Sunday, July 29, 2012

A Walk Down the Boulevard - Anderson, SC

Today was a beautiful day and DH and I took our walk in the historic
section of Anderson, SC, on what begins old "East Boulevard".
The street was opened in 1905 and goes by Anderson University. 
Come along with us and enjoy some of the most beautiful homes in
Anderson!  The first three are also for sale so I will provide links so
you can tour the inside for yourself. (I have no connection with
anyone involved with selling or buying these homes.)  All my factual
information is from a self-guided walking tour brochure provided by
Anderson Heritage.  And the commentary along the way is just DH
and I talking...  Come on! Let's go!
We start our walk by parking our car in the parking lot of the church
by the Brown house.   The Brown's built this house in 1910 and the
family lived in it until 1979 when it was deeded to Boulevard Baptist
Church.  The church used it for lots of gatherings, especially
wedding receptions.  One of my best friends' has beautiful pictures
taken here from her wedding reception.  Lots of good memories!
In 1997 the house was sold to a couple who poured their hearts
into restoring it.  It is for sale now.  Go to this link for more pictures
of the inside and information.  (608 Boulevard)

DH and I have always admired the beautiful clay tiles on the roof of
600 Boulevard.  The house was built in 1919 and has a gorgeous
library.  You can see the pictures of the inside at this link.  In the
1960s the house was given to Anderson College (now University)
for the president's home.  Now another house on the grounds of
AU is used for the president's home and this one is for sale.

501 Boulevard is the last of the For Sale houses on today's post.
I encourage you to go to this link so you can see the inside of this
home because it is just beautiful!  I remember many many years
ago visiting this home before it was renovated and the stairs and
rooms were very dark! Now it is a jewel! Oh, and it was built in
1907 and has a wrap around porch on the other side of the picture.

402 Boulevard was built in 1930 at the beginning of the depression
by the co-owner of the local Coca-Cola Bottling Company. The
construction provided many local jobs and produced one of the
finest homes I've ever seen.  This house was later owned by Callie
Stringer Rainey who did much for the arts in Anderson.


504 Boulevard was built in 1909 and the first house in Anderson
to have central heat. Love the doors and windows!

404 Boulevard was built in 1934 and has 11 rooms and 6,500 sq. feet.
I love the shady lawn and relaxing look to the home.


  
 There are many beautiful homes on Boulevard!

 I have been a guest in this home and although you can't tell it 
from the outside, this is one of the most comfortable homes I 
have been in.

Boulevard has lots of beautiful smaller homes, also. 

We started walking back to the car and arrived at the Brown house
that was the first in this post.  I was standing in the drive way when
I turned around and it was "love at first sight"!  There, across the
street was the cutest cottage!  Of all the houses I saw today on 
our walk, this one would be the one that was my favorite!

Which one is your favorite?

Thank you for coming along on our walk today!  Have a great week!
Love,
Lottie
PS: Love the house you're in! (Smile)



Monday, July 23, 2012

Need A New Door?

We have gone in and out the back doors a million times but
never noticed the storm doors were worse for wear.  They
had no insulation at all.  DH said it was time for a change and asked
me to look around for what I wanted.  I looked everywhere I went
and found this beautiful door!
This IS a beautiful door...but I needed something practical,
affordable, and insulated for the winter.  This is what I had.
This door goes to the den and was in pretty good condition while
the other door that went to the kitchen was not.  I didn't
get a picture of it.  We decided to replace both doors so the deck
would look better.  DH saw I was distracted looking at all kinds
of doors so he took me to Lowe's and Home Depot and compared
insulated storm doors.  We went out one Saturday night like a
"date" and picked out doors!  It was really fun! 

We planned to buy them in the fall and replace them one pretty day,
not in 103 degree heat! Well, the next weekend the better ones went
on sale and we rushed down to the store to buy them.  DH did
install them in the heat. The style was a little different than the old
ones but those are not available anymore. 
DH took the old doors off and painted before putting on the new
doors.  (There are some advantages to marrying an artist!)
New storm door to the den...
New storm door to the kitchen....

I love the new doors but I still can't get one door I saw on my
search out of my mind.
This door was left in the wall of a textile mill that burned years
ago.  
There is the door on the left.  You can see the inside of the mill
along with the tower in the back and the gaping hole in the front.

Whenever I drive by the mill, I look over at the door and ask myself,
why did someone leave the door?  Was it left as a joke, or as poety?
There is nothing behind the door.  It is the door to nowhere.  Or
maybe it is the door to memories.

I'm very happy with my new storm doors.  I hope they will save
me some money on utility bills this year.  But most of all, I hope
they are doors to memories.

Thank you for visiting today!  
Love,
Lottie

Sunday, July 15, 2012

A Walk Down Marshall Street in Anderson, SC

Everyone knows we love old houses!
We were searching for some shade today to take our walk and
found this beautiful green home with lots of shade trees.  These

two homes across the street from each other have beautiful  
gambrel roofs but each has its own distinctive style..
(Since this post I have found a web site 
with information on houses on this street.)
Click here.    Lottie
This is the side view of the same house as above.  The bay is
built almost like a silo.  I assume it is for the stairs.  Pretty neat!   
 
What a beautiful home!  The curved stairs remind me of the Gorgas
House in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The swing on the porch looks so relaxing!  It really makes you
think of summer.  Love the balcony on the second floor.
And this is my favorite! I love the heavy columns on the porch.
The house is not for sale.  The sign in the front yard just tells
you who the roofers are that put on a new roof. 

Thank you for coming along on our walk today!
Love,
Lottie
P.S. There are many, many beautiful homes on Marshall Street,
but I couldn't take pictures of them all.  Sometimes cars were
in the picture or bushes and trees covered the view.  Sometimes
my camera was out of focus.