Newport home restored, wins award

A 114-year-old Folk Victorian in the East Row Historic District has been selected to receive a 2008 Excellence in Presrvation Award from the Newport Historic Preservation Commission.

The home at 913 Park Avenue (BIRD'S EYE), which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been in the Sanzenbacker family for nearly 60 years.

Marcele Sanzenbacker says that the rehabilitation of the 1,300-square-foot house took approximately eight months.

The most expensive part of the rehabilitation was the removal of the 1950s asphalt siding and the repair of the original wood siding.

The house's mechanicals were replaced with more modern, energy-efficient products, and some of the interior walls were moved to make the house a little more suitable to today's homebuyer.

One of the largest changes involved moving the kitchen into the former dining room and converting the former kitchen space, which is located at the rear of the house, into a multipurpose area.

"There is off-street parking in the rear, so coming in the back door into space designated for your 'stuff' works very well, many of us tote laptops and briefcases back and forth each day," she says. "The space can be used for many activities, perhaps another dining area with buffet for entertaining family and friends. A couple of comfy club chairs for reading would work pretty nicely too."

Sanzenbacker says that she also incorporated some of her own design elements into the space.

"The best things often come in small packages, especially if you take time to think through how you live, what you need to do in the space and find ways to make that work," she says.

Despite the many changes, she says that she tried to stay true to the house's historic character.

"The original roof line in the master bedroom is unique," she says. "It creates a bay window effect and we are pleased we were able to keep that intact."

The two bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom house is currently for sale by Sanzenbacker, an agent with Huff Realty, for $179,900.

Photo credits: Marcele Sanzenbacker (pictured)