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Elegant Decay

I went through this house the other day up in Louisiana, Pike County, MO. The owner has completely restored the outside, though the inside is still in a state of elegant decay. I sort of love it….though of course, it needs to be finished.

When I was a young boy and when we stayed at our farm over the weekend, my parents took us to the Catholic Church up in Louisiana. I was always a little embarrassed…after staying at the farm, we looked a little homely for church. Well, we used to walk past this house and it was covered with ivy and all of the shutters closed. The exterior is beautiful now.  The owner has given a gift to Louisiana of resurrecting an eyesore. Now it is your turn to turn the interior into a showplace! It is for sale…contact me if you are interested.

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Gracious Home on Georgia St in Louisiana, Missouri

Yesterday I accidentally went up a driveway when I was looking for a client's home nearby. What a lovely surprise to find this lovely home.  I am told that a cousin of Andrew Jackson built it in the early 1800's.  Below is a comment from someone who knows the house:  

"My favorite I think. A young man from Iowa has bought it and keeps it really nice. When I was a young lad the front was a field and was full of jonquils in the spring. Ms. Keith was a little odd and she road around on her bicycle in an old buckskin coat, it was her father Dr. Keith who built it. It is rumored to be pattered after the Jackson home The Heritage.His office was in the back. I went to the auction after Ms. keith died and I have some items from this old historic place. Just beautiful. Richard from My Old Historic House." Richard

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Our Farmhouse

Our farmhouse has been an obsession with me since I was very young.  The black and white photo was taken back in 1975 when I was 10 years old. My brother had a photo lab in the basement like most 70's families. I remember the smell of the chemicals and seeing images appear as you dunked them in solutions under the red light. Our farmhouse was sort of abandoned at this point. We bought the farm in the 50's and some of the farm workers lived in it off and on. My grandparents put a small house up on the top of a hill on the property and that is where we used to stay. With 4 boys and a dog….I think my grandfather encouraged our family to relocate to the old farmhouse. Before we started to renovate it, I remember having snowball fights on the inside. I also remember a large hole in the floor near the toilet. Once when my mother was using the toilet, I went into the basement and grabbed her foot through the hole…you can imagine her shock! There was a clawed-foot tub also in the bathroom. My brothers would catch fish in the lake and then fill the tub up to put them in to keep them fresh. The place was a bit of a wreck and I sort of dreaded going there. The memories are still rich….frog legs frying in the kitchen…raccoons poking their head our of a stove pipe hole…and no AC. Something clicked in me in my early teens and I decided that I needed to fix the house up. With the help of my family, I scraped paint, painted, sanded, planted trees and tried to turn the house around. In the 90's, I invested some money to renovate the back, frame section which was still falling down. With the help of a young architect who studied at The Prince Charles School of architecture….the back section became a showplace! The house still needs work….though slowly but surely it has become lovely. As I get older, I start to think if the next generation will step up to maintain the house.

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Click HERE for some recent pics….I just pulled the bushes out of the front….they were big and beautiful, though hid the lower basement windows.

 

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An Afternoon in Louisiana, Missouri Pike County, MO

Yesterday I spent the morning working on our farm house in Pike County and then I went up to Louisiana, MO for some meetings. It was such a beautiful day and the Fall colors are close to peaking….so hurry and get up to Pike County to look at them this weekend.  The Applefest is going on in Clarksville. 

My first stop was to look at the super- cool buildings on Water Street that used to be the old water treatment plant. A St. Louis couple has transformed two buildings into very exciting spaces. Both are for sale for a reasonable amount. 

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This is an interior space that could be a great bar/restaurant.

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This outdoor space almost looks like the Serra sculpture at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis.  There is a pool in the middle.

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In a another building is a cool loft living space.

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And look at the view….these buildings are right on the Mississippi…though high enough that flooding is not an issue.

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Nest stop was to meet with Karen over at The Eagle's Nest Bistro, B&B and Winery.  She runs such a nice business and it is very popular! She is thinking about retiring and her successful business is for sale.  Click HERE for more information.

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I visited the two historic homes that I have listed:

http://215nthird.canbyours.com/

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http://402nthird.canbyours.com/

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The old Stark home on 3rd looked beautiful with the maple ablaze!

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Finally I met Jim Talley at his listing on Georgia and 7th street. This is an old church turned City Hall turned loft/living space. What an exciting space and only $137,000! Listed by Ted Wight, Dielmann Sotheby's International Realty 314-607-5555  tedwight@aol.com 

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Homecoming at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Eolia, MO Pike County

Yesterday I attended St. John's Homecoming services and picnic. It was a lovely day to get a little religion (I am not Episcopalian, though everyone is welcome!) and feast on the pot-luck supper. The attendees always bring the best food.  I brought my Green Chili and Rice Casserole.  Get the recipe HERE. This event is usually the first Sunday in October.

The church dates back to the mid-1800s and was built with the donated bricks from the original owner of this HOUSE.

So many photos…the retro ones are from my iPhone Hipstomatic ap.

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215 N 3rd St, Louisiana, MO, Pike County

Breathtaking 1892 Queen Ann stone and brick historic home! This home has been completely updated with the historic building elements retained. The front hallway has a gracious staircase. Enjoy entertaining in the spacious, elegant living room.  Separate formal dining room. Gleaming Hard Wood Floors. Updated kitchen with an adjoining Butler's Pantry. First floor laundry. 3 lovely bedrooms with lots of closet space. Updated bathroom with dual vanities and a large, walk-in shower. Antique historic lighting fixtures. 3 Car Detached Garage has plenty of extra storage. Newer expansive screened porch. Central AC. Zones HVAC. Newer Windows. A stone’s throw from the Mississippi, though also on high land. Louisiana is a charming river town with great restaurants and shopping. 1.5 hours from St. Louis.

$235,000

Check out all of the pics via this link:

http://215nthird.canbyours.com/

Listed by Ted Wight, Dielmann Sotheby’s International Realty, 314-607-5555, tedwight@aol.com

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