2680 St Rt 245
Although our current employment status has forced our active housing search into a temporary hiatus, we are fortunate enough to have a friend who is still in the market. Jeff is a pretty handy guy, is quite adept at many construction methods and techniques, and looking for a project. This past weekend we slipped away to take a quick look at a local house we thought might be right up his alley.
Gorham Elementary
This house is positioned just up the hill from the center of downtown Gorham and across the corner from my elementary school. The primary street frontage is an imposing example of unadulterated symmetry, (except the overgrowth), which is nicely reflected within the interior of the old house. The side entrance leads through a good-sized mud room into the spacious kitchen. Although the ceilings are low, there is plenty of room within the current arrangement for a breakfast nook, a large island, or even a full dinning-sized table in close proximity to the source of food.
Side entrance and mud room
Maybe some new flooring and paint on the cabinets
The spacial arrangements are quite unique, with two large formal areas, suitable for Victorian-style living and dinning rooms divided by a prominent entrance with an arched stair leading towards the second floor. It is quite apparent that the original builders were enslaved by their strive for symmetry. Even the staircase, which was too short to complete the floor-to-floor height within the width allotment of the original structure, was not able to choose a direction and therefore split in both directions to complete the vertical climb.
Future formal dinning room?
Upstairs bedroom, there is a large closet just out of the frame
This treatment causes the stairs to become a dynamic element within the home
There was but a single bathroom to service this larger home, and apart from a blatant lack of storage space was rather un-noteworthy.
Toilet room
The previous owner had begun some minor restoration efforts to make his stay more comfortable, many walls towards the rear of the house on the first floor had their sheathing removed and were in the process of being prepared for updated cladding. It seems, however, that these efforts were disbanded prior to completion of any significant progress though.
Half the work is already done here.
A few touch-up spots.
The basement was also quite unique, as the exposed structure and attention to the inhabitants comfort was of great consideration, (soil is far more comfortable to stand on for extended periods of time than concrete.) There was also an abundance of storage space in the form of shelves and protruding stones from the ancient foundation.
Storage space
Access to utility services
Despite all the lovely qualities and architectural character contained within, and without, this house, it seemed that Jeff was only superficially interested. And although we entertained the Realtor throughout the remainder of the viewing we ultimately moved on to another location to view another precious jem.
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