A 1980s home designed by architect Mark S. Hartley as his personal residence is now for sale in Temple Terrace.

Located at 312 S Riverhills Dr., the Hartley House sits directly across from the Hillsborough River and was completed in phases, beginning in 1982, because as Hartley and his wife Deborah previously stated—they weren’t sure if they were going to have kids and it was just the cheapest option.

“We built our home in phases because we couldn’t afford a half-a-million dollar home at the time,” said Hartley in a March, 1989 interview with the St. Petersburg Times.

“We built the house so it could change with us,” added Deborah, “Some things you learn by living in a house.”

Hartley’s use of windows is arguably the home’s most striking feature. The original versions of the home featured 360-square-feet of glass on the southwest wall, nine glass doors, stepped glass block window walls in each bathroom, a stained-glass porthole from a ship, and a six-foot domed skylight above the staircase leading to the second floor.

“The mood of the exterior virtually creates the ambiance of the house,” said Hartley to the publication. “With each change of season, the interior of the house experiences a change.”

In 1989, the home received a first of its kind “Award of Excellence,” from the City-County Planning Commission as the top single family residence for the home’s thoughtful use of its surroundings.

“We were impressed with the way the house fit into the area in such a natural way,” said University of Florida landscape architect Herrick Smith to Times. Besides Smith, the commission consisted of two other judges, including planning consultant Paul Segal, and prominent Winter Haven architect and founding father of the Sarasota School of Architecture Gene Leedy.

Hartley began his architecture career in Tampa Bay in 1974, and later founded Hartley Purdy Architecture, Inc. Besides a number of homes in the area, some of his commercial projects include the Hillsborough County Utilities Administration Building, the Sun City Center Branch Post Office, the Kennedy Square Office Building, the Learning Resource Center of Pasco-Hernando Community College, and more.

Today, the five-level, 3,288, square-foot cedar Hartley House comes with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, a three-car garage, a spiral staircase leading to an upstairs den, a fireplace, and a greenhouse, says the listing.

According to property records, Hartley sold the home in 2022 for $660,000. Today, the Hartley House is asking $949,000. The listing agent is Rashid Annahas of Charles Rutenberg Realty.

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