Lens into an Artist’s In-Town Modern Residence

“Hi, I’m Mary, and my studio is also here in the Leathers Building. Would you be interested to design a modern house with a climbing wall inside?”

15 years ago (2006), shortly after Lori moved to Athens, local artist Mary Engel came to her with an exciting proposition — designing her first house, and a fun one at that! For a young architect who had been focused on commercial and higher education projects (at the time, Lori was finishing construction administration for the Segerstrom Concert Hall and Samueli Theatre in Costa Mesa, CA), this was a dream opportunity that kicked off her design of multiple modern residences in the Pulaski Heights neighborhood in Athens.

While Athens has a wonderful history of mid-century modern homes and commercial buildings, and there are pockets of 1970s and 1980s modern homes scattered around town, there weren’t too many modern style homes being built in Athens at the time. We remember the head of the framing crew remarking one day, “this isn’t like any houses from around here; it looks like something from California!” :+}

Thanks for sharing some pictures with us, Mary!

  • The climbing wall has since been repurposed for artwork (it initially extend from the lower floor to the main floor ceiling) when Mary’s studio moved into the lower floor.