SOLD! A Sprawling, Modern 1979 Executive Home by Mitch Tarzian in Deer Park

Over the years, I’ve sent out many postcards and letters to owners of modern homes that I’ve run across while driving around the Chicago suburbs.

Sometimes these mailings are letting them know that I specialize in helping people buy & sell modern properties. Sometimes, I just want to let them know that I drove by their house and I think it’s a beautiful home. Sometimes I ask questions about the architect or the history of the house.

Many times, I don’t hear anything in return, at least not for a long time. I’d first driven past the house at 21677 N Sylvander Drive in Deer Park many years ago. I’m not sure when I first sent something to the owner or what I sent, but it’s one of those homes I’d really been curious about since the first time I saw it. What’s it like inside? Who designed it?

Sitting high up on a hill on a winding cul-de-sac off of Cuba Rd, in a fantastic location between Barrington and Lake Zurich, it felt somewhat mysterious to me. So you can imagine how pleased I was to hear from the home’s owner earlier this year.

Alex, an author and voice actor who has also worked in the finance and real estate industries, has owned the home since 2006. “I wasn’t particularly well-versed in architecture at the time,” shares Alex, “though modern home styles have always been appealing to me visually. Their open, flowing and expansive design has always appealed to me more than the standard boxed-in feel of many traditional homes.”

From what little I could see from the street before I’d ever been inside the house, it reminded me of the work of several other architects in the area, including Paul Magierek, who designed the Countryside development in Palatine, as well as Lake Geneva’s beautiful Playboy Resort (now the Grand Geneva).

As it turns out, the home was designed and built by entrepreneurial developer Mitch Tarzian, a graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago’s architecture school. In the 1970’s, Tarzian formed M. Tarzian & Associates, through which he developed large subdivisions and built individual homes such as this one. Unfortunately, Mr. Tarzian passed away in 2017, and while I was able to contact one of his family members, they didn’t have any specific info about this house, such as who it was originally built for, or if it was a spec home.

Constructed primarily of brick, the home features strong angles and masses, capped with a substantial cedar fascia that wraps around the perimeter of the home. The loose “H” layout of the home becomes inviting as you traverse the gently sloping walkway to the front door. And once inside, there are so many fun details and surprises.

“The house first struck me as unique and interesting,” says Alex. “It has a great vantage, perched atop a wooded hill, and my sight was immediately drawn to the way the home is separate into two halves.”

Once you enter the home, you discover immediately that even more beautiful, natural materials abound. Flanking the front door are two massive stone walls, set as the backdrop to sunken planters on either side of the entryway, with skylights overhead. The same stone was used to form walls perpendicular to these, separating the dining area from the kitchen, and again to separate the sunken living room from the family room on the other side of a two-sided fireplace.

Underfoot, travertine tiles offer another glimpse into the luxurious nature of how this home must’ve felt when first built in the late ’70s. At over 4,000 square feet all on a single level, it’s easy to see how impressive this home would’ve been to whoever came to visit back then.

And it’s not just the materials that make the house feel modern, but the open, flowing layout, and the extensive use of large glass areas to connect the home to its beautiful surroundings. 

“When I first walked into and through the house,” continues Alex, “it felt like a place of serenity, quiet and contemplation. Even empty of furniture, as it was when I first saw it, the house had an openness to it – a flow – filled with light and nature.”

Step down into that sunken living room, and it’s hard not to feel the calm that Alex refers to. The space feels like a sanctuary, inviting you in with the prospect of a warm fire, or just to look out the many windows to see what surprises nature has in store for you today.

“Wildlife is abundant here,” explains Alex. “The town is called Deer Park for a reason, and I’ve spotted up to ten deer at a time traipsing through the yard. I’ve seen coyotes lounging on the lawn, groundhogs, foxes and more. One of the more memorable incidents featured a snapping turtle climbing up from the marshes across the road, up the hill, to lay its eggs on higher ground, namely my garden bed! Months later and the babies hatches, with dozens of tiny turtles crossing the road to venture back into their aquatic domain.”

An open dining area sits perched above the living room, down the hall a bit from the entryway and its planters. But head up the angled steps around the other side of the living room’s fireplace, and you’ll be in the family room. Here, you can enjoy the other side of the two-sided fireplace, but the space also was designed for entertainment, with a recessed area built-in for TV and audio equipment (which, back in the ’70s, was substantially more sizeable than it is today!)

“Lately, my favorite spot has become the fireplace,” says Alex. “Built in the middle of the house’s largest rock wall, the fireplace area encompasses two joined rooms. It’s the perfect place to relax, read, meditate or spend a romantic evening with a loved one.”

Overhead, a unique pyramid-shaped skylight affords additional natural light to the two large windows at the back and the French doors between them. All of this works together to make the house feel like a fantastic combination of a protected space while being part of the natural world.

“The house on Sylvander has a unique design,” continues Alex, “mixing the natural with the modern. With the various skylights helping the sun to illuminate the home naturally, the stone walls and built-in planters let it feel in harmony with the world.”

Behind the family room (actually more toward the front of the house) is the kitchen, organized as two rows of cabinetry and appliances with an eat-in area at the end, generous enough in size for a table for six or more, and a wine storage area in one corner. 

As with every other part of the house, the kitchen is oversized, especially for the time, but still comfortable and, perhaps more importantly, smartly laid out as a workspace. One run of cabinets is open to the family room, incorporating a triple sink and acting also as a serving area. Opposite that is a stunningly long run of cabinets that also house double ovens, a large cooktop area, and a second, slightly lower area with an integrated desk and much more storage to boot.

Around the corner and down a couple of steps from the kitchen are a spacious mud room / laundry room with access to the 3-car garage and, further toward the front of the house, a guest room or in-law suite with a private en-suite bathroom.

Heading to the other side of the house reveals the majority of the home’s private spaces, starting with the large, sunken Primary Suite. Here, an angled wall reflects light from the numerous windows, including two that look out into a courtyard formed between this space and the living room.

Between the angled walls is the path to the huge en-suite dual bathroom. Here, you’ll find two large walk-in closets, separate private water closets, raised areas with a large soaking tub as well as a separate walk-in shower, and tons of cabinet and vanity space.

As with the kitchen and much of the rest of the house, you’ll notice that almost everything here is original. The home still features all its original cabinetry and hardware, and many original fixtures and features as well.

Across from the Primary Suite is a powder room, a storage closet, the entrance to the basement, and then beyond that, are the other two bedrooms, including one with a walk-in closet that Alex has repurposed as a sound recording booth for the time being, and another full bathroom shared by these two bedrooms.

It’s an impressive and very well-thought-out floor plan that lives easily. And while the partial basement is unfinished, it offers another 2,000 square feet or so of storage space or potential for a multitude of uses such as workout room, hobby space, home theater and so much more. Plus, there are multiple crawl spaces for additional storage, even if the basement were to be finished.

Outside, the home sits on over two acres of beautiful property surrounded by mature trees. The lot features an exceptional mix of lawn and foliage, offering privacy and that beautiful vantage point that Alex mentioned earlier.

An expansive deck wraps around from the family room, past the screened-in sunroom, and around the south side of the home.

“The sunsets here are quite beautiful,” says Alex. “From the front windows or the deck, you get a pristine view of the sun as it sets between the wooded hillocks. It’s great to watch the colors shifting, from the blue sky transitioning into oranges and reds, the nearby clouds highlighted in pinks and purples, casting the land in a honeyed light.”

Now, 18 years after purchasing the home, Alex is moving on. “I’ve lived some great years here,” explains Alex. “I’ve had the experiences I wanted, and it’s time to move on to new adventures and new places.”

21677 N Sylvander Road is now available for the first time since 2006. You can click the link below to see the official listing, or click any of the images in the gallery below to see them at a larger size.

This home sold on January 21st, 2025

 

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