Preserving the Past, Designing for the Future

June 1, 2026

Bob and Helen Winkel purchased their 1953 home in Phoenix’s desirable Marlen Grove neighborhood in 1980. The house, which was designed by Ralph Haver and features a south-facing yard and large walled courtyard, had been owned by a graphic designer who added the large street numbers to the facade. The couple hired architect Wendell Burnette to update the home, which had remained relatively untouched since it was built. His thoughtful modernizations and addition complement Haver’s original vision and do not affect the structure’s midcentury curb appeal. Bob bought the silver Jaguar, also from 1953, as a high school graduation gift to himself.

A mindful makeover honors a Haver Home’s history and a family’s memories.

By Rebecca L. Rhoades | Photography by Jason Roehner

One of the first things that caught architect Wendell Burnette’s eye when he stepped into the small midcentury dwelling in Uptown Phoenix was a colorful abstract painting displayed on a narrow partition wall between the dining room and kitchen. Filled with bold, Crayola-hued splashes and strokes, the artwork not only enlivened the home’s white interior, it also held a surprise: Toward the bottom of the canvas, the shape of a single paintbrush protruded beneath thick layers of paint.

Titled “Paintbrush One,” the piece was a collaboration between homeowner Helen Winkel and her two granddaughters when they were only ages 2 and 4. “One of them left the brush in the painting,” Helen says with a smile.

Upon hearing the story, Burnette immediately knew that the painting, and the wall on which it hung, had to remain in place.

“To get rid of it would have been criminal,” the Phoenix Home & Garden Masters of the Southwest award winner recalls. “Bob and Helen said, ‘Let’s change the kitchen completely,’ but I knew if I changed the location of that painting, if I changed the environment they had been living in, they would hate me.

“The story with this home is that we didn’t want to simplify everything and remove the personality,” he continues. “Instead, we modified the space in which they had raised their family—maintaining its original spirit—so they could live out their days there.”

A Sense of Belonging

Helen and her husband, Bob, a former engineer for Honeywell who invented multiple devices used on the Hubble Space Telescope, purchased the home, a modest masonry construction designed by visionary architect Ralph Haver, from its first owner in 1980.

“I’ve always liked interesting houses,” Helen says. “I had lived in a midcentury house from the time I was about 10 years old until I went off to college, and I like the way they feel. This isn’t a big house, but it’s so comfortable and livable.”

Comfort and livability are exactly what Haver had in mind when he envisioned the single-story abodes that make up the Marlen Grove neighborhood, a small U-shaped subdivision comprising about 50 homes designed by Haver and built in the early 1950s. Haver used only four floor plans, however, which are flipped and rotated to create both variety and uniformity. Common design elements include low-pitched roofs, exposed wood beams, glass gables, clerestory windows and open carports.

Forty-five years ago, the neighborhood attracted mostly architects, graphic designers and other creatives. Today, it is one of the Valley’s most sought-after locales, with homes selling for upward of $1 million.

For more than four decades, the Winkels lived in their Haver Home, raising their children and collecting a lifetime of memories from their travels around the world. They made few modifications to their house—some paint here, some new furnishings there—but the layout and finishes remained the same as they were when the couple moved in.

One day, about six years ago, the Winkels heard a knock on their door. It was Burnette. He was renovating a house four doors down the street—of the same model as the Winkels’—and wanted to view a home that had retained most of its original features.

This visit spurred the couple, who were now empty nesters, to begin thinking about their future. And that included remaining in their family home. “We love this neighborhood,” Helen says.

Just as Burnette was finishing up with the other house, he received a call. “Bob and Helen said, ‘Look, we don’t want to move. We need to look at universal design and make sure that if one of us is in a wheelchair, we can still get around,” he recalls. “So, that was the principal objective, to make sure they could continue to live here.”

Preserving the Past

The Winkels’ home is oriented with the front facing east. A covered patio and carport separate the home from the street. A single central beam painted a bright lemon yellow bisects the home, running the entire length of the interior and under the expansive eaves. A metal gate leads to the entry door, while a low block garden wall shields the glass facade from passersby. And, like all homes in Marlen Grove, the property features a south-facing courtyard. Oversize windows in the kitchen and dining room command a view of the pool.

“There were a lot of discussions about really changing things, including flipping the kitchen and living room,” Burnette recalls. “But if we did all that, it was going to cost a lot of money. And the kitchen was already incredibly efficient.”

In lieu of a complete remodel, Burnette gave fresh life to what was already in place, putting in new flooring and replacing the dated mahogany kitchen with sleek Ikea cabinetry. In the owner’s suite, translucent back-painted glass was added to hide a closet. Doors on each end offer enough room for a wheelchair to pass through. The same green glass repeats in the en suite bathroom, which was remodeled to meet ADA requirements.

The most noticeable upgrade is the windows. Gone are the original wood-framed panes. In their place are large steel-framed picture windows and sliding doors that bring a contemporary, almost industrial, touch to the midcentury aesthetic. The three main verticals of the floor-to-gable east-facing front window were removed, and the expanse was filled with a bay window, complete with cushioned seating.

“By being the full width of the space, it makes the room feel bigger,” Burnette explains. “That became a theme throughout the house. The kitchen window, the sliding glass door in the dining room, and the owner’s suite window and sliding glass door are all pushed out to become these floating reflective planes of the garden and of the pool that create a nice elevation for the courtyard.”

Keeping the Winkels’ current and future needs in mind, Burnette proposed building a garden pavilion—a standalone living space that the couple can enjoy with their grandkids now but that also can serve as a guest house or even caretaker house, when the time comes.

The structure’s steel plate roof complements the home’s new windows and sits at the same level as the lowest point on Haver’s roofline, while its simple lines and dark color palette form a shadow that recedes into the courtyard. The sliding glass walls open fully to connect the indoor volume with the pool and garden, making the space ideal for family and neighbor gatherings. At night, the large custom sectional transforms into a queen-size bed.

“It all works really well,” Burnette says. “I’m proud that we toed the line on this project, that it doesn’t look like it’s a different house.”

At night, simple cable lights illuminate home’s interior. Holding court, perfectly framed in the large bay window, is the colorful canvas that influenced it all. “Wendell was right,” Helen notes, laughing. “We would have hated it if we had had to move that painting.”