142 Birkdale Drive, Spartanburg, SC 29306

Some houses are built from a plan. This one was built from a pursuit. Its design began at Sugarloaf Country Club outside Atlanta, where the original estate was drawn at roughly 8,500 square feet. The owner found it, photographed it, reached the architect who designed it, and brought the plans home to Carolina Country Club, where they were rebuilt at a more livable scale. The result is a true brick Southern Colonial on nearly an acre inside the gates. The front elevation keeps every promise the style makes. A two-story colonnade carries a pedimented portico, black shutters hold the symmetry, and a brick walk leads from the circular drive to double French doors. Inside, a center hall runs straight through the house to a second set of French doors and the pool beyond, with hardwood floors, crown molding, tray ceilings and chandeliers carrying the Colonial language from room to room. Four fireplaces warm the house. The study sits to the right of the foyer beneath a tray ceiling, with a...