Old Town returns to glory house by house
Written by Kurt Meyer, on 04-16-2008 10:03
Slowly, house-by-house, Noblesville’s Old Town is still being transformed, a process that’s been going on for 20 years. Hearty souls are still taking on projects deemed “lost causes,” by others. They’re improving the look and the quality of life in Noblesville’s original neighborhoods, improving the tax base, and creating real economic revitalization.
And the eventual occupants of these houses continue to be families.
Last year, local Realtor Mel Jolliff and his wife Nancy completed a Conner Street project that wowed all who saw the before and after.
The before – a once quaint little Victorian-era cottage at 1296 Conner that had in recent decades become a poorly maintained double. Its unkempt condition was stealing property value from its neighbors and the chaotic lifestyles of its renters were a burden on surrounding families.
The after – the Jolliff’s returned the exterior to its original Victorian glory. Dingy asphalt siding was removed, exposing original clapboards and fish-scale shingles, decorative eave brackets were duplicated, and it was all painted with the rich colors the Victorians loved so well. On the interior, they transformed the floor plan to better suit modern lifestyles, creating a master suite and enlarged kitchen, using not only the home’s original architectural features, but also new tile and granite.
When the project was done, a couple living in Carmel fell in love with the final product and moved their family to the reborn house on Conner Street.
A block east and on the other side of Conner, another old gray Victorian had set empty for years. | Nathan and Sara Althouse bought that home at 1179 Conner St. late last year after a long search for the perfect historic home. A hundred and ten years ago it was the stunning home of the Tescher family, who ran a men’s clothing store where the Antique Mall is now on the courthouse square. But the circa-1890 structure had been neglected beyond imagination. According to the seller, the home had not been renovated since 1946 – and it showed, big time. But for that reason it had most of its original architectural detail in place – hardwood floors, oak woodwork, pocket doors, fireplaces, built-ins, and several doorways crowded with delicate ornate spindle-work.
After gutting the kitchens, baths, electrical, plumbing, and heating systems, the Althouses added a two-story edition. They are now beginning to rebuild the systems, kitchen and baths. Drive by the home, four doors east of City Hall and see the ornate detail they discovered when they tore off the mid-20th century siding that encased the original.
When complete, Nathan and Sara and their four young children will make it their home.
Earlier this year the Noblesville Preservation Alliance gave their Interior Rehabilitation Award to Mark and Suzanne Augustson for the renovation of their home on South Ninth Street. But no sooner did they finish the Ninth Street project they bought a “lost cause” on Cherry Street.
When their Realtor, F. C. Tucker agent Doe Selke, went into 1352 Cherry St., with Mark and Suzannne for the first time, all she could think was, “Oh-My-God!” There were no functioning systems – no working electrical, plumbing, heating/cooling, and no operating bathrooms or kitchens.
“Thank goodness,” Selke says, “that Mark and Suzanne have vision. They can see what it could be when completed.”
Once one of the biggest and nicest homes on Cherry Street, the circa-1880s home of Italianate architecture had been converted into a double by an absentee landlord who never missed an opportunity to do the wrong thing. But the Augustsons have begun restoring it to its original beauty and plan to make it their own home.
These three houses and the three families who pulled them back from the brink exemplify the challenges and possibilities in Old Town. Two of the three homes were run into the ground by absentee landlords who valued return on investment more than social responsibility.
Each house has been a long-term drag on surrounding property values and quality of life. Two of the families left modern, upscale subdivisions to move into a historic home in Old Town.
And all three houses no doubt looked to most people like lost causes – candidates for demolition. Yet, it’s people like the Jolliffs, the Althouses and the Augustsons who see beyond the decay, the grime, and neglect and are rebuilding Noblesville’s oldest neighborhoods one house at a time.
Kurt Meyer is a Noblesville resident and author. He can be reached at talktokurt@insightbb.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . His opinion may not reflect that of the Noblesville Daily Times.
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment