The 2016 Old North Knoxville Victorian Holiday Home tour continued with 300 E. Oklahoma Ave, the Statum House, built around 1923. Originally occupied by William J. Statum and family, by 1940, the home was owned by the First Church of the Nazarene, which was located nearby in what is now a parking lot, and was used as a home for its minister. As with so many larger homes from the era, it was subdivided into apartments – in this case six of them and was only returned to a single family home last year, by the current owners.
We loved the pitched roof, the large brick-based columns and the attic windows overlooking the street. The wide-plank dining room table was as pretty a table as I’d hope to see. The kitchen features a rustic island and chairs along with a very cool section of exposed brick used for hanging coffee mugs. The upstairs bedrooms have a cozy feeling and the stairwell features an awesome sign the family found buried in the basement. The final, delightful, touch was the fun choral group in the kitchen.
227 E. Anderson may not look it at first blush, but it is new construction. The original home built on the lot in 1908 felling into such disrepair it was destroyed in 2007. Oak Valley Construction built the custom home this year with the intention of blending into the neighborhood without attempting to duplicate an era. It most resembles homes from the craftsman era.
The interior of the home features beautiful wood floors throughout, lots of windows in every direction and enough antique pieces to make you forget you are inside a new home. The back sunroom is a glorious space. In all, the family and the construction company did precisely what in-fill in an historic neighborhood should do. Very well done.
129 E. Oklahoma, deemed the “Milnor House,” was built in 1911. The family lived in the home until 1957. Eventually, t was turned into apartments and deteriorated over the years. Neighbors purchased the home two years ago and have returned it to a single family home. Their two years of work starting as they told me, “from the studs,” has produced a beautiful home.
And remarkably they were able to save many architectural details, including fireplaces. The framing around the front door and the diamond window on the front porch make for a distinctive approach to the home, but the interior is where it really shines. Arched openings line the main wall and the front room has the first of the beautiful fireplaces beside a carefully crafted built-in unit and backed by exposed brick.
The kitchen has been opened into the dining room and the rich wood flooring gives way to slate tile that serves as flooring for the rear of the first floor. A stairwell with a landing leads to the second floor which includes more of the amazing fireplaces and a lovely master bath with tiled shower. We were taken with the use of hidden lighting behind the molding and bull-nosed corners all adding to the luxurious feel of the home. It’s an interesting combination of old and new, includes just over 2500 square feet and it’s for sale.
The Madgett House at 207 E. Oklahoma Avenue, built about 1921, remained with the original owners, the Robert Madgett family, until 1952. After another brief ownership, the Stout family purchased it in 1954 and owned it until 2013. The current owners moved into the home from another in the neighborhood – which is precisely what Robert Madgett did nearly 100 years ago.
A bonus in the beautiful front rooms was music from local band Judge Hammer, playing some cool tunes and adding to the fun. You can hear them periodically at Kbrew and Remedy Coffee shops. Just behind them, the beautiful stained wood window casings and the stained glass hanging in the window were nice features in the home.
Hardwood floors run throughout the home and the sunroom situated just off the modern kitchen may be the best space in the home, though that’s tough to say. A straight stairway leading to the second floor boasts a nice banister and leads to more cozy rooms with lots of exposed, stained wood that makes the home shine.
Built around 1915, the final home on the tour, the Dungan House at 229 E. Scott Avenue, blends some Victorian elements with a largely Neoclassical style and boasts a distinctive gable. Used as an example in 2000 of how homes are allowed to deteriorate and fall apart, it was rescued despite having a hold the size of a small vehicle in its roof. The current owners have restored the interior to the state it is in today. It’s now hard to imagine the home in disrepair.
The doors, the floors, the windows and on are all so perfectly done, it seems to have always been so. Fireplaces must have survived and these are among some of the prettiest we saw, with one of them quite unusual for the neighborhood, made from small stones. The upstairs hallway and banister looking down into the first floor cuts lovely angles and felt absolutely elegant with the soft light from a rainy day filtering through the corridor.
We also ended the tour with music provided by the same gentleman we encounter at Fourth Presbyterian Church, and it was a perfect cap to a very enjoyable tour. I can’t express enough my appreciation for this neighborhood allowing strangers to traipse through their homes gawking at the details of their furniture and private spaces. It makes such a statement for preservation.
I’ll conclude the same way I began, by thanking Lauren Rider and Arin Streeter who found all the historic information I’ve used in these articles. Their work is essential to the understanding and enjoyment of the tour.