In June 1931, building contractor Jerome A. Utley collaborated with architect Richard H. Marr to build the ‘sideways house’ on two lots in the heart of Palmer Woods. Sideways? This happens one of the few homes in Palmer Woods oriented perpendicular to the street.

The proposal from Marr, now yellowed with age, details the variety of materials to be used in the Tudor Revival home. The roof would be slate and the exterior walls a golden colored cut stone. Woods used range from fine grain White Oak for the entrance door to English Oak and American Walnut for interior paneling. Bathrooms would contain marble or specialty tiles.

After 77 years the quality of the materials and the construction are still evident despite the changes that have made the home more suitable for 21st century living.

There are six bedrooms, five have private full baths. A spacious living room is lit by windows on three sides and includes a hidden bar. The highlight of the formal wood-paneled library is the vaulted ceiling.

Five fireplaces warm the living room, dining room, Library, basement recreation room and master bedroom, which the current owners now use as their den. The kitchen has recently been remodeled for at least the second time since the home was built. New accents include granite counter tops, porcelain backsplash tiles and a bamboo floor.

But why is the house sideways? Marr situated the house along the length rather than the width of the first lot affording views of a formal rose garden in the adjoining lot. In the 1980s the garden was replaced with an in-ground pool, easily accessed from a Pewabic-tiled solarium. Both the pool and yard reap the benefit of the southern sunlight.