The House, A Love Story

While house hunting, my husband and I had a lot of things we agreed on but esthetic was not one of them. I preferred an older home, two-stories, with history and charm. My dream was to live in an established neighborhood, centralized in the city. Dennis preferred nothing over fifty years old, attached garage and a poured concrete basement. (No stacked stone!) Thank goodness for the ease of browsing via the internet. Otherwise, we would have taken months to find a house. We had looked at too many houses and I was discouraged. We almost settled on a house neither of us was completely in love with. Then I was reminded of a neighborhood we'd walk while we were dating. The houses were unique and grand. I didn’t think we would ever afford anything in that area.  But it never hurts to look! After more searching, I was able to a couple of options and things began to look up!

Online, the house was described as “Classic Knollwood” which meant nothing to us. We were not familiar enough with the area to know that is what the subdivision was called.

I remember clearly the moment the realtor opened the bright red solid wood door. The aging twisted iron handle was difficult to maneuver. By the door was a cement water feature filled with foul smelling stale water. The water was black with decomposing leaves and I was intrigued by the greatness the house once held. The back yard that was overgrown with neglect but a sense of adventure started to overcome me.

Entering the house for the first time was like being transported to another century. There was a smell could not be described as anything other than “old lady." I remember clearly the realtor saying, that other people may not walk past this entrance but “I know you're creative and will see the possibilities”. 

Past the landing, we were greeted by ceilings that soared up twelve feet. Thick draperies of years past covered twelve foot windows. The walls had a matching a yellowing floral patterned wallpaper that must have been from the early sixties. Around the corner was with a large great room and a house that seemed to go on forever. 

This house had more than charm and history, it was a time capsule! An atomic treasure built in 1954, only ever lived in by one owner with the latest updates done sometime in the early eighties. We marveled at its quirkiness as we toured the rooms. Turn button switches and square bubble ceiling lights that were finished with chrome. (They looked like dome lights from cars.)

The basement was another story. A series of bad decorating choices, it was lined with wood paneling and had been sectioned off into five rooms with little light. It was hot, smelling and dark, but it was poured concrete so Dennis was happy. 


One of the greatest assets of the house was its size. Two large living spaces made it big enough to accommodate a good number of guest. The kitchen was large, but the bedrooms were small. And a bonus addition to the back of the house added an extra fireplace and two unique stain glass windows

The house looked like a lot of work, but it was unlike anything we had ever seen. Instantly, we were in love. I remember skipping as we toured the back yard. The realtor was right, and I was excited to roll up my sleeves and start on the many projects that awaited in this old house.