» Mid-Century Modern Tour in Bellevue Washington's Hilltop Community

Mid-Century Modern Tour in Bellevue Washington's Hilltop Community

: Home is similar to what you will see in the Hilltop Community

Are you interested in mid-century modern architecture? Take a tour of a unique neighborhood, Bellevue Washington’s Hilltop community on Saturday, September 6th, 2008 from 1-4 PM. Click here to get tickets for this special opportunity to see a fine example of a community planned in the late 1940′s by some of Seattle’s foremost archtects of the time, such as Paul Hayden Kirk and Wendell Lovett.

The Seattle Times had an interesting article this past spring in which it discussed the New England sensibility of the community with its one lot, one vote. The homes were designed to incorporate the views of Rainier, Seattle, and the lakes in combination with a respect for nature. The homes are on one acre lots and still have septic systems.

Many of the original home owners were University of Washington professors and local architects. Over the years, as a real estate agent, I’ve had the opportunity to see a few of the homes that have come on the market for sale, but many of the homes never reach the open market and are passed down in families. This is a great opportunity to see a few of Hilltop’s homes.

It’s ironic, because I’ve just come back from a visit to a similar type of community in Maine with one lot, one vote. The community of Long Cove shares a water system, just as Hilltop did when first developed, a clubhouse, and tennis courts. It’s along the shore near New Harbor on Maine’s mid-coast peninsula of Pemaquid. The homes are more rustic in nature than Hilltop, but the sensibility is the same. While there, I had a view of the Atlantic, lobster boats, and Monhegan Island.

It’s a little different than the Hilltop view of Rainier and Seattle, but beautiful in its own way. The Maine community dates back to the turn of the 20th century with some newer homes thrown in, whereas Hilltop is a pure mid-century modern community.

(sample of Long Cove’s older turn of the 20th century cottages)

Here’s another example of the Long Cove Point neighborhood which shows homes overlooking the cove.

Charles Anderson, a professor and home owner in Hilltop, wrote an interesting article about Hilltop. It’s an short, informative read about community flavor of Hilltop and the styles of many of the homes.

(top photo by Bill Johnson)

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