BRIAN SHAWCROFT, AIA (1929-)

Brian Shawcroft finished his Masters in Architecture at MIT and Harvard University in 1960. From that date until 1968 he was an associate professor of architecture at the NCSU School of Design. In the early 1960's his firm was Shawcroft, Burns, and Kahn.  In 1968, he joined with Dan MacMillan to form MacMillan, MacMillan, Shawcroft and Thames which broke up in 1970. For a time, he lived and worked with Harwell Hamilton Harris at his office on Cox Avenue.  With Clay Taylor, he then established the firm Shawcroft-Taylor in 1971. From the 1970's through the late 1990's, he designed almost all of the modernist house inventory in the Triangle.  In 1991, Shawcroft was awarded the Henry Kamphoefner Prize.

"It's all computers.  No one can draw anymore."

All photos by Shawcroft unless noted.

1961 - The Robert and Ann Work Residence, 214 Hillcrest Circle, Chapel Hill, designed with Robert Burns and Charles Kahn. The house won an AIANC award in 1962.  Built by Triangle Home Builders.  Sold to Chester and Edna Davidson in 1966.  Sold to current owners Teva Stone and Daniel Simpkins in 2002.  Bottom photo by Leilani Carter.

1962 - The Hans and Christian Gerhard House, 2707 Sevier Street, Durham.  Sold to Philip and Helen Pratt in 1966.  Sold to current owners Adam and Sheryl Fowler in 1994.  4613 square feet.  Top photo of back of house from 1962, bottom of front of house from 2006. Bottom four photos by Sheryl Fowler.

1962 - The Nathan and Rita Kaufmann House, 2532 Sevier Street, Durham.  Sold to Frederick and Arlene Thurstone in 1967.  Sold to current owner George Somjen in 1990.  Top photo from 1962, bottom from 2006.

1963 - The Bruce and Nancy Wardropper House, 3443 Rugby Road, Durham.  2280 square feet.  Doug Janes designed the carport and has plans on hand for a bathroom renovation.  Sold in 2006 to Deborah Kargl.  Part of the TMH May 2008 tour.  Now a rental house, but the owner is also open to offers to purchase.  Lower bedroom has been renovated, bottom photo.  Contact Derek Mangum, 919.682.0501 ext 22.

1963 - The Louis and Helen DeAlessi House, 2624 McDowell Street, Durham.  Published in Southern Living.  Sold to Philip and Mary Lou Stevenson in 1968.  Sold to Gregory Ruff in 1987.  Sold to Erol and Deniz Gelenbe in 1993. Sold to current owner Daniel Barboriak in 1998. 

1963 - The Donald Seanor House, 6 Davie Lane, Chapel Hill.  Sold in 1967 to Lucy Conant. Sold in 1975 to June Burbage. Sold in 1981 to John and Daphne Garner.  Sold in 1974 to Mark Shuman.  Sold in 2004 to current owners Amy and Jeff Demagistris.  Middle photo by Jeff Demagistris.  Bottom photo by Lucy Pittman.

1964 - The Leroy B. and Charlotte M. Martin House, built to the west of Crabtree Valley, Raleigh.  Had its own private bridge over Crabtree Creek off of Hwy 70.  The property was sold to a developer and the house was destroyed around 2001.

1966 - The Julia Watkins House, 1708 Curtis Road, Chapel Hill.
Bought by current owner Margaret Sachs in 1993.

1968 - The Knoerr Residence, 1608 Woodburn Road, Durham.    Built for current owners.

1966 - The Robert Work Residence, 1800 Rangecrest Road, Raleigh.  This was Shawcroft's second house for the Work family.  Sold to Elmer and Michelle Wellons in 1984.  Sold to current owners Robert and Carole Spitz in 1986.  Bottom photo by Leilani Carter.

1971 - The Stack Residence.  Destroyed by fire, unsure of the year.  Located in Fayetteville NC.

1974 - The Charles and Joann Jones Residence, 3705 Shadybrook Road, Raleigh. Joann Jones died young and her husband later remarried.  Sold to Jerry C. Liebhart in 1986.  Sold to Triple B Investment (Baxter Benson) in 1988.  Sold to John Kilgore in 1991.  Sold to James and Molly Kuehn in 1995.  Sold in 2001 to current owners Mack and Julie Paul. They began renovations in 2007 designed and built by Vincent Petrarca.  The original “under-the-house” carport was converted to an interior family room/guest suite and a separate garage added.

1975 - The Charles L. Fulton Residence, 3624 Williamsborough Court, Raleigh.  Was on the market for two years with no serious offers, according to neighbor Gregory Poole, Jr.  With the house in deteriorating condition, Poole purchased the land and destroyed the house.

1976 - Shawcroft's first house for himself, 1509 Pineview Street, Raleigh. 
Bought in 1997 by current owners Rodney and Nancy Rich.

1976 - 6801 West Lake Anne Drive, Raleigh.  Shawcroft and partners Clay Taylor and Jerry Cook designed this home for a client who ultimately did not pay their bill.  Undeterred, they built it anyway and sold it to William and Sharivar Wakeham.   Bought by Nikolay Klibson in 1998.  Bought by Mohammad Malek in 2000.  Bought by Allison and Reuben McFadden in 2002.   Bought by current owner Debra Miller in 2006.

1983 - Built for current owners Mac and Julie McVay, 3104 Churchill Road, Raleigh.  This was one of  Raleigh's first universally designed modernist houses, built to accommodate Mr. McVay who suffered from polio.  Features wheelchair access, many views from his chair to the outside, and curved walls.

1983 - The Gary Alvin Haakenson Residence, 3800 Ebenezer Church Road, Raleigh. Built for current owner.   Top photo by Leilani Carter.

1986 - The Alan G. and Martha M. (Marty) Finkel Residence, 12225 Norwood Road, Raleigh.  Sold in 1987 to Kevin C. McKean.  Sold in 1993 to current owners Gaston and Vicky Vidana.  Currently a rental house. 

1991 - The Alan G. and Martha M. (Marty) Finkel Residence, 3566B Hwy 96, Oxford NC, his second house for them.  No photo.  Do you have one?

1994 - The William and Linda Nelson Residence, 2110 Buckingham Road, Raleigh. 
Ellen Weinstein did renovations in 2004.   

1995 - The David and Leslie Browder House, 402 Wildwood Avenue, Rocky Mount NC.  Shawcroft was working on a renovation of their bungalow when the house flooded during a hurricane.  They decided to tear it down and Shawcroft designed this new one.

1996 - The Linville Monroe Meadows and Virginia Elaine Coggins Meadows Residence, 2774 North Plank Road, Sanford.  Shawcroft regards this as his finest work, a house which took three years to build. Sold in 1998 to current owners Edward M. and April Bunch Metcalf.  Destroyed by fire in January 2010 (last three photos from the Sanford Herald).

1997 - The Douglas Eugene Cain and Linda Hilton-Cain Residence, 4620 Golden Heights Drive, Raleigh.   Photo by Leilani Carter.

2002 - His own house, the Gruer/Shawcroft Residence, 5215 Melbourne Road, Raleigh. 
2215 square feet.   Built by David Ballard of Ballard Construction.  First, third, and fourth photos by Leilani Carter.  Bottom photos by George Smart.  Featured on the TMH November 2009 Tour.

2006 - The James Kuehn Residence, 820 Fairall Drive, Raleigh. Built for current owner.
Located on one of the very few unpaved roads inside the Beltline. 2133 square feet.  Bottom photo by Leilani Carter.

2009 - The Charlie Fulton Residence, Linville NC.