Downtown Luxury Slum

I’m still over here, dreaming of starting a new renovation/preservation project so I thought I’d share a couple of the properties that have caught my eye as of late.

The Reynolds Tavern

They Reynolds Tavern is thought to have been the home of prominent cabinet maker Thomas Reynolds after he moved to Warrenton, NC in 1804.

The Reynolds Tavern is is 1290 square foot Boom Era house in the Warrenton, NC historic district, which is a little over an hour away from us and vaguely near a couple lakes.

Though the front elevation and first floor have been remodeled over the years, the rear elevation exhibits much of its early character.

Interior and exterior early 19th century features include the stone foundation, roof dormers,

winder stair,

9-over-9 sash windows,

door and window surrounds,

boxed eaves, flush gable ends, and large center chimney.

The second floor retains early wide wood floors,

and views of the mortise-and-tenon construction.

The building will require a complete rehabilitation including structural/foundation work, restoration carpentry, and all new systems. The Town of Warrenton does offer attractive economic development incentives that could make the rehabilitation feasible.

I’ve never been to Warrenton so don’t really know what the community needs, but I like the idea of restoring the upper level as a small airbnb apartment and the lower level and yard into a chill tavern / wine bar / beer garden type space with cheese. Does that sound weird?

The Louise Allen House

The Louise Allen House is also located in Warrenton, NC.

It is a lovely, 2992 square foot home built in the 1840s in the Greek Revival style and later refashioned in the Colonial Revival style. It sits on a 1.39 acre lot that also includes a 1200 square foot craftsman era guesthouse.

The Louise Allen House is a lovely, large home built in the 1840s in the Greek Revival style and later refashioned in the Colonial Revival style, which was highly popular in the early 1900s.

When the house was redesigned in the 1920s, a brick veneer was applied and additions were made including a warm, south-facing enclosed sunroom.

• 

• 

The interior of the home retains several elements of the 19th century, including some elegant neoclassical mantles by noted Warrenton builder Jacob Holt and prominent Greek Revival woodwork.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The interior also includes a graceful double staircase with delicate turned balusters, which was added in the 1920s.

• 

• 

• 

The Louise Allen House will require a complete rehabilitation including reconstruction of the 1920s-era front porch,

all new mechanical systems, structural repair (or rebuilding) of the rear kitchen area, miscellaneous interior and exterior cosmetic repairs, and a new kitchen and baths.

Situated on a beautiful in-town lot nearly 1½ acres in size, the property is shaded by mature trees and was noted for its lovely blueberry and fig bushes. The property also includes the Smiley Cottage, a 1930s Craftsman-style guest house, sized at approximately 1200 square feet.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The cottage will also need cosmetic repairs, updated systems, kitchen, and bath(s).

I am in love with the Smiley Cottage. I mean just that name! I like the idea of working on it first, getting it cute and habitable and offering it up on airbnb to help cover the costs of rehabilitating the bigger house. That way I could also stay in the cottage if I wanted to get in really long work days and not have to drive home after. I don’t know why, but this house feels more like it would just make a good giant single family home. In my dream world, we’d split the lot and keep the Smiley cottage as either a short or long term rental and sell the Louise Allen House.

So I suppose we should take a day trip to Warrenton sometime soon.

What are you dreaming of?