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HIGH SPRINGS >> HOBBIT HOUSE
SUBTERR ANEAN SPLENDOR
Hobbit House How a High Springs Couple Brought a Once-Dying Dwelling Back to Life W RIT TE N BY C A MERON COBB
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here are home improvement projects, and then there’s the Hobbit House. Located in High Springs, Kathy and John Bryan bought the 3,265-sqaure-foot subterranean house over two years ago and have dedicated nearly every day to it ever since. Originally built in 1979 by an architect for his family, this art-project-in-progress was long overdue for some TLC after falling on some hard times, Kathy said. Kathy, 59, and John, 64, found out about the house after one of their daughters, Allison, and her husband, Colin Kelly, traveled from New Jersey a few years ago for a Christmas visit. She and Colin were toying with the idea of moving to Florida and became interested in the house after seeing it online. After John took them to explore the residence, it didn’t take long for Allison to decide it would be far too much work. “She knew that it was a disaster,” Kathy said. “Which is why we decided to take on the challenge.” Before their discovery, the house sat empty for about two years after
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OUR TOWN MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017