Historic Alcoa Care-free Home in Brecksville to be restored and sold

by Elie Aoun

At 6814 Somerset Dr. in Brecksville sits an unusual ranch home that one could easily overlook, but its unassuming appearance hides its rare status as one of only two dozen Alcoa Care-free Homes ever built.

It was recently purchased by Luke Schimpf, owner of 21 Hill Real Estate, who is restoring the home with plans to sell it on the market.

In 1957, the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) worked with renowned architect Charles M. Goodman to create 50 Alcoa Care-free Homes, one in each state, with a mid-century modern design. Approximately 7,500 pounds of aluminum was used in each home’s framing, doors, roofing, panels and other structural elements, and the company promised that the homes would be cheap to build and maintain since aluminum does not rust or corrode.

Unanticipated production costs led Alcoa to put the homes on sale for more than it had promised, leading to lawsuits that doomed the project.

Only 24 homes were ever built across 16 states, including the one in Brecksville. A few of these homes have since been demolished.

Alcoa Care-free Homes have since become prized by preservationists and mid-century modern enthusiasts, Schimpf said. Several of them are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a few restored ones have recently been sold for nearly $1 million.

A few months ago, Schimpf said he was scrolling through Facebook videos and came across the Brecksville home, which was being sold off-market by a wholesaler.

“I thought it was a really odd-looking house, and I like mid-century,” he said. “I didn’t know what Alcoa was, but I started looking into it that night. I thought it was a little gem because everything I found out said people go crazy for these things – and they bring big dollars.”

He quickly purchased the home from the wholesaler for $190,000.

“I don’t think they knew what they had,” he said.

The home was in poor condition when he purchased it. He said the previous owner, who had lived there for decades, had not done extensive renovations, and he is fortunate in that much of the original home remains.

Schimpf said he plans to spend more than $300,000 to fix up the home, stressing that his work is a “restoration” and not a “renovation.”

“Keeping a lot of the original parts of the house and preserving its history is very important,” he said. He is guided by the recent restoration of an Alcoa home in Virginia’s Hollin Hills Historic District.

The 1,900-square-foot home in Brecksville is built on a slab and has no basement or second floor. It has three bedrooms, and Schimpf plans to add a third bathroom. One of the major changes he is undertaking involves taking about a third of the courtyard to create “a true master suite,” with an en suite bath, walk-in shower, double vanity and closet.

He is also working with the city to obtain permission to create a large covered patio behind the home, which would provide approximately 1,000 square feet of covered outdoor living space.

The home’s oversized garage contains a workshop and room to fit two cars spaciously.

“We’re going to do epoxy floors and a tongue-and-groove ceiling in there,” Schimpf said. “I’ve spent about $15,000 on all-aluminum glass garage doors.”

Schimpf said he believes the garage will be a great space for a car enthusiast, woodworker or hobbyist in need of lots of space.

All of the home’s cabinetry will be custom-built by an Amish crew.

Years ago, Schimpf said he almost quit the real estate business because he struggled to find good craftsmen. He only decided to stay after meeting a group of eight Amish builders whom he described as “the best thing that’s happened to [his] business.” The crew has worked with him full time for the last four years.

“I’m very lucky and privileged to have such a good crew that I can trust on a project like this,” he said.

The restoration work was not without its share of surprises. Schimpf described opening up the ceiling and discovering that the insulation was brittle and in need of replacement.

“It’s a very cold home … The walls are thin, and we’re adding elements like heated floors to make it comfortable,” he said.

Without such changes, he said, he “wouldn’t want to live in that house in the winter.”

While he is tentatively aiming to put the home on sale in the spring of 2027, he said he’s not in a rush to finish working on it, calling the restoration a “passion project” that he is taking his time to get right.

“I’m pouring my heart into it,” he said. “I’m trying to honor the history of the house, so I hope whoever buys it does the same and doesn’t change what I’ve done.”

Photo caption: Much of the 1957 home’s original features remained intact prior to its recent sale, including the mid-century modern kitchen cabinetry and fireplace. Photos submitted.