HOPE brings 1940 house back to life
New London — The affordable-housing agency HOPE Inc. is holding a dedication ceremony at noon Friday for its third house completed this year, at 56 Ledyard St., which will be offered to a moderate-income family for $150,000.
"This is one of the newest we've ever done," said Marilyn Graham, executive director of HOPE, also known as Housing Opportunities for People. "It was not a total gut job like we normally have."
Graham said the 1940 Colonial-style home, with three bedrooms and one and a half baths, was purchased from Fannie Mae last year for $72,000. HOPE put an additional $70,600 into the property, which was renovated by Eddie Fedorshak.
HOPE also received a $12,790 grant to mitigate lead problems from the city's lead-abatement program. The single-family home features new kitchen cabinets by General Woodcraft and new fixtures by Shoreline Lighting Designs.
Although the home wasn't in as bad shape as some HOPE purchases as new affordable-housing stock, Graham showed pictures of the shattered front steps and overgrown shrubs, not to mention a battered garage door that had to be replaced or removed. The renovation took about seven months.
"The windows were already replaced," she said. "The hardwood floors were good throughout."
Cool features of the house include a beautiful china cabinet, crystal doorknobs throughout, original mantle and bannister, as well as a hidden ironing board in the kitchen that pops out of a cabinet. The basement includes a new boiler and washer-dryer as well as space for a rec room.
Graham special-ordered the front door based on one she had seen in a Victorian neighborhood during her travels to Maine.
"I love the door," she said. "It kind of makes the house."
The 1,200-square-foot, single-family house includes a decent-size backyard good for kids or pets, though it is less than a quarter acre. It also has a small back patio area for outdoor dining.
The home does not yet have a buyer, and for a family of four to qualify, its income would have to total under $82,100. For information, call HOPE at (860) 447-0812.
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