An encounter with the falling-down wreck of a house built by Gov. William J. Northen in 1909 prompted Mark Edge to make it his mission to save the Midtown home.
“When I first went into the home and saw the amazing bones and a homeless person living in one of the bedrooms -- something in my brain said, save this house or it will be torn down,” said Edge. “So in a city that has a history of not valuing its architectural history, I took a stand not only saving the structure but preparing it for another 100 years, which is a wonderful thing to me.”
But first he consulted with his best friend, interior designer Amy Wikman.
“She looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Do you have any idea what a big project this is?’” he recalled. “I said yes, but I really had no idea of what it would take to restore 5,000 square feet.”
Owner: Mark Edge
Location: Midtown
Year built: 1909
Year purchased: 2007
Size: The main house is 4,400 square feet and the guesthouse is around 600 square feet.
Architectural style: Classic Arts and Crafts
Renovations: "I did everything under the sun to the home," said Edge about the year-and-a-half project. "It was completely shot and needed everything. I didn't even inspect it. I did not see the need to pay someone $600 to tell me that it needed everything. We kept the original footprint of the house and the only interior layout changes involved the master bedroom suite – particularly the dressing room, closet and master bath. Interestingly enough, the original kitchen to the house was larger than normal for its time period, and we were able to fit a fully functional modern kitchen in the same space."
Architectural feature: "The piece of wood on the mantel in the living room that looks like a foot -- was in the fireplace when I got the home," said Edge. "I decided that it was a piece of art and had to stay. I always say it's the governor's foot in reference to Gov. William J. Northen, who built the home."
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