Goodbye San Francisco, Hello (Again) Milwaukee
After 15 years in New York and San Francisco (5 in Manhattan, 3 in Brooklyn, 7 in San Francisco), we’re moving to my hometown of Milwaukee. Sconnie, come get your girl!
As wonderful as San Francisco is, my love affair is waning now that we have two kids (hi, baby Liam). The cost of housing, the gamble of public schools, the parking, the 23 steps up to the front door, the crackhead who damn near dropped a needle in our stroller. It’s a lot.
Last year, we came across a gorgeous mid-century modern home for sale in Fox Point, a northern Milwaukee suburb along Lake Michigan. We were in no rush to leave the Bay Area, but this house spoke to me. I had to see it in person.
After a Facetime tour with a realtor friend, we booked a weekend flight to check it out. Two days before takeoff, someone put in an offer on the home. *$#%! You’ve got to be kidding me. That left us with 24 hours to counter offer. So we did what any sane, rational human would do…we put in a bid BEFORE STEPPING FOOT INSIDE THE HOME. Whoops.
I included a letter about how much this house would mean to me and my family — this home we’d never seen up close. In a city we had no concrete plan to move to anytime soon. But I wasn’t lying. I had poured over the photos and videos, had scoured the market to see how often homes like this arise, had spent enough time dreaming about what we could do to make it into something really special.
And even though we weren’t the highest bid, our offer was accepted — thanks to my letter. <Shrugs. Dips quill in ink.>
Built in 1954 by architect couple Willis and Lillian Leenhouts, this house is inviting beyond words. Lillian was Wisconsin’s first licensed female architect and co-founded the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture. Complete badass. The Leenhouts’ work is characterized by sensitivity to nature and passive solar design. Their homes tend to have modest street-facing facades, and open, glassy backs. Ours is no exception, showcasing a spectacular oak tree in the backyard.
This home makes my heart sing — the split-level, open layout, radiant heat, built-ins, and thoughtful details I’m still discovering. The original speaker system was wired throughout the grand room and bedrooms (each had its own volume control). Built on a hill, the lower level has south-facing windows that flood the space with light in what would traditionally be a dark basement. Very smart.
Despite some unfortunate renovations done by the second owners in the ’70s, this place is a marvel. It sits on three-quarters of an acre, is a half mile from Lake Michigan, 20 minutes to downtown Milwaukee, and just as far to Grammy Sammy and Grandpa Bingo. The neighborhood has great schools and is full of gorgeous architecture, heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. Taliesin — his home, studio, and school — is two and a half hours west. (I’ve been. It’s amazing.)
We move in a month! Wow. Very fortunate that we’ll be working remotely with our current employers, and very much ready for some space. We’re going from something like 600 square feet to 3,400 square feet. Bye bye, clutter.
I’m sad to say goodbye to San Francisco, and to the incredible friends I have here (come visit!), but I’m thrilled to begin this next chapter, to be closer to family, and to rediscover my beloved brew city.
I’ll write a future post about how we’re renovating and designing the space. We have the blueprints, and I’ve been in touch with the original owners’ daughter, who grew up there in the ’50s and ’60s. We’re putting in a new kitchen and family bathroom, but we’ll keep the aesthetic in line with the home’s original character.
This will be fun.
