Modernist home for sale in downtown Chapel Hill, NC, near UNC

A modernist home in Chapel Hill, tucked away off West Franklin Street, is the handiwork of one the Triangle’s major architecture firms.

The sleek geometric home, built in 2011, was designed by Szostak Design, the award-winning firm behind projects like the renowned Durham Performing Arts Center.

Just shy of a million dollars, this two-story, 2,885-square-foot home on 414 Yates Motor Company Alley is on the market for $935,000, according to Zillow.

The house has three bedrooms and four bathrooms as well as an outdoor patio with fireplace, surrounded by landscaping and gardening that offer privacy on a 5,227-square-foot lot.

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This home at 414 Yates Motor Company Alley in downtown Chapel Hill off of West Franklin Street was designed by Szostak Design. Zillow

The master bedroom has a walk-in closet and a balcony with a fireplace.

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This home at 414 Yates Motor Company Alley in downtown Chapel Hill off of West Franklin Street was designed by Szostak Design. Zillow

The interiors feature cork and wood floors throughout, tiled bathrooms with walk-in showers, a deep soaking tub and a smooth 10-foot high ceiling above a European-style kitchen with Caesarstone countertops.

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This home at 414 Yates Motor Company Alley in downtown Chapel Hill off of West Franklin Street was designed by Phil Szostak, a 1975 graduate of the School of Design at N.C. State University. His firm Szostak Design is behind projects like the renowned Durham Performing Arts Center and the Aloft hotel in downtown Durham. Triangle Multiple Listing Service

Adds Szostak Design, “All of the home’s principal spaces open onto a dramatic, sunlit staircase that animates the home’s interior volumes.”

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This home at 414 Yates Motor Company Alley in downtown Chapel Hill off of West Franklin Street was designed by Szostak Design. Zillow

The home’s exterior includes a two-car covered parking space and large windows on the home’s sides that span across two floors.

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This home at 414 Yates Motor Company Alley in downtown Chapel Hill off of West Franklin Street was designed by Phil Szostak, a 1975 graduate of the School of Design at N.C. State University. His firm Szostak Design is behind projects like the renowned Durham Performing Arts Center and the Aloft hotel in downtown Durham. Triangle Multiple Listing Service

It also has an indoor fireplace and a spacious family room and a room with floor-to-ceiling windows with space for a home office or workout equipment.

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This home at 414 Yates Motor Company Alley in downtown Chapel Hill off of West Franklin Street was designed by Szostak Design. Zillow

This piece of downtown Chapel Hill real estate is parallel to West Franklin Street, less than a mile from UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus. It’s within walking distance to restaurant and retail staples in downtown, including Crook’s Corner, Mediterranean Deli and the Carolina Brewery.

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This home at 414 Yates Motor Company Alley in downtown Chapel Hill off of West Franklin Street was designed by Phil Szostak, a 1975 graduate of the School of Design at N.C. State University. His firm Szostak Design is behind projects like the renown
ed Durham Performing Arts Center and the Aloft hotel in downtown Durham. Triangle Multiple Listing Service

The home previously sold in January 2020 for $850,000, according to county records, increasing in value by $85,000 since then.

The house, which Szostak Design refers to as Downtown Residence, received an award from the Triangle chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2013 for overall design excellence as well as an AIA North Carolina Merit Award.

Phil Szostak is a graduated of the School of Design at N.C. State University. The firm is known for other commercial, civic and residential projects, including the Aloft hotel in Durham, the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center and the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in Henderson.

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Aaron Sánchez-Guerra is the business and real estate reporter for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. He previously worked at WLRN Public Media in Miami and as a freelance journalist in Raleigh and Charlotte covering the Latino population. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University, a native Spanish speaker and was born in Mexico.