1149 Neil Ave
Owners: Lisa and Goeff Morton
Lisa and Geoff purchased the home, built in 1895, in 2004. Many of the original features were still intact including all woodwork, pocket doors, four fireplaces, some original lighting and for the most part, the original floorplan. The couple worked with Steve Hurtt and Dean Berlon of UrbanOrder Architects to renovate the house and design and build a 2,000 square foot carriage house in the back yard. In the house, on the first floor some modifications were made to interior door locations so that there was a more cohesive flow to the house. The back staircase door to the cellar was relocated, as was the door between the kitchen and library (which was the house’s original dining room). The butler’s pantry was restored and kitchen gutted and renovated. A 100 sq. ft. addition to the back of the house provided room for a half-bath, coat closet, pantry and a small mudroom off a covered porch entrance. A vintage door was acquired from a local antique store for the rear of the house.
On the second floor, the original floor plan was intact, aside from a fourth bedroom that had been converted into a bathroom and storage closet. The couple re-worked that space, returning one bathroom to its original location and creating a second bathroom, laundry room and small landing at the back staircase. On the third floor, some minor modifications were made to create a third bathroom and attic space that houses a separate HVAC system for the third floor. The original heart pine floorboards were also refinished.
Visitors will notice that there is no master suite in this house. When the owners toured the home, they found its original layout, an example of the late 1800’s Queen Anne design, was still intact and opted to keep the original floorplan. In the fifteen years since purchasing and renovating the home, the Mortons have added an extensive art collection of Ohio and Canadian artists, including contemporary and historic works.
The carriage house includes three bays for parking cars on the ground level and a 1,000 sq. ft. apartment on the second floor, which the owners have operated as a Victorian Village guest house since 2008. When the homeowners purchased the house in 2004, there was no real exterior landscape plan. The backyard was covered entirely with pine bark mulch and had served as an outdoor kennel for the previous owners three German Shepherds. The side and front yards were a completely overgrown bramble of old, untended rose bushes. The current owners cleared the lot, planted 10 additional trees on the property and completed extensive landscaping and hardscaping, creating perennial gardens and a series of brick patios and walkways. The design was conceived by landscape architect Dennis Karem.
The owners have operated Victorian Village Guest House in their carriage house since 2008, welcoming travelers from across the US and around the world.
