Restored Keck + Keck modernist ranch in suburban Flossmoor wants $350K

Built in 1942, the architecturally significant “solar home” features a large, open living space

By Jay Koziarz May 31, 2017, 1:53pm CDT

Located in suburban Flossmoor, this newly-listed ranch is a dream for lovers of midcentury modern architecture. The low-slung house comes from noted architect brothers William and George Fred Keck. Like many of the pair’s so-called “solar homes,” this 1942 example features an east-west orientation and floor-to-ceiling windows to maximize the sun’s radiant heat in the winter. The structure is also an example of the architects’ pioneering work with insulated Thermopane glass.

According to the agent notes, the highly efficient three-bedroom home was even featured in Life Magazine the year it was completed. A decade later, architect H.P. Davis "Deever" Rockwell designed a screened-in patio addition off the living room. The result forms a bright connection between the flowing interior and the surrounding acre-sized wooded lot.

The structure is one of several midcentury Flossmoor homes designed by the brothers and is not far from a 1952 Keck ranch that hit the market back in 2012. According to Crain’s residential reporter Dennis Rodkin, the newly-listed home at 1628 Sylvan Court sold in foreclosure to its current owners in 2003 for $191,000. Following extensive restoration work, the handsome midcentury property is now priced at $350,000.