Well-chosen details enrich a good architectural composition. Here, the repetition of the arch on the front of this cottage makes it memorable.
The house is defined by some Colonial Revival hallmarks: a simple gable roofline with the ridge running parallel to the street and an accentuated front door with a small but elegant arched entrance canopy. Its Colonial Revival character is further emphasized by the white paint job, with only the shutters and the new garage door in dark, bronze green.
The arch of the entry, a detail you see infrequently, is echoed in an eyebrow dormer. These two unusually refined elements, more often found on high-end examples of the style, are simply striking.
The front yard has two large oaks west of the house that offer the shade a hot August afternoon warrants. The foundation plantings are not as elegantly composed. The shrubs are a mixture of evergreens, predominantly azaleas and hollies. A simple installation of boxwood at the extreme corners and around the porch would be the appropriate complement.
Inside, this cottage is revealed to be a bungalow in Colonial Revival garb. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are arrayed down one side, with two bedrooms and a central bath accessed by way of a short hall comprising the other side. A spacious family room was added across the rear at least 50 years ago, along with a large utility/laundry room near the kitchen.
The living room, with the house’s surprising 9-foot ceilings, has a handsome cut-stone fireplace with a corbelled, rusticated mantel. The firebox, built for coal, is not deep but could have a gas-fired coal grate installed to good effect. The stone has been painted, but they’ve invented paint stripper for a reason!
A new kitchen has just been installed. The room already had a good layout that was only enhanced by the pale, maple cabinets, golden granite counters, and tumbled marble at the backsplash. There’s even a gas cooktop and all new stainless appliances. The original walk-in pantry still performs perfectly.
The family room and kitchen both have new, cork floors. The windows in the family room are set high on the knotty pine walls. Installing longer windows or even a series of French doors would brighten this space and open it to the secluded backyard. A new roof and central heat and air are in place.
This is a centrally located and completely updated house in a good neighborhood. It’s not often that you find all that in such a finely detailed classic cottage. •
234 S. Holmes
1,350 square feet
2 bedrooms, 1 bath
$155,000
Realtor: Sowell and Company, 278-4380
Owner/agent: Linda Sowell, 278-4380
