3513 Allens Ln, Evansville, IN 47720

In the modern house movement in Evansville, Indiana, in the post-war brave new world of the mid 20th century, few architects were as prolific as Ralph Robert Knapp; few homes are as singularly significant as the architectural masterpiece Knapp designed for his own family on Allens Lane, which is now on the market. Built in 1952, a year before Eero Saarinen's Miller House in Columbus, the Knapp House is diminutive by comparison but a perfectly balanced extension of the same architectural principles of the time. The front facade is a sweeping horizontal cadence of redwood, flag stone, copper, and floor to ceiling glass, as an overhang that sprouts from the ground at the west wall flows eastward over the front of the home - providing passive solar design as well as a contemporary look that is thoroughly modern to this day. As the building's footprint steps back from the front entry and again at the east wall, the roof holds the south line as the overhang grows first to a covered patio and then a multipurpose carport. Beamed ceilings run throughout the home, flanked by wood accents on interior walls - the hallway itself elicits the desire for photography and the appreciation of good design. A massive stone fireplace and slate floor hearth anchors the open living and dining area, with multiple entries for maximum connectivity to the outdoors. Original features abound, from the original kitchen cabinets, to the naturally decay-resistant redwood, to the storm windows, to the cork floor, to the dining area light fixture and stainless wall sconce, to the radiant slab heated floor throughout. The home rests on nearly one acre, with a wooded approach to the lake to the north. On the market for a rare moment in the space-time continuum, it won't be on the market for long.