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Thursday, November 19, 2009

D. Stanley Dixon: my favorite architect



I just received my December issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, and although I normally do not post about articles from the current issue (what's the fun in that- everyone should get to experience them first hand in the magazine), I could not resist mentioning one of the features that made me so proud of the beautiful homes in our city, and the long-standing tradition of talented architects and outstanding Classical architecture in Atlanta.
The style section of AH&L has a photo feature on 'timeless style' as seen in the architecture of Atlanta. Twenty homes were selected to represent the best of classical design - some old, some new. Although the architects behind the homes were not listed, I immediately noticed that my favorite architect, D. Stanley Dixon, was the architect on four of the twenty homes - an amazing testament to Stan's talent for creating beautiful homes with the purity of form that speaks to the very best in Classical architecture. Here are the four 'Stan Dixon' homes in the AH&L twenty:
229 Nacoochie
This home was a renovation project that can be more aptly described as a transformation, so extensive were the modifications to the exterior facade, roofline, and floorplan. It is hard to believe that this home was originally a 1940s Colonial ranch! Stan Dixon won the 2009 Shutze Award for small renovation with this spectacular project. The prestigious Shutze Awards are sponsored by the Southeast Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and recognize excellence in Classical architecture. The awards are named for Philip Trammell Shutze (1890-1982), one of America's greatest Classical architects. Shutze practiced out of Atlanta, and some of the most revered historical buildings in Atlanta were designed by him.
174 Peachtree Battle
I snapped a quick iphone picture of this home in the spring, as it is one of the most beautiful examples of a newly built French style house in Atlanta. Stan Dixon designed this house, and it was completed earlier this year. It looks perfectly at home among its neighbors on the gracious Peachtree Battle Avenue.

280 Peachtree Battle
Stan was the project architect on the design of this new home when he worked for Norman Askins Architects during the early part of this decade. As with the previous house, it is truly difficult to tell that this house was built less than 10 years ago. It fits right in with the neighboring homes, many of which were built in the 1920s-1940s.
2841 Vernon
This home was a renovation of a 1950s ranch. The goal of the renovation was to improve the scale and proportion of the home, and make it more fitting to the elegant neighborhood in which it resides. Stan Dixon decided to take the renovation of the home in a French Provincial style direction, as the already existing pitched hip roof and French doors across the front lent themselves very easily to this style. Stan won the 2008 Shutze award for residential /single family under 4000 square feet category.
I have known Stan for many years, as our daughters go to school together. In my pre-blog days, he was the only architect I knew, so I would always pepper him with questions about architecture whenever I saw him. Finally, all of his patience with my questions and enthusiasm for architecture has paid off; Stan is the architect that my husband and I have selected to design our new home, which is slowly but surely emerging as French Revival style. We appreciate Stan's dedication to Classical architecture, his excellence at his craft, and his talent in blending the best of Classical architecture with the needs of a family in the 21st century. It has been a pleasure working with him; even though we are still in the early stages of the process, already it has been a fascinating experience to begin the design of a home from the ground up.

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45 comments:

  1. I especially love the Nacoochie house! Gorgeous.

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  2. I love them all, especially Nacoochie too!

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  3. Does your architect have a web site? Could not find anything. Great houses - my favorite is the French Provincial one. I wonder what is in that room that sticks out in front. Love the lanterns.

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  4. Oh yea Stan! That is so exciting, and well deserved. He does excellent work, and I am so excited he will be designing your home. Great choice. I can't wait to see the new issue of AH&L.

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  5. Can't wait to see what your house is going to look like!
    I love all of these houses.

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  6. Congratulation to Stan Dixon! Hoping to see Stan win more Shutze Awards this February.

    I do love the 229 Nacoochie but you know that. More classic than classical and quite a bit less formal than the others (which are also beautiful I think).

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  7. Wow! I bicycle right by those two on Peachtree Battle! I cannot wait to see what Stan does for you! How very exciting.

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  8. congrats- looks like you are in good hands! looking forward to the finished product!

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  9. I love the house that you snapped with your cell phone! It looks very
    French! The other homes are also very pretty! What a wonderful post! Thank you!

    Greet

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  10. Thank you for the comments, everyone.

    Liz, Stan has a website under development - not sure when it is going live.

    First thing this morning I am planning on snapping a photo of the house at 280 Peachtree Battle - I already had pictures of the other homes in my files, but no picture of 280! The image in the magazine was too small to scan.

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  11. 229 Nacoochie is absolutely the most perfect home ever. The residents are extremely lucky, and must have exceedingly good taste. He certainly does seem to be a very talented architect. Thanks for sharing with us.

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  12. Congratulations to you both! I am so looking forward to seeing your new house go up. It will be as exciting to your readers as to you!!!!

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  13. Love the house and am in the process of downsizing and may build ... all that said, is there a web site for the plans/architect? Any chance the "floor plan" could be shown? thanks, bat

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  14. Breathtaking! Elegant but not intimidating.

    Will you be sharing your home's progress as it moves along?

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  15. * Ohhhhh you LUCKY GIRL!!!! (And it's EASY to see why he is your FAVE~~~~ beautiful!!!!). What an incredible treat!!!

    Thanks,
    Linda in AZ *

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  16. 174 Peachtree Battle, oh the music I hear from that home! Oh I can't wait for yours!

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  17. So often there is an over kill on landscaping. These homes present themselves for their beautiful style of design. How refreshing to see the house as it was created and not too much yard decor!
    Vicki in Austin

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  18. lucky you, french revival! what a fun project and am excited to go along on your journey.
    great post!
    debra
    5th and state

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  19. I think his work is dreamy

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  20. Wow. I saw that article in Atlanta Homes, had no idea about the architects behind the houses. Impressive that Dixon designed/renovated 4 of them - do you know about any of the other 20 houses?

    Great post!

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  21. I love all of these houses, but my favorite Stan Dixon house wasn't even on this post! A little teaser for a future post, perhaps.

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  22. Wow -that last home started as a ranch! Stan sure earned his Shutze award! Its one thing to design a beautiful home from scratch, its another level of accomplishment to transform existing bones into a whole other body. Thanks for the information. Cannot wait to see what your magnificent team creates!

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  23. That IS hard to believe that the first house used to be a Colonial Ranch. What a transformation. I love it!

    How exciting that you get to work with him on your new house. I can't wait to see what he creates for you.

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  24. I can predict that your home will look beautiful + function perfectly for the needs of your family.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  25. Exquisite work, thank you so much for sharing with us! I love them all. Congrats to Stan!

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  26. I couldn't possibly choose which house I love more. They are all amazing!!!

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  27. Enjoy every step of the way. The shutters on these homes are so gorgeous. Love the arch shape and painted black or dark grey is fabulous!

    Ruthie

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  28. no.229 OHHHH! what a home! it beckons to me. ohhh! jkj

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  29. Congratulations on your new adventure--building a home can be a wonderful growth experience. Can't wait to see the photos as the project progresses.

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  30. I'm really enjoying this magazine - just discovered it early this year.

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  31. LOVE 2841 Vernon... great design detail and vision.

    xo,
    cristin

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  32. Congratulations on building your new home. I can't wait to see it's creation with this fantastic architect!

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  33. He is really good with proportions and scale. I particularly love the iphone photo. That is wonderful that he will be doing your new home!

    I love getting the Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles magazine. It is always so tastefully done.

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  34. Love the architecture portion of this months issue as well, it is refreshing to see such classic scale and proportion used so well~Stan Dixon has long been one of my favorite architects! Congratulations!~Laura Green Thome

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  35. I love the house on Vernon, sometimes on my way home I make a point of going on a little detour on Vernon just to see that house. It always puts a smile on my face. I am a traffic menace on Peachtree Battle because I always slow to a crawl when I go by that house. We are so lucky to live in a city with such wonderful architecture. Cannot wait to see your house.

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  36. I like most of them. The Nacoochie was very good in my opinion. Would you look at my site and reveiw it.

    alex--news.blogspot.com

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  37. Well, I for one, don't mind at all getting a peek into the latest AH&L issue, since I don't have access to it. So, selfishly speaking, thank you for sharing. What gorgeous homes!! I look forward to seeing yours become a reality. On another note, I hope you'll visit my blog. I currently have a GiveAway/contest going on. Check it out, if you have a moment. Have a great holiday, -susan

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  38. H-

    The dappled light around the house at Nacoochie is so lovely.

    Would be glorious in summer (shade required) or in winter. How lovely.
    cheers, www.thestylesaloniste.com

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  39. lovely lovely homes.... WOW... you have impeccable taste.... have a great week... pam

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  40. I loved this feature in AH&L...Atlanta has SUCH beautiful homes!

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  41. I too love the Nacoochie house- but also the Vernon one!

    I do hope you share some of your house-building project. You introduced me to Dixon and would love to see what you decide upon!

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  42. living at '229 Nacoochie'....
    such a happy life it would be.

    xxx

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  43. wish I was on vacation there.
    Gorgeous.

    Yvonne

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