The first thing that attracted Guy Crouch and Justin Tommeraus to Evansville was a house. From Austin, Texas, and Kindred, North Dakota, respectively, they met in 2024 and lived in Crouch’s 4,458-square-foot, three-story home in Louisiana, Missouri. Despite the 220-degree view of the Mississippi River, Crouch planned to sell his house, and the couple were looking at mid-century modern properties in Georgia, Illinois, and Texas. Then, a one-story ranch-style home for sale on South Meadow Road caught their eye, and they were not the only admirers.
Arthur Martin and Associates designed the 2,444-square-foot rectangular residence, built in 1958 for businessman Webb Brasseale and his wife, Esther. Fast forward six decades, and the property was listed for sale in September 2024. Its red roof, stone-like exterior, and recessed ceilings quickly landed it on Zillow Gone Wild. Crouch and Tommeraus are mid-century modern fans, but when the South Meadow Road property first crossed their social media feeds, their minds were focused elsewhere. By spring 2025, they turned their attention back to the River City.
“Justin wanted a house with a pool, and I wanted a house that was a single story,” says Crouch, a Certified Public Accountant and member of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. “I remember distinctly: We were watching a movie, and Justin said, ‘Hey, look at this.’ And … I said, ‘I don’t know if you’d ever be interested in moving to Evansville, Indiana … but this house looks really fun and really cool.’”
“Both of us wanted a unique house. We didn’t want a new house, a cookie-cutter house,” adds Tommeraus, a finisher at Fehrenbacher Cabinets.
LOVE FROM THE FIRST TOUR
During their initial visit, Tommeraus turned to Crouch and said, “I love it.” The feeling was mutual. The exterior — one of Tommeraus’s favorite details — is actually brick with a veneer of uncoursed cut stone and redwood siding, plus an overhang serving as a carport. It’s also distinguished by a flat red fascia board roof of varying heights with exposed beams.
Terrazzo floors led them inside, where they noticed the stonework continues throughout. Some areas are sunken and filled with small rocks, including right off the entrance where, atop a display stand, sits a brass Erté figurine. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the dining room extend from glossy, medium-toned wooden floors, allowing natural light to bathe the space. A three-sided sunken fireplace ties together the kitchen, dining room, and sitting areas, with hues of orange and swathes of dark blue adding vibrant color.
“I like the color choices that the previous homeowner made,” Crouch says.
Most of the furniture and accessories the couple bought upon moving last year, but there were a few antique gems that Crouch, a collector at heart, brought with him. A working 1949 Zenith porthole TV and an 1885 German grandfather clock from an antique shop in Saint Louis, Missouri, sit in the living room, while another German grandfather clock from Santa Rosa, California, ticks just off the hallway. Both have to be hand-wound every day and go off every 15 minutes with a calming chime. Twenty pieces from Crouch’s extensive art collection hang around the house, including original works by prominent artists. (Although the couple declined to mention any work by name, those with a discerning, art-loving eye could identify the pieces.) They added modern touches with their furnishings, which came from Ashley Furniture and online retailers Walker Edison and Joybird.
“We knew we wanted some shag in the sitting room, and I wanted a blue that matched the wall,” Tommeraus says. “We’re not afraid of color.”
In the kitchen are stainless steel appliances and plenty of counter space with a black, gray, and white linear mosaic backsplash, a pullout bar cart, and a cooktop island that is a centerpiece for entertaining. Down the hallway is a multi-colored geometric stained glass installation — original to the home — along with two guest bedrooms separated by a sliding divider wall. Straight ahead, the primary bathroom includes a vintage 1970s pod-style bathtub/shower.
“We’ve significantly improved the front yard,” Crouch says of the landscaping. The couple added plants, pieces of driftwood, and even two flamingo planters overlooking the Hebron-Meadows neighborhood’s historical marker, which was installed around the time the couple moved in.
A vacation from everyday life awaits on the back patio. In 2011, an in-ground pool was installed, around which Crouch and Tommeraus have stationed bright blue patio furniture. The tiki bar was built shortly after and offers a refrigerator, pantry, and dartboard. The exterior is wooden, but the red roof matches that of the house. It’s a perfect place for entertaining, and Crouch and Tommeraus report that new Evansville friends — like Marcus Johns, whose East Chandler Avenue residence with husband George Evans was featured in Evansville Living’s 2026 Most Beautiful Homes issue — make themselves right at home.
“When I’m lying by their pool, I sometimes find myself thinking that Cary Grant or Marilyn Monroe could walk through the door and feel completely at home,” Johns says. “Guy and Justin are the quintessential hosts. They have a remarkable ability to make everyone who walks through their door feel genuinely loved and welcomed.”
“It doesn’t hurt to be the friend that has the pool,” Tommeraus laughs.
BECOMING A HOME
Crouch and Tommeraus returned to Evansville a few more times after their first tour, and that’s when they began to imagine themselves living here. “Evansville reminded me of the Downtown Fargo area, the size of it. Everything is 10-15 minutes away,” Tommeraus says.
“Coming to Evansville felt like it was big enough to have all the options for things I wanted to do, but small enough to be manageable. … We also love that it is the center of four major cities,” Crouch adds. “We honestly just like driving around random neighborhoods and looking at houses.”
After the couple closed on their new home in April 2025 and began their move in May, it did not take long for them to feel comfortable in the city. Tommeraus started working at Fehrenbacher Cabinets that July, the same month the couple got engaged. Their wedding was held Aug. 30 on the back patio of their new abode with 50 guests and catering from La Campirana. They also found a community at First Presbyterian Church and volunteer at Sister Joanna’s Table, a weekly community feeding program at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church. While their attention-getting mid-century modern checked all their boxes, it does not only feel like home; it also represents the start of their life together.
“While the architecture and design are certainly eye-catching, I think the real magic of the house is the combination of the place and the people. It has the glamour and character of 1958, but it is very much alive today,” says Johns. “Nothing feels contrived — it feels authentic, as though the house has simply been waiting for the right people to come along and appreciate it.”
“It’s been very easy for us to meet friends in this community,” Tommeraus says. “Once I had a job, and Guy started getting clients here … it just started to be.”
Crouch agrees: “As we started to meet people, there’s quite a nice community here. We just really like it.”
