NRV Home: Tranquility

One Couple’s Vision Delivers Tranquility

Text by Joanne M. Anderson Photos by Kristie Lea Photography

One dictionary definition of “vision” is this: the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom. While it is often used in corporate circles regarding a business plan, it is equally appropriate for a property where the buyers recognize and embrace what can be with the house, the land, the contours and the environment. Warren and Margie Kark are definitely visionaries for having purchased a small ranch house on 2.5 acres nearly 30 years ago, seeing in their minds the vast potential to develop water features and renovate the home into a glorious home and retreat. “The property was largely undeveloped, and the house was three years old and not quite finished,” states Warren. They purchased the parcel in 1991 and got married there. “We started both interior and exterior projects as soon as we moved in and found that we are a very good team,” Margie relates. “The initial goals were to make the house more contemporary in style and harmonious with the outside landscape.” Architect Warren Kark, who grew up in Milwaukee, agreed to come to Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture in 1966 to teach for one year. “I had just finished graduate school at MIT and assumed I would spend my career in a large metropolitan area,” he recalls.

But he stayed, retiring after 30 years of teaching and 10 years as the University Architect. He also maintained a private practice for 50 years. While designing more than 35 houses in the New River Valley, he had grand plans for this one. The couple met at Virginia Tech during one of Margie’s positions in human resources. She went on to become executive director of human resources at Radford University, and she and Warren retired the same day. Their mutual goal was to create a place of tranquility that blends nature, architecture and design. “The landscaping was not developed independent of the interiors of the house,” Margie explains. “The influence

is largely Japanese for its simple spring and fall colors, variety of textures and multiple shades of green. We have used certain plant materials, large rocks and hardscape repetitively among the water features to make the large yard cohesive and harmonious. It’s a visual experience altogether.” The house has had three major additions enlarging it from 3,000 to 5,000 square feet. “We were responsible for all the design and supervision of every project,” Warren states. “With the extra interior space, we gained new walls and have had great pleasure collecting art to display on them.” The Kark’s art collection includes intriguing pieces from Russia, China, Argentina, Haiti, Africa and other places around the globe. Warren is a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright which is evident in one floor living, streamlined spaces, copious windows and innovative lighting. “We have lots of lights, all with dimmers, to change moods in creative ways.” The exterior has been carefully planned, planted and nurtured to afford attractively framed views out windows throughout the rambling floor plan. The kitchen and dining area are adjacent to a generous outdoor covered patio at pond’s edge. The South Lounge is a stunning addition that offers entertaining space under a wood vaulted ceiling among classy, contemporary furnishings. There’s a charming, dedicated, wood-paneled poker room, and the original master bedroom was transformed into a spa and exercise area. From automatically lighted closets and luxury bathrooms to the tiled garage floor, garden building and golf cart, convenience, style and function meld perfectly. The centerpiece of this

property, which includes a gazebo and vegetable garden on the hill and a stream and little pond in the front, is undoubtedly the stunning, large, natural, spring-fed pond off and under the back deck. It is home to koi up to three feet long, and rain water run-off from the gutters and downspouts is piped into it. “We brought in some 56 tons of rock,” Warren explains, “to assure that tree roots do not damage the expansive, rock-walled pond.” Statues and large, kinetic, copper sculptures add interest, while thoughtfully-placed trees and shrubs provide harmony. “The house is a container for our lives,” Warren concludes. And Margie adds: “It is the tranquility that comes from this discerning union of nature, architecture and design that lingers in the human spirit.”

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They All Love[d] “Baby”

This 1971 Buick GS convertible named “Baby” is owned by Jessica Midkiff, native of Giles County, and Gudfridur (Frida) Sigursteinsdottir, native of Iceland. The vehicle is largely cared for by Jessica’s husband, Rupert Cox, owner of Pil Seung Taekwondo and algebra teacher at Blacksburg Middle School. Baby is a living testament of the life of Donald Weiss, Jessica’s “adopted” father and Frida’s life partner. Weiss drove more than a million miles for Allied Van Lines and encountered the Buick when its original owner moved it across the country into the county where Weiss lived. He found it for sale at the local car lot in 1974 and became the second owner. Baby was a chick magnet. A fiery, redheaded Icelandic woman walked into a bar in Florida one day asking who owned

the eye-catching ride parked out front. And that encounter launched 25 years of love and laughs for Don and Frida. Text by Karl H. Kazaks Photos by Tom Wallace

The car is emblematic of the high point of American muscle car production from the mid-60s to the early ‘70s. In its day, this car certainly featured in some races against the Chrysler Hemi cars and Mustangs of the era. Then oil shortages led American car manufacturers to consider fuel efficiency. “It does drink a lot of gas!” Rupert says. Baby has been modified from the standard GS, “Gran Sport.” At first, GS was a performance version of the Skylark, then became its own performance-oriented model in 1967. Because Cadillac, the only marque in General Motors more luxurious than Buick, didn’t make performance cars, the Buick GS was the most luxurious muscle car made by GM in 1971. Baby is one of only 802 convertible versions of the GS made that year. In 1994, Weiss undertook a restoration project which included 14 coats of lacquer paint on the exterior, reupholstering the top and interior and installing the 455 engine. The paint was matched to the factory original, a shade of burnt orange with the evocative name Bittersweet Mist. The top is electrically operated, and all GM parts were used except the addition of a Mallory ignition. Modifications were done to the engine to increase power. The three-speed automatic transmission is the original Turbo Hydramatic 400. When Weiss passed away in 2015, he bequeathed the car to Jessica and Frida, who moved back to Iceland. Jessica was

raised in Staffordsville and met Rupert 13 years ago when they were neighbors in Blacksburg. The couple and their kids have lived in Pembroke for the last 12 years. “The first time I drove the car,” Rupert recalls, “I went from Orlando to Cocoa Beach. Don’s health was getting bad, and he wanted to go to the beach. I was incredibly nervous, and Don wanted me to see what it could do saying, ‘Go for it, let her rip!’ I drove him to car shows in Baby. I’d get it all sparkling clean, and we’d go sit next it and enjoy the sun.” The family enjoys rides with daughters Jilla and Jettlynn. “They absolutely love going for a ride, putting on sunglasses, getting their hair tangled up and even going to a local car show,” Jessica says. “They get all riled up just hearing the motor revving loudly in the garage!” The couple keeps the car in good condition partly by not taking it out on wet, salty or gravel roads. “We tend to drive it very gently,” Rupert explains. “This year we are going to change the front brakes from drum brakes to disc brakes.” Weiss knew Baby would be in good hands with Jessica and Rupert because of his experience working on older cars. He’s had a 1974 Corvette Stingray T-Top, a 1981 Porsche 911 Carrera, and a 1981 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am. Today his daily driver is a Chevy Silverado 2500. “I like the Buick,” he states. “It’s more simple than modern cars and more fun to work on.” Jessica and Don had been good friends for a few years when Jessica was in a serious car crash. “Don took me in and cared for me like I was his own daughter, and I am forever grateful,” she explains, and she was able to return the favor. “He had a long battle with Parkinson’s, and I took care of him until he passed away at home in my arms.” She remembers him as the man “who was happy to live in the moment and brought the party wherever he was; a man who would lend a helping hand to anyone; a man always ready for sand between his toes and a cold drink in his hand with a little Jimmy Buffet on the radio.” Jessica loved Don. Don loved Frida. They loved one another. Rupert loved each one, and they all love[d] Baby.