Midtown midcentury ‘landmark’ by Henri Jova again up for grabs at $1.1M

Seventh Street residence from 1965 was designed by architect once described as the “honorary mayor of Midtown”

By Josh Green@JoshGreen1234 Mar 29, 2018, 11:44am EDT

A photo of the clean-lined facade amidst bamboo and windmill palms. — The clean-lined facade amidst bamboo and windmill palms.

Beyond a head-high stone wall and automated gates, this distinctive 1965 dwelling by one of Atlanta’s most revered midcentury architects is being offered for the third time in about five years.

Marketed as a “midcentury modern landmark” by the late Henri Jova, the three-bedroom, three-bathroom 7th Street home defies classification. At first blush, it might appear a small, nondescript apartment complex; but sure enough, it’s a sophisticated, contemporary compound in a walkable urban environment, as one would expect from Jova.

Like the walled courtyard(s) that invite al fresco dining for sizable dinner parties and fireside socializing afterwards, the two-story living room beneath an immense ceiling fan is impressive. Buyers with an urge to overhaul this space with hardwoods might reconsider, as the glazed tiles were fired in Jova’s family kilns, per the listing.

Elsewhere, find an elevator, two master suites, plenty of tongue-and-groove ceilings, and three-block proximity to Piedmont Park. It lacks covered parking, and for the price, it’s hardly a sprawling modern manse (2,592 square feet).

Records indicate the home has traded hands at least four times since 2002, including transactions in 2013 ($700,000) and 2015 ($900,000).

Now, almost on schedule, it’s available again for a similar price bump: $1.1 million.

When it listed three years ago, sellers noted the chef’s kitchen and whole-house audio system by Sonos were new. Beyond fresh paint and decluttering, it doesn’t appear to have changed significantly since then. But the market obviously has.

Jova’s homes—ranging from Italian villas to genre-bending contemporary dwellings and more—remain speckled throughout the city, though he’s best known for leading designs on Colony Square, the Carter Presidential Center, and the flying-saucer Trust Company Bank building on Monroe Drive near Interstate 85.

Jova died four years ago at age 94, and in eulogies, one friend called him the “honorary mayor of Midtown” for championing the neighborhood through its blighted nadir.