The Drew House: A Vision of Mid-Century Modern Living

researched by George Smart, Nick Fountain and Dana Deaton

May is National Preservation Month, a time to celebrate and advocate for the places that tell Raleigh’s story. As part of this effort, Preservation Raleigh is highlighting culturally and architecturally significant locations facing threats through our 2025 Places in Peril (PIP) initiative.

This article focuses on The Drew-Sanderson-Glazener House, also known as The Better Homes and Gardens House. This fourth site in our 2025 series currently faces imminent demolition.

The home, located at 511 Transylvania Avenue, stands as a quintessential example of Mid-Century Modern architecture. This enduring style, popular from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s, is defined by its clean lines, organic and geometric forms, and a strong emphasis on seamlessly integrating indoor and outdoor spaces. The single-story home’s story begins in 1953 with its feature as a “Five Star Home No. 2309” in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, a design that would go on to join the residential landscape of Raleigh’s Country Club Hills neighborhood.

---

Why It Matters: A Legacy of Mid-Century Modern Design

This intriguing story begins in 1953 with a feature in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The September 1953 issue devoted approximately 13 pages to unveiling this home design, the culmination of nearly a year spent surveying families nationwide about their desires for a new home. Architects Brooks Buderus and Gerald Siegwart incorporated these findings into a cohesive plan. This design, specifically identified as “Five Star Home No. 2309,” was part of a national initiative where 40 builders across the country constructed these homes for National Home Month.

One of the participating developers was Ed Richards, a key figure in promoting mid-century modern homes in Raleigh, particularly within the Country Club Hills neighborhood. Richards, who would later shape significant developments like North Hills Estates and North Ridge, recognized the innovative modern design of the “Five Star Home No. 2309.” He worked with builder Thomas Wilson to construct the house, with slight modifications, in Country Club Hills, already having planned for its construction in Raleigh when the magazine was published.

This period in the 1950s was a vibrant time for modern architecture in Raleigh, significantly influenced by the NCSU School of Design, which opened in 1948. Its influential founding faculty were encouraged to create new designs, serving as both educators and innovators. This environment helped Raleigh gain a national reputation as a hub for modern design. The Better Homes and Gardens “Five Star Home” series, promoting accessible and contemporary designs, perfectly aligned with this progressive architectural landscape. The Country Club Hills neighborhood, with its spacious lots and suburban feel, quickly became a prime location for these innovative homes.

The house was sold to Newton Homes in late 1953, then to Thomas Floyd Drew and Katherine Conn Drew in 1954. Over the years, it has been owned by several notable Raleigh figures. In 1967, it was sold to Nan Russell Sanderson and Jesse O. Sanderson; Jesse Sanderson, a member of the Raleigh City Council, is the educator for whom Sanderson High School is named. The house was sold in 1985 to Salah and Amina Elmaghraby. In 1994, landscape architects Dennis and Sharon Bell Glazener, part of the family of famed landscape architect Dick Bell, acquired the home, adding a pool and enclosing the carport for an office. In 2012, Marjorie F. Smith purchased the home, and her son oversaw a renovation that included filling in the pool and reopening the carport.

The Drew House also boasts significant renovation work in the late 1980s by brothers Jim and John Webb. Both distinguished architects, Jim Webb had a long career including teaching at UNC-Chapel Hill’s City and Regional Planning School and co-founding City Planning and Architecture Associates (CPAA). John Bruce Webb (1910-1997) was a brilliant designer who worked for prominent firms like Albert Kahn and John Carl Warnecke, famously serving as the project architect for President John F. Kennedy’s gravesite. The involvement of these influential architects in the Drew House’s renovation underscores its importance within the broader context of mid-century modern design and the architectural practices of the Triangle region.

This home is a tangible link to the “Greatest Generation” who returned from WWII and shaped the city we cherish today. Its design embodies the optimism and innovation of the post-war era. Raleigh’s standing as the Number Three City in the Nation for mid-century modern design, behind only Chicago and Los Angeles, underscores the importance of preserving homes like this.

---

Architectural / Physical Description

This single-story house is a quintessential example of Mid-Century Modern architecture, a style prevalent from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s. It’s characterized by its clean lines, organic and geometric forms, and a strong emphasis on integrating the indoors with the outdoors.

As noted in the original Better Homes and Gardens article, “Outstanding features are many, but the one you’re apt to spot first is the remarkable way that living, service, sleeping areas are set apart in this one-floor plan. The separation was handled with something of a bow to the past. Architects took what one usually finds on the top floor of a two-story house—bedrooms, bathrooms, dressing areas—and keeping them as just one unit, brought these activities down to the ground level.” This innovative approach results in the house’s distinctive “H” shape, which extends deep into the lot, maximizing privacy from the street while enhancing its connection to the surrounding landscape.

The article continued to describe the home as a progressive house brimming with Mid-Century Modern design. With the unusual H-plan, a “terrace room” (family/dining room) separated the bedroom wing from the rest of the house. The glass wall in the living room provided a view of a small garden. A generously sized terrace included a gravel area for playground equipment, sandbox, built-in bench, and barbeque pit.

Redwood beams and windows of varying types (awning, clerestory, transom) provided a rectangularity to the space. Wall surfaces included cypress paneling, a floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace, and perforated hardboard painted in yellow. Furniture had a minimal and slim design to lighten the modestly-sized rooms.

Storage cabinets with sliding doors in an alternating white and yellow pattern were in a U-shaped kitchen with its bright blue backsplash. The breakfast bar also functioned as a pass-through serving counter to the dining room if the sliding glass doors were opened. Children had their own indoor play area that could be closed off from their sleeping quarters by wooden traverse dividers.

Key features include a distinctive butterfly roof, a signature element of mid-century modern design where two opposing roof slopes meet in the middle. The house also boasts an interior courtyard, which has historically featured a pool and landscaped gardens, seamlessly blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor living. The design prioritizes openness and a vibrant interior reminiscent of the 1950s. Notably, the southwest (front) corner of the house rests on a massive boulder, further integrating the structure with its natural site.

The house’s setting within the Country Club Hills neighborhood reinforces its significance. While the neighborhood retains many of its original characteristics, the growing trend of teardowns for new development poses a threat to the neighborhood’s unique architectural cohesion.

---

The Threat: Why It’s a Place in Peril

The Drew House faces an urgent threat. In May 2024, the property was sold to Speight Built LLC, and then again in April 2025 to Molly and Thomas Glasgow. The specific threat is the imminent demolition of this architecturally significant home.

The loss of this house would be profound. It represents a unique architectural example and a tangible link to Raleigh’s design history. The ongoing trend of replacing historically significant homes with architecturally uninspired new construction erodes the city’s distinct character and heritage.

---

The Opportunity: A Path Forward

Despite the immediate threat, there’s always an opportunity to advocate for preservation. Raising public awareness and exploring alternative options, such as finding a sympathetic buyer who values its architectural integrity, could potentially save the house. Currently, the Drew-Sanderson-Glazener House lacks specific historic protections like local landmark designation or historic district zoning, making it vulnerable to demolition.

Urgent steps for preservation include:

• Identifying and preserving this house and all other remaining mid-century modern homes in the arc between Meredith College and North Hills.
• Encouraging current owners to place a preservation easement upon rare and special properties before they are lost.
• Educating the public and local decision-makers on the necessity to save the designs and places connected to the “Greatest Generation” and Raleigh’s unique architectural heritage.

---

Call to Action

The Drew-Sanderson-Glazener House is a crucial piece of Raleigh’s mid-century modern heritage, and its future hangs in the balance. Inaction could lead to the irreversible loss of this unique home.

How Can People Help?

• Educate yourself and your friends about Raleigh’s fast-disappearing reputation as a national leader in mid-century modern design.
• Contact Preservation Raleigh, Preservation NC, or NC Modernist for information on the simplicity of placing a preservation easement on rare and special properties and the urgency of this need.
• Support Preservation Raleigh’s advocacy efforts by becoming a member or donating.

---

Sources:

• Better Homes and Gardens “Readers Choice House” (Five Star Home No. 2309, September 1953 issue): https://www.ncmodernist.org/BHG-1953-09.pdf
• NC Modernist (The Drew House): https://www.ncmodernist.org/webb.htm
• Wake County Real Estate Search

Resources:

• Preservation NC: https://www.presnc.org/
• NCSU School of Design History: Information about the School of Design’s founding and its impact on Raleigh’s architectural landscape can be found on the university’s official website or through academic publications on architectural history.