although perhaps culminating with the handcrafted central staircase. The Kirkegaards put their Garner home on the market and, the day it sold, made an offer on the Miles Costin House. Of course, so did someone else. “We don’t know what their offer was, but we do know that they offered $200,000 cash,” says Tony. “When they got the house, we started searching online for a temporary rental.” They were preparing to sign the lease for a historic district house on the 400 block of Orange Street when their Realtor called again. “You’re not going to believe what’s happened,” said the agent, who proceeded to give them the dirt on how their dream home on South Fifth Avenue was miraculously available once again. If Gary and Tony were willing to resubmit their offer, the Miles Costin 54
Salt • September 2015
House would be theirs. They moved in on Labor Day Weekend of 2014 and, after restoring rotted columns and steps on the front porch, began transforming the palatial interior with colors, fixtures and fittings that reflect their taste: “Southern tradition with a twist.” On October 10, during the 2015 Back Door Kitchen Tour organized by the Residents of Old Wilmington (ROW), guests will be able to walk through the main floor, where a central hallway opens to symmetrical double parlors furnished with plantation blinds and estate sale treasures. “When we first walked through the house, it didn’t look anything like this,” says Tony. Since it had served as a boarding house, there were doors everywhere. Nevermore. In the living room, a built-in bookcase opens to a secret storage space said The Art & Soul of Wilmington