by John Griffin
emphis is an
ever-vigilant, house-proud city. It's unusual for the front of
the house to be obscured from the street, and typically, we
tolerate only a single shade tree, or maybe two, with the bottom
limbs pruned way up above the ground to neither block the view of
the house nor shade out the lawn. Since grass likes sun, you
can't have many trees, and since trees like to spawn more trees,
it takes continuing effort to maintain this unnatural balancing
act. Our model for landscapes remains the 18th-century English
romantic movement that surrounded houses with a sheep-shorn,
undulant meadow.
If ever the vigilance is let up, the trees have a way of sneaking up on the lawn, and this house, though safely in the fold of Midtown, has chosen the path of least resistance and allowed the trees hegemony. It strikes me as a peaceful settlement.
A brood of
oaks hovers just off the south-facing front porch of this late
Queen Anne cottage. They make the house seem a great distance
from the street. A circular drive conveniently fills the area
left where grass no longer would grow. One could assume, thus
far, some passive inevitability to this landscape. But it's
evident some more active hand dug those holes between the
sidewalk and the street, and filled them with crape myrtles that
now obscure even the driveway. I find this unusual take on our
city's standard front lawns a welcome change.
The house, too, has had an active campaign of improvements. Inside's been completely renovated, a small addition built off the rear, and the attic, no small space, finished.
The original, house-wide front porch is a most welcoming entry, and it even wraps around one side, creating a more private seating space overlooking a side garden. The living and dining rooms run across the front of the house. Heartpine floors and tall ceilings are accentuated by an overall creamy color scheme that's the perfect foil to the deep canopy you enter beneath out front.
A completely renovated and enlarged kitchen has been opened up to a central room with a large bay window out to that side garden. This combination turns the heart of the house into a gathering place for the whole family and keeps the cooks in the action. A rear addition provides a sunny corner spot for breakfast, overlooking the rear deck and hot tub, and is brightened even more by a skylight above.
The original two bedrooms downstairs have become a luxurious master suite. The rear room with windows in two directions and a wall of closets is the sleeping chamber. The original middle bedroom is now a grandly scaled bath with deck tub, separate large shower, and subtly handpainted forest scene wrapping the room. It's like the oaks out front, after successfully overtaking the lawn, move boldly inside.
A staircase has been added out of the great room to the second floor. A high-pitched gable with large side dormers provided lots of room for expansion. Two comfortable bedrooms, a full bath, and generous laundry have been created with a sitting area/home office on the balcony overlooking the stairs. It's a deceptive amount of room inside this cottage diminished, in part, by those great oaks. But once inside, it's obvious this would be a most peaceful house to settle into.
2116 Cowden Ave.
Approximately 2,100 square feet; 3 bdrms, 2 baths; $145,500
Realtor: Goodwin Co., 377-1006; Agent: Chris Goodwin, 763-0799