"This is not a field in which one can make a comfortable living:  yet it is the field that affords the deepest satisfaction."  -- Edgar and Margaret Hunter, November 1953 Architectural Record

EDGAR HAYES "TED" HUNTER, JR., AIA
(1914-1995)

Edgar Hunter was a competitive Alpine skier in 1930s.  He received AB and M.Ed. degrees from Dartmouth College in 1938 and 1950. He also received BA and Masters of Architecture degrees from Harvard in 1941 and 1970. 

At Harvard, he met Peg Hunter and they would later marry.  Hunter was a professor for 20 years at Dartmouth College and Chapter President of the New Hampshire in 1961 and the Raleigh AIA later in that decade.

The Hunters had two adopted children, Chris (died 2001) and Meg.

MARGARET KING "PEG" HUNTER, AIA
(1919-1997)

Margaret Hunter received a BA in Botany at Wheaton College and was a member of the first class of female architects at the Harvard School of Design in 1942.  See the full photo below of Hunter in the kitchen GE built from her design. 

She is the author of Your Own Kitchen and Garden Survival Book with Virginia W. Williams and The Indoor Garden with her husband.

The Hunters practiced in Hanover, New Hampshire from 1945-1966, both teaching at Dartmouth and designing several buildings on the campus.  They were featured in the 1950, 1953, and 1956 Architectural Record.  In 1957, they hired Roy Banwell as an associate. 

In 1966 they relocated to Raleigh primarily because the demand for architecture in VT and NH had faded. There was also difficulty finding contractors who could build modern design correctly. They left the NH practice to Roy Banwell.  Ted worked for Lyles Bissett Carlisle and Wolff in Raleigh and Peg taught at NCSU.  After a time, Ted left the firm and the pair opened up shop as EH and MK Hunter AIA.  Peg Hunter founded Heritage Antiques and in 1970 hired Virginia W. Williams to work in that store.  They would later co-author "Your Own Kitchen and Garden Survival Book."  Williams died in 1976. 

In Raleigh, the couple designed Ridgewood Shopping Center and the Meredith Woods Subdivision, and the what is now called the Holshouser Building at the NC State Fairgrounds, shown in construction below, among many other projects.  Their Raleigh house, no longer standing, was one of their best local works. 

1941 - The Francis Drury House, 207 Elm Street, Norwich VT.

Around 1944 - The Toll House, Stowe VT.  Has been destroyed.  Featured in the May 1944 Pencil Points magazine (precursor to Progressive Architecture).  The article only had Ted Hunter listed as the architect.  Photo by Cushing-Gellatly.

1945 - The James F. Cusick House, Franconia NH.  No address.  Do you have one?  Featured in Better Homes and Gardens, September 1951.  Photos by Richard Garrison.

1946 - The Junius A. Brown House, Hanover NH.
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1946 - The Henry G. Williams House, 95 East Wheelock Street, Hanover NH. As of 2011 owned by Jim Jordan.  According to architect Roy Banwell, Jordan did a "serious and thoughtful" renovation, staying true to the original design. 

1946 - The Alexander Hiss House, Norwich CT.
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1947 - The John Murtagh House, 8 Rip Road, Hanover NH.  According to their daughter Mary, it was sold around 1972 when they retired.  The flat roof was supported by steel beams which loudly cracked in the winter.  A gorgeous fieldstone wall connected the house and garage and continued inside the house.  The radiant heating system broke and was replaced with baseboard heaters, which necessitated much smaller windows, an unfortunate tradeoff.  As of 2011 owned by James Barry.  Has been remodeled and much of the flat room is gone.  Bottom 2011 photo by Ramani Mathew.  BW photos by Ezra Stoller/Esto.  Mary Murtagh recalls the view was incredible across the mountains and the Dartmouth campus.

1947 - The J. G. Blount House, Conway NH.   Located on Route 16 near Madison NH.  Still standing as of 2010.  Featured in Better Homes & Gardens in December 1951.  No exact address.  Do you have one?

1948 - The R. W. Williams Ski Cabin, Stowe VT. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1948 - The Albert L. Keep House, Williamstown MA. 
No address.  Featured in the 1952 Distinctive Houses, Architectural Record .

1948 - The H. Wentworth Eldridge House, 328 Elm Street, Norwich VT.   Photos by Ezra Stoller/Esto.  Sold in 1984 to David and Sarah Reeves.  Remodeled and updated in 1984 by architect V. Stuart (Stu) White.  New garage added in 1998 by architect Bernard (Bernie) Benn. 

1948 - The Ralph W. and Anne Hunter House, 17 Hemlock Road, Hanover NH.  Ralph Hunter was Ted Hunter's older brother.  Anne Hunter died about 1970 and Hunter remarried Elizabeth (Betty) Morrison. Sold in 2003 to Norman N. Yanofsky and Kathy Crawford.

1949 - The Maude French Residence, 7 Lewin Road, Hanover NH.   Two bedrooms with the living floor raised over the entrance, garage, garden storage, and "breezeway" to take maximum advantage of the view of the valley of the Connecticut River.  Pictured above, French (1900-1985) variously called it "Spinster's Rest," "El Rancho Bankrupto," and other names of affection.  Appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, June 1951. 

According to her friend Jean Ranc, French had a vintage Thunderbird convertible she kept garaged and on blocks during the winter.  "If you saw Maude driving her Thunderbird," says Ranc, "you knew it was spring."  Sold in 1985 to George R. and Caroline Porter.  Sold in 1986 to Jonathan and Ann Rose. Sold to Susan and Stephen Shadford.  Destroyed in late 2011.

The Hunter House (photos above).

  
Peg Hunter, her son Christopher, and his friends in the GE demonstration Kitchen (not the Hunter House)

Map of the neighborhood, originally known as "Pill Hill" because so many doctors lived there.

1949 - The Hunter's own home on 15 Hemlock Road, Hanover NH.  This remarkable glass, stone, and wood piece of sculpture was suspended like a tree house on the side of Balch Hill.  The stunningly beautiful house stair-steps down the hill on three levels with ledge stone foundations.  Inside, a see-through fireplace opened to the living room and the dining room on the other side.  The house was featured on the cover of the November 1953 Architectural Record.  It was the crown jewel of a community of Hunter-designed houses along Hemlock Road, each with 2-5 acres of woods.

Margaret Hunter was featured in the 1958 Time/Life Picture Cookbook for being "one of the few successful women architects."  General Electric was so impressed with her kitchen design they built it, although not at the Hunter house.  Stationed in the middle of the GE house, the kitchen is without walls to the dining room and motor-driven shades regulated light from the windows.  There was also a skylight over the kitchen area. Bottom color photos of the GE kitchen by Leslie Gill.

This jewel sat unsold for four years after the Hunters had departed in 1966 for Raleigh.  Bought in 1970 for $58,500 by Jean Ranc and Nathan Geurkink.  Ranc loved the house but reality struck upon the first $500 oil bill for radiant heating in the slate and concrete floor.  Later after refinancing the house to install thermopane throughout, they were only able to reduce the heating cost 25%, even keeping the thermostat at 65 degrees and dressing in layers.  Ranc and Geurkink sold in 1979 for $92,000 and two subsequent owners have made extensive renovations such as enlarging the tiny kitchen, adding decks and a separate guest house.  As of 2011 owned by Interior designer Cheryl Boghosian and Neil Roth.

1950's - The Bunting Morrell House, 11 Hemlock Road, Hanover NH.  Sold to John F. and Carol H. Kenfield who moved here from Raleigh.  Upon retirement in 1983, they had the Hunters design a coastal house for them back in North Carolina (see below).  Sold in 1982 to Charles R. and Elsa M. Luker who added a deck on the back.  Sold to Martin (Marty) W. and Rebecca (Becky) H. Himmelstein in 2003.  Photos by Marty Himmelstein.

1950 - Built for Oscar Sherwin Staples and Mable Staples, 14 Hemlock Road, Hanover NH.  Added on a library right behind the garage, a bathroom, a guest room, and a carport, also by the Hunters.  As of 2011 still owned by the Staples. Bottom photo by John Sherman.

1950 - The Harrison Kimball House, Peterboro NH.  No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1950 - The John Rand House, Rip Road, near the Murtagh house in Hanover NH.  No address.  Do you have one?  Has been remodeled.  2011 photo by Ramani Mathew.

1950 - The Pennington Haile House, Union Village Road, Norwich VT.  Haile was one of the first openly gay citizens in the area.  The house is destroyed, according to Roy Banwell.  No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1950 - The Wendell Triller House, Kingsford Road, Hanover NH.  Has been renovated.  No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1951 - The Walter C. and Caroline R. Lobitz House, 25 Hemlock Road, Hanover NH.  The walls in the living room were burlap. Includes four bedrooms and a study.  Sold to R. Clinton and Caroline S. Fuller in 1961.  Sold in 1966 to Raymond Sid  and Alice O. Jackson.  Sold in 2007 to their son and daughter.  Top photo by Ramani Mathew.

1951 -The Francis F. Cary House, Greenfield MA. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1951 - The Charles G. Sheldon House, Woodstock VT. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1951 - The Richard B. Earle House, Hanover NH.  No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1952 - The Ralph E. Langdell House, 1805 River Road, Manchester NH. Commissioned 1951.  Built by Waino Kokko.  Featured in New Hampshire Profiles Magazine in October 1961 and Architectural Record Houses of 1956.  When Langdell died in 1968, the house was sold.  The second owners altered the living room by removing a fieldstone feature, the built-in bookcases, and the glass screen which separated the dining room from the foyer.  Langdell's daughter Sarah recalls that "as you you walk into the house there is a beautiful "rock garden." Plants grow out of the ground all year long.  It is surrounded by glass. We had a large gardenia bush among other plants-but I loved the gardenia. The story is that the rock was meant to be much larger but in cutting it back some with dynamite it got cut back a lot.  Sold to Robert F. Franceur.  Large color photo by Sarah Langdell Lambdin.  B/W photos by Joseph Molitor.

1952 - The Richard W. Moulton House, East Wheelock Street, Hanover NH. 
Has been sold.  No address.  Do you have one? 

1952 - The Noel T. Wellman House, North Conway NH. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1953 - The John G. and Jean A. Kemeny House, 7 Hemlock Road, Hanover NH.  Sold to Paul and Patricia Shannon in 1974.  Sold to Brantz and Ana M. Mayor in 1976.  Sold to Dawn Khan in 2000.  Sold to Dick and Stephanie Schellens.  As of 2011 owned by Lesley and William Ware.  Addition by architect Andy Garthwaite. Photos by Ana Mayor.

1953 - The Andersen Ski Cabin, Stowe VT.  No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1953 - The Richard Stout House, Southington CT. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1955 - The Mackenzie Hume House, Lloyd Harbor NY. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1955 - The Roy P. and Dorothy Forster House, 18 Hemlock Road, Hanover NH.  Transferred to joint ownership between Roy and their daughter, Peggy Forster Hyde, on the death of Dorothy in 1991.  Upon Roy's death, it was sold to the Thomas R. Eck Trust in 1999.  Sold to John J. McIntyre IV in 2000.  Sold in 2001 to Robert and Lori Ann Harris. They cleared some of the land below the house for an outstanding view of the mountains.

1959 - The Roland Palmedo Vacation House, Mad River Glen, Waitsfield VT.  Palmedo was a famous skier in the early days of the ski industry.  No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1961 - The Roberts Residence, 154 Lyme Road, Hanover NH.
 Sold in 2006 to Paul and Cheryl Ann Schlenker. 

1962 - The Edward Janeway Ski Lodge, aka Birkenhaus, Stratton Mountain, South Londonderry VT.  Janeway was a founder of the ski industry in that area.  Has been destroyed.

1962 -  The Powell Residence, VT.  A round house. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1963 - The John G. and Ruth Makechnie House, Hartland VT. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1963 - The Thomas and Marilyn S. Roos House, 19 Rayton Road, Hanover NH.  Roy Banwell also worked on the project.  As of 2011 still owned by Thomas and Marilyn Roos. The bridge connects the original house to driveway.  Single story addition north of the house was designed by the Hunters and built around 1970.  The 1997 garage was not designed by the Hunters.  Appeared in Architectural Record, May 1964. Color photos by David Roos.  B/W photos by Joseph Molitor.

1964 - The Kenneth Shopen House and Studio, 346 Goodrich 4 Corners Road, Norwich VT.  The main house has an unobstructed view of the Connecticut River Valley and New Hampshire hills.  Was sold several times.  Sold to William and Jenny Lamb.  Guest house, bottom two photos, is available for rent. 

1960's - The Richard Wagner House, aka Small House for an Artist's Family, East Wheelock Street, Hanover NH.  Featured in Architectural Record Houses of 1960.  1400 sf.  Built by Edward Bebeau. The center module is the original house; the shed at left once connected to a Hunter-designed music studio, since demolished. Module on the right was not designed by the Hunters. Featured as an Architectural Record House of 1960.  Featured in the New York Times. Top two photos by Joseph Molitor.  Botton 2010 photo by David Roos. 

1964 - The David Jackson House, Hanover NH. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1965 - The Roderick (Rod) Nash House, Rip Road, Hanover NH.  2011 photo by Ramani Mathew.
No specific address.  Do you have one?

1967 -  The Desmond Canavan House, 5 Ledge Road, Hanover NH. 

1969 - The Louis and Barbara O'Conner House, 5009 North Hills Drive, Raleigh.  Sold in 1994 to Kristin Eldridge.  Sold in 2004 to Michael and Kathleen Southern. 

1973 - Their own house at 3808 Tall Tree Place, Raleigh, destroyed.  This exceptional house was years ahead of its time.  According to Margaret Hunter's executor Charlie Fulton, the structure contained a small apartment where one of their parents lived for a few years.  The six acres with its own pond was sold to James Stewart Carr in 1997 after the death of Margaret Hunter.  Carr subdivided the property into many lots and the house was destroyed.  He did save these pictures, however, and generously donated them to TMH.

1974 - Residence for John V. Hunter III, East Lake Drive, Raleigh. 
Unbuilt, according to John Hunter III.

1976 - The Robert E. Huse House, Carolina Trace, Sanford NC. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1979 - The Marjorie Smith and Harriet Ammann Residence, 3601 Marcom Street, Raleigh.  Ammann sold her interest to Smith in 1981.  Sold to Lewis Deitz in 1984.  Photo by Leilani Carter.

1983 - The John F. and Carol Kenfield, Jr., Residence, Gloucester NC.  Sold when the Kenfields moved to the NC mountains.  The current owners built an addition.

1984 - The Peter and Barbara Baxter Residence, Cotuit MA. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1986 - The Joe Moore, Jr., House. location unknown. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

1990 - Residence for Sytse and Karen Polier Douna, Louisburg NC. 
Unbuilt, according to Karen Douna.

1990 - The Tony Knox Residence, location unknown. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

Year unknown - The John French House, Woodstock VT. 
No address or photo.  Do you have one?

Year unknown - aka Residence for a Writer, Norwich VT. 
 No address or photo.  Do you have one?

Year unknown - The Dewey House, Hanover NH. 
Photos by Ezra Stoller/Esto.

Before 1951 - The Double Shed Roof House, somewhere in NH.  Address unknown. 
Do you have one?  Featured in McCalls Magazine, 1951.

Sources include:  Hunter Archives at NCSU; Your Own Kitchen and Garden Survival Book by Margaret King Hunter and Virginia W. Williams; The Indoor Garden by Margaret King Hunter and Edgar Hayes Hunter; November 1953 Architectural Record; Time/Life Picture Cookbook (1958); Architectural Forum April 1950 pages 174-5; Better Homes and Gardens June 1951 pages 68-9; Hanover's Hunter Houses, written by Jack Degrange, photography by John Sherman, from Here In Hanover Magazine 2005, volume 8 No.3 page 10.   Interviews: former clients John V. Hunter III and Karen Polier Douna, former Raleigh neighbor and book collaborator Paul Nelson, Margaret Hunter's sister Deborah King Jarvis, Margaret Hunter's co-executor Charlie Fulton, Maude French's nephew Allen Spalt, former Hanover neighbor Jean Ranc,  developer James Stuart Carr, former Hanover neighbor Ana Mayor, former Hanover neighbor Carol Kenfield, Robert Harris, Raymond Jackson, Roy Banwell AIA, William Lamb, Devin Colman, Sarah Langdell Lambdin, Mary Murtagh, Marilyn Roos, David Roos. 

Many thanks to Catherine Westergaard and Ramani Mathew for their extensive research.