Anyone who has ever supervised a child at Lombard Commons Park on Grace Street has probably looked across the road at the stately English Tudor home and wondered what it looks like inside.
Curious parkgoers had their chance to do just that last Sunday, at the open house held by Jeff Rogers, a broker with Roger C. Marquardt and Co. Inc. The Lombard home is listed at $168,900.
Ellen Pittenger, who lives three blocks away and takes her daughter to the park, was back for a second walk-through.
”I like the old English style,” she said. ”It`s got the original stucco walls and arched doorways. I own another home, and I`m not sure if I want to build onto that, or just get what I want.”
Attention grabber
This home is authentic Tudor, from the front door pewter knob and ornate plate to the rounded, cove molding. ”Tudors grab a lot of attention,” Rogers said. ”There aren`t that many true Tudors, with all brick and a tile roof.” A detached, brick garage matches the house`s styling.
”The owners have updated most of the windows, but left the ones that were needed to keep the style of the house,” Rogers noted. ”They refinished all the doors, and they kept the glass doorknobs.”
Rogers pointed out the large, concrete front porch that overlooks the park. ”You could fit a table and chairs out here, and watch the kids playing,” he said. The home is on a corner, with plenty of yard space on the 50-by-168-foot lot.
The 16-by-20-foot living room shows off all the Tudor features, including wood molding on the front windows, stucco walls and ceiling, cove ceiling molding and a fireplace.
The kitchen is an example of how a home can have both authentic styling and attractive updating. The original French doors into the room have been refinished, and the irregular shape is visually interesting, with a breakfast room off to the side.
”Look at the rounded shape over the window sills,” Pittenger pointed out. ”That`s Tudor styling.”
The cabinets, however, are updated, as is the ceramic floor. There are Corian countertops, a microwave shelf and a new dishwasher, but the stove is older. A step-in pantry provides generous shelf space.
Lookout place
The nicest feature on the main level is the octagonal sunroom on the side of the home with thermal windows all around. It currently is used as a television room, but with the view over the stately trees on Elm Street, other possible uses abound.
Unlike most 63-year-old homes, this one has a bathroom on each level, including the partially finished basement, which has ground-level windows.
An extra-wide staircase winds at the top toward the bedrooms on the upper level. The three bedrooms are small, with the master bedroom the largest at 15 by 11 feet; the smallest is 11 by 9.
”There are a few negatives,” customer Pittenger agreed. ”The plumbing`s the original, and there are some things I`d change.” She speaks with the authority gained as a veteran of several house-guttings, and as the wife of a contractor.
Then why not consider a new house?
”I don`t like contemporary,” Pittenger insisted. ”These are all hardwood floors. These walls are plastered; the new homes have wallboard. And a lot of prefab stuff-you blow on it, and it all falls down.”
She obviously learned a lesson from the little pig who built his house out of bricks: Nobody will huff and puff and blow this house down.
LOMBARD $168,900
116 S. GRACE, LOMBARD. Gracious living room with fireplace, sunroom/family room and eat-in kitchen with warm but formal capability. 3 bedrooms up with full bath. Powder room on 1st floor. A rec room for your computer buff or tiny tots with a 3/4 shower.
