A vintage home plus sensitive modernization equals a dwelling that is stunning, safe and operates with maximum efficiency
In 2001 when Dr. Larry Hurvitz and his wife Kathi were moving from The Landings in Sarasota and searching for their new house, they had in mind an old house.
"I particularly love vintage homes," said Kathi, "and when we saw this one with its amazing front porch, I connected with the house the minute I walked through the front door. I absolutely knew this was the one. We were flexible about location but we especially appreciated the Bungalow Hill setting of this house. The house was white at the time and the picket fence was only in the front yard. After we bought, we painted the house a gentle blue-green and extended the fence to the sides."
But the first thing the couple did was add a detached two-car garage to the property. Apparently when this craftsman-style was built in 1916 there was a coach house on the property but that was long gone, only a slab remained. Five years later the homeowners hired Joe Angeleri, a contractor who specializes in vintage homes, to stabilize the house and bring it up to current hurricane code. The home now complies with the current building codes and qualifies for lower insurance premiums.
But, the home retains its original moldings and trims. The wood floor is original as is the stacked-stone gas fireplace in the living room.
"We didn’t change the footprint of the house, but we made it safer and we structurally improved it," said Kathi. "The house still has its vintage character, but it functions much better. The bathrooms and the kitchen are modern but have vintage personality."
This character home at 1657 Alta Vista Street is now on the market for $895,000 through Kim Ogilvie of Michael Saunders & Company.
The two-story craftsman has three bedrooms (all upstairs), three baths, a formal dining room with built-ins and a formal living room with gas fireplace. French doors and simple white blinds on the many windows provide lots of natural light and give the home an airy and cool feel. The all-white kitchen has stone countertops and some of the upper wood cabinets have glass fronts. The eating area at the end of the kitchen opens to the generous and very private back screened porch. The range is gas, since natural gas is piped to this neighborhood.
The entire interior of the Hurvitz house has been recently painted, many of the rooms (and ceilings) in shades and hues of blue ranging from electric royal to cozy robin’s egg to turquoise, sky blue or soothing gray-blue. That’s because this vintage residence was the 2020 Designer Showhouse, an annual community project undertaken by Sarasota interior designers for the past 25 years. The sale of tickets to tour the house generates funds for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. Showhouse committee captain Jeff Hart officially opened the showhouse to the public in mid March. A few days later it was shut down, an early victim of Covid-19.
To help the Designer Showhouse committee reach its fund-raising goal to help the Boys & Girls Clubs, Larry and Kathi Hurvitz plan to donate a portion of the sale of their home to the designers’ community project.
As for the Hurvitz couple, they moved out of the house when they turned it over to the design team for styling many months ago. They have since bought a downtown condo in a high-rise building and are looking forward to a new way of life.
"We loved every minute of our two decades in the vintage house," said Kathi, "and I know we cared for this historic property well. But, Larry and I bought an Airstream travel trailer and we want to be able to take long camping trips around the country, I mean trips of a couple months or more. We don’t want the responsibility of home or yard maintenance. So, for now, a carefree condo suits us best. But I know we’re leaving the Alta Vista house in excellent condition and what the designers have done to the rooms is just amazing. Someone who loves an old house with modern structural improvements is going to want this one."
The Hurvitz home is being sold unfurnished, but designer furnishings in each room have price tags and are for sale by the designers who installed the rooms.
Note: Last Sunday’s house-for-sale article place a Hollywood Boulevard home on Siesta Key. The house is located in Pine Shores Estates on the Sarasota mainland in proximity to the south bridge to Siesta Key.
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The best of both worlds - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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