You can never overestimate the power of drive-up appeal, especially with the craftsman at 5455 Richard Ave. “At the curb, you’re already like, ‘wow, this is neat,’” says listing agent Scott Jackson.
The 92-year-old house radiates charm. “It just all comes together really nicely,” Jackson says. The front facade has Prairie-style detailing on the overhangs, 20-over-one lite windows (separately framed panels of glass), and picturesque landscaping. Brick steps lead up to the sweeping front porch with wood decking and a sweet porch swing.
There are tons of windows throughout, which is indicative of the home’s age, Jackson says. There wasn’t air conditioning in the 1930s, so homeowners would throw open all their windows or sit outdoors to get a breeze this time of year. “You were sitting on the porches and doing stuff to get outside because it was so darn hot,” Jackson says.
Although the current owners “fell in love with [the house] from the street,” that didn’t stop them from putting their own touches on the property. They built out the garage guest apartment, backyard deck, fencing, and sliding back gate. They put in a large mudroom, repainted, redid the bathrooms, and refinished the oak hardwood floors.
They kept the formal rooms at the front of the home relatively true to period. From the entryway, there’s an open study to the left. To the right is the formal living room, which features a brick fireplace and the original ceiling beams and glass cabinetry. However, they completely renovated the layout of the kitchen, den, and dining area to make it open concept.
In the kitchen, they redid the cabinetry, fitted a kitchen island with built-in shelving for cookbooks, and installed Viking appliances. The space flows into the den and the dining area, which is connected to the sun porch. The owners finished off the open area with long, decorative beams to “transition from that formal living room to the den, just so it makes it appear that this den was not some kind of addition,” Jackson says. “That it was all originally planned like this”
Upstairs, the owners kept the historic charm as they made updates. In the primary suite, they exposed the original brick chimney and converted the old sleeper porch into a new bathroom with “period-style finishes.” They lay an octagon-and-dot-patterned floor tile and installed subway tile in the shower. Then came a clawfoot tub and a period-looking vanity from Restoration Hardware.
There are two additional bedrooms upstairs that share a hall bathroom and face the backyard. Jackson says there used to be four bedrooms in the main house, but the owners converted one of them into a spacious walk-in closet in the primary suite.
There is a fourth bedroom on the property, however. The owners built a 338-square-foot garage apartment with a full bath and wet bar. “It’s kind of beachy feeling,” says Jackson, “because it’s got the shiplap walls, so it feels like you’re somewhere—maybe Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket.”
One of the home’s biggest draws, however, is not the updated layout, the historic charm, or even the curb appeal. It’s the location, Jackson says. The house is in the historic Vickery Place neighborhood. There’s easy access to shopping and dining on Henderson. It’s just two blocks from Lower Greenville and less than a 15-minute walk to Trader Joe’s.
“What everybody loves about this spot is the walkability,” Jackson says.
Scroll through the gallery to see more of the home.
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