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| Southern Voice 2005.02.25 Page 41 "North by Northcrest" |
The following reprinted without permission (it doesn't appear to be available any longer online):
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| Daniel Troppy (left) and Mitch Waldman found their dream home in the ranch design of a 1950s house in the increasingly diversified Northcrest neighborhood. (Photos by Sher Pruitt) |
North by Northcrest
Lower prices and quiet environs driving gay homeowners to Northcrest’s quirky mix of diverse homes and neighbors.
By BRIAN SUBER
Friday, February 25, 2005
Maneuvering down Lynnray Drive in Northcrest, a DeKalb County neighborhood that hugs the perimeter between Chamblee Tucker and Pleasantdale roads, it soon becomes obvious that this is not the sedate subdivision of the Brady Brunch variety.
Rainbow flags flap in the light breeze, HRC stickers adorn sport utility vehicles, and same-sex couples work on restoration projects. Northcrest, like an increasing number of other metro Atlanta neighborhoods, is getting new spit and polish from a growing number of gay homeowners fleeing the soaring costs of the inner city.
“When Mitch and I were looking for a house, we were looking for a particular style, and we found that houses here were more cost-effective,” says Daniel Troppy, a Northcrest homeowner.
Troppy and his partner, Mitch Waldman, were looking for a Mid-Century Modern home that wouldn’t break the bank. Mid-Century Modern is a quirky style from the 1950s with sleek and elegant lines and angles. Architectural flourishes such as boomerangs, accordion fin walls and cheese-hole masonry are staples.
Troppy, an artist well versed in the whimsy of the style, moved from a confined artist studio in downtown Atlanta to the expansive home, turning the full basement into a spacious private workspace.
“Buying a house, we knew we wanted more space and were looking for architectural coolness that we found in Northcrest,” Troppy says.
When Troppy and Waldman began house-hunting, they wondered if they really needed all the space.
It didn’t take Troppy long to realize that the roomy 4-bedroom, 3-bath California Ranch was ideal for the couple to house their collection of art and vintage designer furnishings.
Like other Northcrest residences, Troppy and Waldman’s tri-level home features large picture windows that overlook a cul de sac, wrap-around decks, and an attention-grabbing “Hollywood Bath,” which boasts a tub with dual-sided sliding-glass doors that connects two separate bathrooms on each side.
Troppy remembers that the couple “drove the realtor crazy” with their wish list for their idea of a perfect dwelling. When they found the Lynnray Drive house in Northcrest, it was the combination of design, spaciousness, location and price that sealed the deal.
Northcrest dates from the 1950s and features a mix of architectural styles. The original 300-acre neighborhood boasted six unique home designs, including two traditional styles and four Mid-Century Modern designs. Later, it was expanded to include A-Frame and singularly unique homes.
Like many metro neighborhoods that hug Interstate 285, Northcrest has experienced diversification as the aging original owners moved away.
Social gentrification is not uncommon as young couples on the lookout for their first real estate purchase buy from graying Baby Boomers. Northcrest reflects the budding trend with its dissimilar facades, where older, rickety homes sit near restored and renovated residences.
The neighborhood is a diverse community, populated with artists, young families, original owners and upwardly mobile gay couples like Troppy and Waldman.
The couple says they enjoy the aesthetics of the houses as well as the hospitality of the neighbors.
“When we were looking at different areas, we knew we wanted to live in a neighborhood with other gay people,” Waldman says. “There are gay couples throughout this neighborhood.”
There are also young married couples and heterosexual homeowners, and families with and without children. Northcrest’s diversity felt right to Troppy from the start, and his reaction was cemented when neighbors stopped by with greetings and a fresh-baked pie.
“Politically, the neighborhood is more left,” Troppy says. “And the area lends itself to the creative types and young people. You have to be creative to really appreciate the neighborhood.”
For the more practical Waldman, Northcrest is quiet, close to work, near an abundance of restaurants and shopping, and offers easy access to the airport.
Troppy says he wonders how younger people can afford to live in Midtown with its swiftly soaring prices. He lived in Virginia-Highlands for years before it changed, in his opinion, “not for the better.”
Waldman, an Atlanta transplant born in New York City, settled in Midtown but sold his condo at a loss to make the move to the ‘burbs.
“’Gay ghettoes’ are out,” Waldman says. “We don’t have to live there anymore, because gays and lesbians have assimilated almost everywhere now.”
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