Sake in the City — NCModernist Sake-Tasting at Arthur McKimmon’s 1956 House

The Invitation

An architect’s house,
a gardener’s garden

In 1956 Arthur McKimmon II built himself a house on a wooded .69-acre lot inside the beltline: low horizontal roofs meeting in a shallow butterfly, a wall of glass turned toward the trees, brick and walnut inside, terrazzo underfoot. It is the kind of house an architect builds when the client is himself and there is nobody to talk him out of anything.

Then he spent the next four decades on the part most architects never get to finish. McKimmon designed the gardens behind the house and tended them himself for over forty years — the beds, the brick paths, the Japanese maples, the pair of stone lanterns still standing where he set them. The house has been enlarged and carefully brought forward since (Richard Hall designed the addition on the right), but the bones and the garden are his.

For one evening, it’s ours. We’ll be in the living room, in the dining room under that window wall, out on the covered porch by the fireplace, and along the garden paths — glass in hand.

He designed the gardens in the back and tended them for over forty years.

— NCModernist, on Arthur McKimmon II

The House

2751 Toxey Drive

The dining room under a wall of glass facing the garden — Dining room — the tasting table

Walnut kitchen and bar with stone counter — Walnut bar

The living room with wood-paneled wall — Living room

The covered porch with wood ceiling and masonry fireplace — Covered porch & fireplace

The house seen across McKimmon’s gardens — The house from the garden

Photographs courtesy Hodge & Kittrell Sotheby’s International Realty

Nearly 4,000 square feet on .69 acres, four bedrooms, hardwood throughout, and a covered porch anchored by a wood-burning fireplace. The house is currently on the market with Melanie Jones of Hodge & Kittrell Sotheby’s International Realty — so this is a rare and possibly brief window to spend an evening in it.

See the full NCModernist entry, including the original 1956 photograph of the house before the addition, on the Arthur McKimmon II page.

The Architect

Arthur McKimmon II
(1918–2008)

Arthur McKimmon II
NCModernist archive

A Raleigh native, McKimmon took a BS in architectural engineering from NC State in 1940, served in the Navy, taught two years at the NCSU School of Design, and opened his own practice in 1948. Over a long career — through partnerships including Edwards McKimmon and Pugh, McKimmon and Rogers, and McKimmon Edwards and Shawcroft — he designed the Angus Barn, Leroy Martin Jr. High School, buildings at Peace College and St. Mary’s, and some 175 houses around the Triangle, ranging from Georgian to full-throated Modernist.

In 1970 the AIA honored him for restoring Raleigh’s original 1813 State Bank. He retired in 1994 but kept consulting for Edwards Associates, and in 2004 the Governor awarded him the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

175 houses, Georgian to Modernist — and this is the one he kept for himself.

— 2751 Toxey Drive, built 1956

The Evening

How It Works

Two hours, thirty-five people, and one very good house. You’ll taste blind, score each pour on a card, and hear what you’re drinking only after you’ve committed to an opinion.

6:00 PM

Arrive & explore

6:30 PM

The blind tasting

Poured and described one at a time. Junmai to daiginjo, dry to fruity. Score as you go.

In between

Sushi

Light sushi sampling between flights, to reset the palate and settle the arguments.

7:45 PM

The reveal

Labels come off the bottles. You leave with tasting notes and a list of where to buy what you liked.

Your host

Devra Dubroff

NCModernist’s Special Events Manager, who has quite a background in wine and now brings the same nose — and the same refusal to let you off easy — to sake. Questions before the event: devra@usmodernist.org.

Reserve Your Place

Tickets

General Public

$95

Per person · 6–8pm

Guided blind tasting of Japanese sake
Light sushi sampling
Explore the house and McKimmon’s gardens
Take-home tasting notes and where to buy
Tax-deductible as a charitable contribution to NCModernist, a 501C3 nonprofit

Mod Squad Member

$85

Per person · 6–8pm

Everything in General Public
Member rate — $10 off every ticket
Not a member yet? Join today and this event is free

Join the Mod Squad

$150

One year · This event free

A full year of NCModernist membership
This tasting included at no additional charge
Member pricing on every future tour and event
Supports the archive all year, not just this evening

Purchase Tickets

Details

Know Before You Go

Getting There

2751 Toxey Drive, Raleigh, inside the beltline and minutes from North Hills. Park on Toxey Drive, being careful not to block driveways. Please consider carpooling or ridesharing.

Attire

Come as you are, comfortably. Flat or low shoes are kinder to the terrazzo, the slate terrace, and the garden paths — and to you.

Weather

The event runs rain or shine. The porch is covered and the house is the point; a wet evening just moves everyone inside.

The Sake

A range of varieties, tasted blind and scored. You’ll leave knowing what you liked, what it’s called, and where to buy it in the Triangle.

The Fine Print

Tickets are not mailed; your name will be on a list at event registration.
21 and over only.
Once payment is made, there are no refunds for any reason except event cancellation. You may transfer tickets to others — just have them ask for the tickets in your name at registration.
Participants must sign a liability waiver before entering.
Participants are welcome to take photos inside and outside.
No outside food or drink; no vaping or tobacco products anywhere onsite.
Please do not attend if you are experiencing COVID symptoms or have tested positive within a week.
This is a private residence; please respect the neighbors on arrival and departure.
Proceeds benefit the documentation, preservation, and promotion work of NCModernist, a 501C3 nonprofit educational archive for Modernist houses.
For inquiries, please contact Devra Dubroff, devra@usmodernist.org.

An architect’s house,a gardener’s garden