It certainly does not look like a bungalow from the street. Symmetrically placed windows with shutters are set on each side of a recessed entry with single-light French doors. Used brick on the front and engaged columns on the corner complete the facade that is trying so hard to be a Greek Revival cottage in the French Quarter.
A wonderful old iron fence on the left side of the yard adds to the New Orleans flavor. The house sits up on a small hill, pleasantly distanced from the street. Carrying a matching fence across the front of the hill with a wrought-iron gate at the top of the steps would be a logical finishing touch.
The inside has been thoroughly modernized, but the floor plan hints at its 1920s bungalow origin. The living room runs all the way across the front in typical bungalow style. At 20-by-23 feet, the living room is vast, and it appears that the original front porch was enclosed and added to this space in an earlier renovation. It makes for a loft-scaled space with tall windows, all with working interior shutters, a wood-burning fireplace, and heart pine floors.
The dining room also has a working gas fireplace. A bank of three windows is united by a wide sill, a detail also found in Craftsman bungalows. There are two noteworthy crystal chandeliers, one here and the larger one, appropriately, in the living room.
A small rear hall connects dining, den, downstairs bedroom, bath, and kitchen. Originally, it would have been dark, as it is completely interior. However, the ceiling of the hall was removed and a spiral staircase installed to a finished second-floor room in the former attic. Six large skylights above the hall turn it into a delightful transition space in the center of the house.
The finished attic has a second bedroom or maybe a home office and a full bath with lots of built-in storage. Frankly, it seems more appropriate to use the upstairs as a getaway space for the home office or workout room. The current downstairs den might be the better second bedroom, but you would have to add a wall closing it off from the living room. It would work well either way.
One rear corner of the house is the master bedroom, which has a full wall of closets, one of which contains the washer and dryer. This room looks out to the quiet rear yard and gets the soft morning light. The other rear corner is a generous kitchen with breakfast area. It is currently laid out in a galley format even though the room is wide enough to add another ell of cabinets. The breakfast area overlooks the private rear garden through a whole wall of windows.
There is a nicely sealed deck on the rear with built-in seating. It is ever so private, with evergreen trees and shrubs scattered about, inside a wood fence. Paths of brick and gravel lead out to an alley. It feels as secretive as a brick-walled courtyard. Inside, the addition of tall cypress doors and Greek Revival mantels would make this house feel that much closer to New Orleans.
242 Pine Street
Approximately 2,300 square feet
2 bedrooms, 2 baths; $199,500
Realtor: Hobson Co., 761-1622
Agent: Gordon Stack, 488-4050