuing on to the first and second floors. Crafted with luminous, polished wood, the staircase also has a unique built-in bench seat at its base.
In the living/dining space, the north side is an entire wall of glass, with a pair of original glass sliding doors and a matching set of fixed plate-glass windows, allowing views onto the natural wooded hillside. A mantel-less fireplace, with a cobblestone surround and concrete hearth, further adds mid century style to the area.
In the kitchen, the hardwood floors serve as an extension in from the living/dining space, and has tons of natural light, courtesy of a 13-foot-wide row of continuous plate-glass windows. In the 2000s, the kitchen was remodeled to include built-in casework, granite countertops and modern appliances.
LUXURIOUS LIVING
Upstairs, the master bedroom has an en suite bathroom, as well as a study/office area. Finished wood vaulted ceilings and exposed wood structural beams continue the sense of geometry and simple linear forms. Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors onto the wooden balcony, which is located above a recessed first-floor deck.
Mid Century Modern Home Details
- Situated on a natural wooded landscape with mature evergreens
- Floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows
- First-floor porch deck and second-floor balcony
- Bedrooms : 4
- Bathrooms: 3
- Square Feet: 3,180
- Central cooling, forced air heating
- Cobblestone fireplace
Want to see more? Check out this video tour.
For inquiries, contact the listing agents, Marc Nilson and Bryan Swanson with Navigator NW Real Estate (509) 893-2001, marc@navigatornw.com and bryanswanson@kw.com, or visit www.NavigatorMCM.com.
