Written by Lori Boatfield

The home of Michele and Ross Hunter in the Twickenham Historic District is elegantly bedecked for the holidays in its own spectacular style.
The home site has deep roots in Huntsville’s landscape. according to Archetect Frank Nola, ofNola | Van Peursem Architects, the original residence was the historic Davis-Rawson house, Which was destroyed by fire in 2019. It was one of a pair of nearly identical Queen Ann style houses built side by side for two sisters in 1889. The side entrance door at the por-cochere was incorporated into the design as one of the only surviving elements from the original house. Nola assisted the Hunters with restoration of the Davis-Rawson house in 1999. He also designed the current structure on the site.

The view of the home from the exterior is striking. “The house draws inspiration from English Arts and Crafts, Tudor Revival and classical architecture found in the surrounding neighborhood. The asymmetrical facade features a gracefully curved catslide roof, an invention midievil builders working in a traditional vocabulary of timber and thatch,” said Nola of the design. “The classical style entrance  surround, constructed of Alabama limestone, frames a round window that occupies the expected location of the front door. Playful inversions of scale include a 16-foot-tall window entered on the front gable, and a four-foot-wide urn that punctuates the front corner of the terrace.”