Restored Queen Anne home from 1904 features original parquet floors, pocket doors & more

Indianapolis Star

2 days ago

In August 1904, Ada H. Peters purchased a lot in what is now known as New Albany's East Spring Street Historic District. Shortly after taking ownership of the property, she built an 1,800-square-foot, Queen Anne-style home that was rented to Harry E. Borgerding and his family through July 1909.
Borgerding was associated with the H. Borgerding Manufacturing Co. on Corydon Pike and later became secretary — and eventually president and treasurer — of the Borgerding Motor Car Co. on Spring Street. His memory lives on through the house he once lived in, now owned by Anne and Matthew Phillips.
"It's a Victorian," Anne said, "but it's a craftsman and Victorian cross (from) the beginning of the 20th century. Almost everything in here is very simple; it's not that frilly, Victorian (aesthetic) — and I think that's why it was preserved."
The home still boasts several original features, such as woodwork that has never been painted or stripped. This includes the staircase, which led the Phillips family to purchase the home in 2017.
"I guess the staircase is what sold me on the house," Anne recalled, adding that she grew up in old homes and is accustomed to their quirks and oddities. "It had good bones, but cosmetically, (there was) a lot to do."
Superficial changes were made throughout, but the kitchen required a complete overhaul, as critical updates were needed to keep it functional. Anne explains that the microwave was falling apart, and the oven would start steaming whenever the temperature exceeded 375 degrees.
"We didn't change the layout," Anne said, "but we did take it down … to the studs."
The room features new electrical, plumbing, cabinetry, and appliances, but Anne kept the home's character intact.The beadboard cabinetry — painted a cool, dark green Sherwin Williams hue called Messenger Bag — features latches that mimic the original ones upstairs. The home's original milk door is still intact, though it's now used to store keys.
"We don't try to restore; we try to enhance," Anne said. "(With) the kitchen, I wanted it to feel like (it was always) part of the house."
Though the house became a single-family home in the 1980s, signs of its past remain.
"There are numbers on the doors because those were the rooms," Anne said, adding that their primary bedroom once held another kitchen — and the old gas line is still visible.
Their bedroom is room number one, and room two is a guest room. Room three is Matthew's office, which holds pieces of a different past.
"He's definitely into the 80s, and he's got all his things," Anne said, noting the Ms. Pac-Man and Mortal Kombat arcade games, which sit below framed pop art.
Opposite the games, neon Pac-Man lights adorn the wall just above the bookcase, which holds dozens of books and other knickknacks reminiscent of the period.
"It's a little more midcentury," Anne said, "(but) I think it all still flows and works together."
When the Phillipses first moved in, the attic was unfinished and filled with decades' worth of other people's belongings.
"We completely redid it because in 2020," Anne said, "when I shifted to work from home."
The room is accessible only through a door in the second-floor bathroom, which opens to a small set of stairs and up to Anne's office. The banister, she says, is both practical and sentimental.
"This is a noodle pin that was my great-grandmother's," she explained, adding that Matthew whittled it to create a functional piece for their home.
Up the stairs, Anne's office furniture sits on wood flooring that boasts a unique look.
"It's not stained," Anne said, explaining that its appearance is the result of previous high-heat damage. "It was cleaned up, and with the sanding and the poly, it looks like tortoise shell."
One side of the attic is lined with seven built-in closets, a feature Anne and Matthew added for storing seasonal clothing, holiday decor, and other occasionally used items. Though it's one of the newer features of the home, it blends in seamlessly, further enhancing the essence of the home's historic charm.
"We were just taking the space we have," Anne said, "honoring what it was, and trying to enhance it for modern life."
The Philllips home is open for viewing on this year's New Albany Historic Home Tour, held on Sept. 13.
Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at [e-mail] or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at [e-mail].
WHAT: Presented by New Albany Main Street, this tour features some of New Albany's finest properties in its numerous historic neighborhoods. This self-guided tour offers a unique opportunity to explore interiors not typically open to the public while learning about the stories, styles, and preservation efforts behind each home.
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Address of all tour properties will be shared upon ticket purchase.
TICKETS: $20 in advance, $25 day of, $5 for students in grades K-12. Purchase tickets online with a credit card at namainstreet.org.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit namainstreet.org, email [e-mail], or call 812-941-0018.
Owners: Anne and Matthew Phillips. Anne is a dietitian and Matthew is the chief technology officer for The Astro Technology Company. Also in the home is the couple's dog, Wilbur.
Home: This is a three-bed, one-and-a-half bath, 1,800-square-foot, Queen Anne home in New Albany's East Spring Street Historic District. It was built in 1904.
Distinctive elements: Original parquet floors in parlor, living room, and dining room; original pocket doors between parlor and living room and living room and kitchen; original heat vents throughout home; original windows in front of house and box gutters; original woodwork throughout house; original room numbers from when home was a boarding house; original milk cabinet in kitchen; distinct floor in attic from high-heat damage; small ventilation door in attic stairwell that overlooks stair case; handrail in attic stairway crafted from owner's Hungarian great grandmother's noodle pin that her great grandfather whittled; original bead-board storage cabinets in attic stairwell inspired renovation in kitchen, which features added bead-board elements and inspired cabinet latches; Taj Mahal Quartzite kitchen counters and backsplash.