817 Old Mill Road

This mid century modern gem in the coveted Greenwood neighborhood-conveniently situated near the UNC campus and everything Chapel Hill has to offer-features an open floor plan with beautiful updates, a gorgeous landscape, and a fascinating history. In 1933 Pulitzer prize winner, Paul Green, purchased 200+acres adjacent to UNC campus ''in the country.'' He used his earnings from screenwriting in Hollywood to purchase the land at about $25 an acre, Thus began the Greenwood neighborhood. Green was teaching philosophy at the university and enlisted many of his friends and colleagues to come build in his ''Greenwood.'' Math professor W.R. Mann and wife, Mary Jane Mann, took up the challenge. Mary Jane designed a house for ''year-round comfort'' (Chapel Hill News Leader, 9/20/1954) and modernist Archie Royal Davis drew up the plans. Forty-seven years later the current owners purchased this special house and engaged another modernist architect, Dail Dixon, to help them with a renovation which was the first of many updates to follow. Some of the special features of this house include a light filled open plan where one room flows into the next; a cook's kitchen with cherry cabinets and granite countertops that opens to the breakfast room, the sunroom and an expansive butler's pantry; and a large laundry room with custom cabinetry including a leathered granite counter and an extra fridge. Three wide steps down from the breakfast room is the long sunroom with cork flooring and a wall of Anderson casement windows. Three French doors (two fixed and one operable) along one wall in the primary bedroom provide a view of and access to the private enclosed zen garden. The primary suite includes a windowed walk in closet and a recently renovated spa-like bathroom featuring a mid-century vanity with quartz countertops. The zero entry tiled shower features the same quartz on the shower bench and niche. A freestanding soaking tub and Toto toilet with Washlet complete this lovely bathroom. Hardwood oak flooring throughout the house with ceramic tile in the three baths, cork flooring in the sunroom and LVP in the newly renovated laundry room. Pull down stairs located in the gallery hallway offer access to a huge attic wonderful for all kinds of storage. Hook for attic pull down is in cedar closet. The lovely landscaping features mature hardwoods, a dining room courtyard, backyard patio, meandering stone river paths and lovely shrubs and perennials with a focus on native plants. See photos for and find a full description of upgrades and special features in MLS docs. Notes:
A 345 sq ft studio/workshop is accessed from the sunroom. This room is heated and cooled by a wall unit and is not included in the total square footage recorded.
Docs attached in MLS include: a detailed list of upgrades since 2000, a list of special features by room, landscaping details, and birdwatching opportunities at Old Mill Rd.
A document highlighting the history of Greenwood Neighborhood is available upon request.
Greenwood is in the Greenwood Neighborhood Conservation District. This doc provided in the MLS docs.