Rodney had always had his heart set on this house built in 1911, but it had never been for sale. He would stop and look at it when he was in the neighborhood. Finally one day, he rang the doorbell, and thus began his friendship with the elderly spinster who had been born there in 1917. One day, he took Ivy with him. They were thrilled to be invited in and even more thrilled to hear the story of a girl and her sister who had lived their whole lives in the same home. Rodney would often stop and offer to help with little projects. One day, he received a call from friends in the area that his sweet friend had died. Much to his concern, she was the last of the family, and he didn’t know who to contact about possible purchase of the house. Extensive research led him to Frost Bank and a sealed bid with proceeds going to charity. And the rest of the story is this beautiful
“The home should be the treasure chest of living.”
– Le Corbusier
home with a modern kitchen, bathrooms and the addition of a master bedroom suite that looks original to the rest of the house. The Taylors added central heat and air and insulation, installed sheetrock, refinished the original wood floors and addressed the numerous other details that come with a restoration like this. The Historic Design and Review Commission must approve renovations of historic homes, which is a process that comes with labor-intensive attention to details. They provide background history, “…promote predictability and ensure compatibility between new development and the existing historic environment.” The Taylors worked with architect, Charles Schubert, who is well versed in the commission’s guidelines and permit process. When I asked Ivy if she had any concern about over-improving the neighborhood, she SEPTEMBER//OCTOBER 2014 NHOME /
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