Modernist House Tour 

Immerse yourself in Chapel Hill's beautiful Modernist architecture with a tour of six homes in the Lake Forest neighborhood.

In the 1950s and 1960s, a large subdivision was developed around Eastwood Lake. The lake was created by damming Booker Creek, and the subdivision that grew around was known as Lake Forest Estates, now simply Lake Forest. It consists primarily of North Lakeshore Drive and South Lakeshore Drive, two meandering roads that follow the lake’s shoreline. The land was originally owned by William Coker, renowned botanist from the University of North Carolina.

The first development of the neighborhood was along South Lakeshore Drive by the Mortgage Insurance Corporation of Burlington. The first section was laid out in 1957, with four more following and almost completely surrounding Eastwood Lake by 1963.

That year, Edward J. “Peg” Owens purchased a portion of the land and immediately laid out the next sections of Lake Forest, on the northwest side of the lake. Between 1965 and 1968, Owens built many houses in this part of the neighborhood, many of which have a lodge-inspired look featuring stained wood. The neighborhood retains mature trees and a beautiful natural setting, and Owens goal for its construction was to build the neighborhood around the environment, instead of removing the environment to put in the neighborhood.

Tickets are on sale now!

Tickets are sold for timed tours starting at 1:00 pm and leaving every fifteen minutes. The last tour will depart at 4:00. Please arrive no later than ten minutes before your scheduled tour to allow time to check in and pick up your will-call tickets (tickets will not provided in advance). If you do not arrive by your scheduled time, your tickets may be forfeit, and we cannot guarantee space on later tours.

There will also be "Day Of" tickets available but they may require a short wait. You will join the earliest available tour. Below is our current tour availability. 

1:00      4 available
1:15      18 available
1:30      15 available 
1:45      21 available
2:00      24 available
2:15      23 available
2:30      SOLD OUT
2:45      28 available
3:00      17 available
3:15      27 available
3:30      7 available
3:45      28 available
4:00     17 available

Parking will be at the parking lot at the northeast intersection of Sage Road and Fordham Boulevard (UNC Health Care), and a shuttle will provide service to each house on the tour.

Please no food, drinks, or pets. Please wear soft soled-shoes. The event is rain or shine, and refunds will not be given in the event of inclement weather.

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Accent Hardwood Flooring
hmwPreservation
James Webb Trust
L.E. Meyers Building Company
Lisa Dye Janes Realtor
MintaBell Design Group
North Carolina Modernist Houses
Swanson & Associates Landscape Architecture

Register Now!