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Historic Versus Old
By Steve Murray
There is something about a historic car, boat or house that triggers the romantic in most of us…a 1956 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, a 1933 J-Class America’s Cup yacht or an 1850’s restored row house. Yet, “old” does not necessarily mean “good”. There are many old cars out there that you wouldn’t want to own, many boats that should probably be put out of their misery and there are certainly many old houses that would be best taken down rather than renovated.
However, as with cars and yachts, certain houses that were designed and built by good professionals are worth saving due to their design or build quality offering an appeal and charm that merit preserving for future generations.
When John Ringling first brought attention to Sarasota in the 1920’s, many wealthy businessmen began to buy land and have their architects design them second homes in the area. Bay Shore Road, just south of the Ringling Museum, is testament to that with an eclectic assortment of styles, sizes and building techniques employed. Many of the homes have been lovingly restored over the years preserving the original designs and integrity whilst updating all the mechanicals allowing modern living.
New electrics, air conditioning and plumbing in conjunction with new tile work, cabinetry, appliances and audio visual enable these old houses to live like modern homes while keeping their traditional appearance. In many homes, owners wish to not only take the architecture back to its original glory, but to embellish the design further with additional trim, ceiling detail, landscape and exterior deck spaces.
Over the years, we have completed many historic renovations, both in London and more recently here in Sarasota. The Earle House, built in 1926, was one such house. Built by a wealthy industrialist, the home was relatively untouched until 2006, when we lovingly restored the structure to its original design using the actual blueprints that were utilized in its construction in the ‘20’s. In addition, we stripped back all of the flooring, discovering beautiful oak floors, replaced all of the electrics, windows, kitchen and bathrooms and researched architectural journals to ensure that all of the trim work was as originally designed.
Another special project that we worked on was the 1926 Bachelor-Brewer house [2]on Lincoln Drive. Collaborating with William Thorning Little, the original structure was remodeled to modern standards and a new 2000 square foot wing was added. Today it is definitely more extensive than when it was first built, with the new wing offering additional bedrooms and living space, but importantly its heritage and style has been preserved and extended, befitting its elegant downtown waterfront setting.
If you are considering purchasing an older home that you feel could be of historic importance or would like to evaluate how to restore your current home to its former glory, we would be happy to meet with you to discuss how this can be achieved. But remember, old doesn’t necessarily mean historic….sometimes old just means old!
Steve Murray is the founder and owner of Murray Homes a residential construction company specializing in building custom waterfront homes on the Keys of Sarasota. He also owns Murray Realty with his wife Bev Murray. Murray Realty is a full service real estate company offering customers a first class experience in finding, evaluating or selling houses and lots, primarily on the waterfront. Murray Homes is a Certified Building Contractor #CBC1250846. If you are interested in buying, selling or building in this new economy, call Steve at 941-906-7000 or visit his websites at www.murrayhomesinc.com [3] or www.murrayrealty.net [4] or by email at steve@murrayhomesinc.com [5].
Copyright © 2010 REAL Magazine
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