Midcentury modern classic seeks TLC

This home in Barton Hills was designed and built in 1951 by legendary local architect/developer A.D. Stenger, known for the outstanding residential design he left behind in the city (see, for example, his Butterfly House) as well as for putting his unique twist on even the most workaday of midcentury modern house. While the house probably belongs in the latter category—and looks like it could use some work, at least cosmetically speaking—it nevertheless has some outstanding and unpredictable features.

Some of those features are not unique to Stenger, of course, but draw on the tropes of midcentury-modern design in general: The clerestory windows, the limestone walls, the blending of exterior and interior, beamed and vaulted ceilings, and a low, mostly flat roofline. Maybe it’s the generally rustic nature of the home and grounds, or the space-age, swooping metal beam that seems to support the living room ceiling (and we’re not sure it’s original, but it likely is) that mark it as a Stenger.

The 1,360-square-foot main home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There is also an attached, one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in the converted garage that measures 420 square feet.

The home features a large, shaded patio in its lush backyard. Bonus: According to the listing, “it’s thought that Stenger himself lived there at some point.”

• 1903 Arthur Lane [The Gill Agency]