But how we would love it if it were. It’s a 1905 English Tudor (and on the historic register) for sale right now in Kirkwood, our town in St. Louis, and it’s affordably priced, huge, vintage, absolutely beautiful. Heartbreakingly beautiful. And peaceful. And gentle. And on almost an acre of lot.
It’s currently divided into a duplex, which is actually rather nice, if you think about it. And it’s nicely done. Two families could easily live side by side and have complete privacy, or it could be the ideal place for an artisan who wanted a studio with guest space and also a private residence.
A person might get it for a song, considering it’s been on the market for a few months. The worry, of course, is that it will be bought for a tear-down as the huge lot is very valuable. People do this all of the time here, and it sucks. I think the owner loves the house, and I’m sure (or I fantasize that) preference would be given to someone who loved the house.
Both Bill and I extended our hearts to this beautiful space. If it made the slightest sense for us to be starting over on a house in Kirkwood, we would do it, in a heartbeat, without a backward thought. And in total joy.
However… we are really ready to go back to being urban creatures as soon as Evan fledges. We’re officially short-timers now, if five years counts as short-time. And we are really (or at least I am really) on the hairy edge of too old to take on owning another big house. It’s more the sort of time in our lives when one thinks of smallerizing, and travelling.
We had a hot water heater like this in one of our houses- it’s both terrifying and excellent. What we never had, though, was DRAWERS under CLOSETS!
Above, a beautiful blue room on the second floor of the North side, and a detail of the intricately patterned radiators. If you want to see it, and you should, email Bridget. And if you buy it, and want to hold workshops there, I will come and teach for you. And we can prance about in ball gowns, and serve each other cocktails from vintage martini glasses.
This house is so beautiful, peaceful, elegant, historic and deserving that it made me think crazy thoughts. Like our little fairy cottage is finally almost perfect. Perfect! We could probably sell it, and maybe instead of buying it we could RENT the Tudor, and gently and lovingly help clean her up, and make her beautiful again, so that in five years, when the market recovered, the owner could sell her for a fair price.
Crazy, stupid, sweet and noble thoughts, like “I’m SURE can find a way to find homes for those ten kittens shivering under that bridge” or “I’m going to run for Congress so I can bring peace to America and build a real train system…”
Christ. Just look at that hardware, on that beautiful, solid, seven foot tall door. My heart turns over, thinking of seeing it torn down.
Surely Someone Can Do Something.
Visit the Beadmobile blog and keep up on the progress of our new book, Geometrics!
January 25th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
I love everything about that house. I REALLY hope that someone worthy buys it. If you and Bill buy it, I know that I will be sent on a mission to find as many vintage martini glasses as possible. ; ) (Remember the champagne glasses… ; 0 )
January 25th, 2012 at 8:06 pm
No, we can’t buy anything else. Ever!
January 25th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Love that radiator. You don’t see such long ones. It’s too bad the house isn’t in a historic district…and protected from demolition…and philistines.
Got my Frisky Balls today…LOVE them! I feel all sparkly!
January 25th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
It is, but as I mentioned to Lysa, the fine for tearing it down anyway is insignificant and is the only penalty. It is a very likely candidate for teardown despite its dual historic distinctions. And plaque on the door.
January 26th, 2012 at 6:24 am
Oh, that’s awful. That would never happen here. Zillionaires tremble in fear of our Historic District Commission…it’s quite awesome.
January 26th, 2012 at 6:32 am
Right, Nantucket takes these things more seriously than the midwest. These guys vote for Todd Akin and John Ashcroft, they drive giant shiny black Lincoln Navigators, and they use PVC boards and put up plastic fences. They are a really dreadful demographic.
January 25th, 2012 at 9:58 pm
LOVE! That blue room alone is stellar! I would be so tempted too.
January 25th, 2012 at 10:06 pm
It needs to be put on the National Historic Register. No one can do anything to it (without a rigorous approval process – trust me, in my former life as an architect I had to cope with that more than once…)
What a beauty of a house. Divine madness. Think of the b40 and the Barbie Coach.
xOx
L
January 25th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Baby, it’s on, but that doesn’t matter in the slightest. The fine for tearing it down is less than $500.
Developers do it all of the time here, well, everywhere.
A gorgeous Craftsman was demolished about seven years ago by a fuckstick who actually lives on my street- I campaigned to stop him and mysteriously the back window of our car was smashed.
His fine, despite historic register listing, was $300.
January 25th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Jesus wept.
Words fail.
Going to bed.
xOx
L
January 25th, 2012 at 10:28 pm
I sure as hell wept!
January 25th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Doh! I need to read the post more thoroughly. It’s ALREADY on the Register.
Can you tell that I shouldn’t be on the interwebs at all tonight?
Love the photo of barefoot you in a ballgown!
xOx
L
January 26th, 2012 at 12:17 am
I think you’ve found the answer to your previous question as to why people choose to live in cold places. Just look at that house, and look at your posts on wanting it. I hate being cold, and I hate radiator-style heaters because I feel like they only heat the air within 3 inches of themselves, but that heater leaves me all aflutter with its beauty. And DRAWERS UNDER CLOSETS! Why does my house not have these? Why does every house not have these? I demand closet drawers.
January 26th, 2012 at 6:16 am
Yes, admittedly, I was thinking “If I was inside that house, I might not notice I was in Missouri!”
I demand closet under-drawers as well! And scrolled radiators! And three stories!