Mid Century Modern Tennessee

A 1955 Tennessee time capsule, held by one remarkable family for more than 70 years, is heading to auction.

The Zager Estate in Bristol is far more than a sprawling mid-century ranch. It was the longtime home of Victor and Muriel Zager, whose lives reached from East Tennessee manufacturing and military service to journalism, literature, philanthropy, and decades of world travel. Muriel was also one of the first women to work as a foreign correspondent, later drawing on those experiences in five novels.

Their U-shaped home remains astonishingly intact, with original tile bathrooms, extensive built-ins, skylights and clerestory windows, walls of glass, a vintage intercom system, and not one, not two, but three stone fireplaces. A dramatic stone atrium wall, private primary-suite deck, screened porch, and 2.1 tree-shaded acres complete the picture.

After seven decades in the same family, this rare piece of Bristol history is ready for its next chapter. And yes, it is going to auction.

Read the full story in the listing: https://bit.ly/4h8GC1W

Memphis, Tennessee - $174,900 - 3 beds, 2 baths - 1,909 sq ft - 1963

✨ Mid-century potential in Memphis! ✨
This 1963 ranch is not a pristine time capsule, but it is absolutely speaking our language. Clerestory windows, a handsome brick facade, a decorative brick fence, a semi-circular driveway and exterior accents in classic Cherokee Red give this one some very satisfying mid-century curb appeal right from the start.

The kitchen and bathrooms have been updated, but thankfully the house itself has not lost the plot. There is a confidence to the way the spaces connect, and enough surviving mid-century details to remind you what this place was aiming for in 1963. The galley kitchen is very much of its time, shaped by postwar efficiency studies and modernist planning that treated kitchens as focused workspaces rather than visual centerpieces. Original hardwood floors remain, some original light fixtures are still hanging on, and a built-in room divider quietly defines the interior. The living space is anchored by a classic floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace, exactly the kind of feature mid-century homes were designed to gather around. Add in the in-ground pool and it is not hard to imagine the kind of backyard cocktail parties and weekend barbecues this house was built for.

At $174,900 it’s the kind of price point that actually leaves space to do right by the house. So what stays, what goes, and what gets gently course-corrected? More details in the listing: https://bit.ly/4khMoOj