Atomic-Ranch Home With 60s Themed Lounge Sets the Bar High for Preservation in Georgetown
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Located outside Austin on the northern edge of the Texas Hill Country, the City of Georgetown is beautiful by many accounts, but a trip to historic downtown Georgetown offers what’s known by travel guides and reviewers as the most beautiful town square in Texas. The 1911 Williamson County Courthouse is a stunning testament to Beaux-Arts architecture and evidence of the city’s dedication to preservation.
There are more than 150 historic buildings and homes in Georgetown. If you want to see preservation done right, Georgetown is the place to visit or join the community by having a getaway home that’s not far off the historic town square.
Located on nearly half an acre, this pristine 1962 Atomic Ranch-style home is a remarkably intact time capsule of design. If you’re not familiar, an Atomic Ranch home is one of the foundations of midcentury residential architecture, and it traces its roots back to the architect Cliff May in the 1930s, according to atomic-ranch.com. “The Ranch home became emblematic of informal, practical living in a postwar world, and it was a radical departure from the closed-in, multi-story dwellings of the day.”
The influential architect, whose Dallas Cliff May homes are sought-after treasures, called it the “early California Ranch house,” inspired by the low-slung Spanish Colonial-style homes of Southern California called ‘ranchos.’
This three-bedroom, two-bath home with 2,266 square feet is a great example of this architecture. Thin seafoam green pillars frame the original front door and blond brick that’s like the blond Roman brick you’ll find at Northpark Center of a similar time period.
A wood-paneled entry leads to the main living area, which seamlessly connects the foyer, kitchen, and dining space. Long clerestory-style windows in this front living area offer privacy and plenty of light.
The kitchen is one of two spaces in this home that are pure, outstanding nostalgia.
Outfitted with vibrant orange Formica countertops, the kitchen features original wood cabinetry with visible wood grain that feels retro and contemporary at the same time. The cherry on top, however, is the range.
If you are a fan of the show Bewitched then you will recognize this show-stopping aqua Frigidaire “Flair” range. It features a unique four-burner cooktop that slides in and out like a drawer and an eye-level oven with upward-lifting doors. Saveur magazine says the stove has achieved a cult following since the GM appliance was introduced as part of the 1956 Kitchen of Tomorrow. Absolute perfection.
The classic primary suite is spacious, while the primary bath offers a classic mint-condition tiled bath that honors its heritage beautifully.
And if the primary bath has mint green tile, then the other bath has to be tiled in pink. A true chef’s kiss in honoring the history of an Atomic Ranch home.
This leads us to the other most fabulous part of this time capsule home: your very own Stardust Lounge, by far the most luxurious place to end your day. You will feel as though you went through a time warp and landed where only the coolest of cats hang out.
Moody blue walls are echoed on the ceiling, opposite the polished green concrete that mimics popular green shag carpeting of the time. This is nothing less than a custom retro retreat complete with built-in bar, ambient lighting, and cozy seating areas that channel pure Rat Pack glamour.
So there you have it, guys and dolls, a sensational atomic-ranch home that is so perfectly well done you will never want to leave.
This 2,660 square-foot home, located at 100 W. Central Drive in Georgetown, is listed for $424,000.
