Nashville architect Robert Anderson never became an international household name, but in the households of Nashvillians who appreciate modern architecture, his name is definitely known, and very much revered.
From the ’60s up through the early aughts, but particularly throughout the ’70s, Anderson created homes that stood apart from pretty much anything else in the area, built on midcentury minimalism, crisp angles and arresting expanses of glass.
Though their aesthetics were certainly different, Anderson was at least a little bit of Nashville’s own Frank Lloyd Wright, in the sense that he also put a premium on letting the land around it inspire and inform a home’s design. You quickly see that sensibility in Anderson homes — and it’s fitting, too, that the larger crop of his designs can be found in hilly, leafy areas of Nashville, like Forest Hills and Oak Hill.
Like Frank Lloyd Wright, Robert Anderson was also way ahead of his time — although modern homes aren’t hard to find in Nashville now, if you scour the expanse of Middle Tennessee homes designed and built in the ’70s, you’ll see little with the forward-looking aesthetics of an Anderson home. They’re unmistakable, and they’re Nashville treasures.
It’s no surprise that Anderson, who passed away in 2014, has amassed a cult following of home-design lovers here, many of whom are international household names. Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill and wife/singer Jessie Baylin bought an Anderson home, as did model/singer Karen Elson and many others. Well-known architect and designer Bobby McAlpine even snagged his own Anderson home.
Given all that, obviously when a Robert Anderson home hits the market, Nashville househunters with a taste for modern design get excited. And we do too.
Which is why, although these aren’t our listings, we had to take a minute to spotlight a mix of Robert Anderson-designed homes on the market in the Nashville area now. Three different classic Anderson-designed properties are up for grabs, from Nashville to Franklin; they’re all very different designs, very different price points, all unmistakably cool. Take a look.
1222 Cliftee Dr
Brentwood, TN 37027
$595,000
Built in the mid-‘80s, this 3-bed, 2 1/2-bath home in Forest Hills is a double rarity: a Robert Anderson-designed home on a large lot, priced at under $600K. It isn’t a massive home, at just over 2800 square feet, but the 2 acres of lush, green land — brought right into the home with massive, Anderson-classic windows — makes it feel like it is.
2622 Wayland Ct
Nashville, TN 37215
$999,000
This Green Hills/Forest Hills home has to be among the earlier Robert Anderson designs, built in 1960. Around every corner, you gaze out onto the private, acre-plus property the home’s nestled into. Washing dishes would hardly be a chore, with the option of looking out of the massive eating-area window onto a Gatlinburg-esque setting. The decks, too… breathtaking.
9447 Clovercroft Rd
Franklin, TN 37067
$2,248,000
This 1978 Robert Anderson design is on the higher end of the budget spectrum, but it’s easy to see why — on almost 18 acres in Franklin, the 6700-plus-square-foot home is perched on its own picturesque, stocked lake, with windows that look out onto it at every turn. One of the masters has a full wall-and-a-half of windows, facing right onto the water — and that’s only one of the standout features.
Are you set on buying a Robert Anderson home in Nashville? Let us know if we can help you set up a showing for any of these listings, or help you look for something else. You can reach ACRE here, or start the Nashville househunting process by filling out this quick form.
Listings via MLS, not under agreement with ACRE and/or Benchmark Realty, LLC, except where noted.