Digging In

Home & Style

Homegrown Helping Hand

FROM THE GARDEN

Friends and business partners Adam Hape and Julie Smith operate Goldfinch Native Plant Nursery out of their own native gardens. Their goal is to preserve native ecosystems for future generations, like Smith’s daughter June, to experience.

Save the bees and trees with your own native plant garden BY DALLAS CARTER

Hidden in Evansville yards, native plant gardens are an oasis for bees, caterpillars, butterflies, other insects, and the songbirds that eat them. Supported by research by Douglas Tallamy, a professor of agriculture and natural resources at the University of Delaware and author of “Nature’s Best Hope,” these local greenspaces are a simple, but critical way residents can benefit the Tri-State.

According to the National Audubon Society (named for Henderson, Kentucky, resident and ornithologist John James Audubon), Tallamy found that 96 percent of all terrestrial bird species in North America feed insects to their young. A native oak tree can support the caterpillars of 500 species of butterflies and moths, whereas a non-native ginkgo tree would support just five caterpillar species, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

Inspired by Tallamy’s research and a love of birds, friends and Evansvillians Julie Smith and Adam Hape founded Goldfinch Native Plant Nursery out of their homes in August 2020. Goldfinch sells native plants grown from seeds sourced in and around Southern Indiana in spring and fall sales. As national and local attention on native plants has increased, Goldfinch’s sales have relocated to the Vanderburgh County 4-H Center due to popularity.

“Our customers are anywhere from expert level to people who are not really sure what a native plant is,” says Smith. “People are definitely interested, and it’s been fun to talk and try to educate people.”

Smith and Hape each transformed their lawns into flourishing native ecosystems and are committed to helping others do the same. As members of the Indiana Native Plant Society Southwest Chapter, they recommend the group as a resource for beginners and veterans.

According to the Indiana Wildlife

Federation, native plants are also beneficial for their low maintenance, requiring no fertilizer, no pesticides, and less water than non-native species.

“Native plants are tough for the most part,” says Hape. “They evolved here, and they’re ready to thrive here.”

West Side Wonder

Step inside The Restoration at Boehne Camp

BY JODI KEEN | PHOTOS BY ZACH STRAW

WELCOME HOME What once were blocky, glazed brick dormitory rooms are now openconcept luxury condominiums at The Restoration at Boehne Camp. The modern aesthetic in a historic building is what attracted residents Hetty Sloots and Peter Vollenberg, who moved into their second-floor unit early this year and dressed it with sentimental pieces, such as a brick from an old family home.

THE NEXT TIME you emerge from the sharp S curve on North Boehne Camp Road, cast your gaze west to the stately building perched alongside the street. In a neighborhood of traditional farmhouses and classic ranchstyle homes, this red brick block stands out as a curious attraction. It predates most of the surrounding structures, yet its interior is thoroughly modern. After undergoing a renovation and beginning a new life as a handful of condominiums, the building — in spirit and in title — is indeed The

Restoration at Boehne Camp.

The condominiums were originally part of an administration building constructed in 1938 for the Tuberculosis Sanitarium, which opened in 1908. After being renamed Boehne Tuberculosis Hospital in 1924, the site was closed in 1965.

When no permanent use was found for it, the hospital building was razed in 2000.

For years, the brick administration building sat vacant and alone on the west edge of Evansville. Then came Scott Anderson.

A historical architecture buff acclaimed for his preservation work on Evansville’s General Cigar Building, Old Post Office, and old jail and sheriff’s residence, Anderson was intrigued by the prospect of tackling a residential, rather than commercial, renovation project. And since the administration building’s upper level had once housed dormitories for staff of the tuberculosis hospital, converting some of the space into residential units wouldn’t be as much of a stretch. “My wife and I liked this building and grounds and decided it would be

OLD MEETS NEW Sloots’ and Vollenberg’s balcony features cheerful blooms and overlooks the property’s certified wildlife habitat. Fans of mixing old with new, the couple have found clever ways of tucking vintage design elements into their modern home, such as Dutch antiques, an heirloom shop scale, and a solid wood dining table brought over from the Netherlands. nice to live in a repurposed historic building,” he says.“It contained housing for hospital employees previously, so it was easy to convert it into the five apartments that we have now.”

The Andersons purchased the 5-acre property, which includes the former caretaker’s house, in 2008 and began renovating it soon after. Midwest Contracting spearheaded the project, with the Andersons pitching in with the demolition, drywalling, and painting.

“We removed all the non-load-bearing, glazed block walls on the first and second floors so that we could create larger, more attractive living spaces,” Anderson says. “We installed new electrical and plumbing and added an elevator.”

Four 1,600-square-foot condos were plugged in — two on the ground floor, two on the second floor. Durable bamboo flooring was installed in the living rooms, dining rooms, and hallways, with Mexican terra cotta tile set down in the kitchens. Each condo comes with two spacious bedrooms, an inunit laundry room, and two sizable full baths, including an impressive master suite with private bath and walk-in closet. A balcony extends from each living room.

For all its cutting-edge appliances, updated plumbing and electrical, and open design, the building still exudes its original charm. That’s what drew Netherlands natives Hetty Sloots and Peter Vollenberg to The Restoration at Boehne Camp. Off-and-on residents of Evansville since 1996, the couple enjoy mixing modern features with older structures. While living in Glenmont, New York, in 2020, they learned about the home of Peter’s coworker, who lived at The Restoration. Intrigued, they reached out to Anderson, who shot a video

from his phone of an available condo unit. Sloots and Vollenberg said yes and met their new home for the first time while moving in early this year.

“When we moved back to Evansville, we were looking for an apartment to rent until we found a house. We were very lucky to find The Restoration on the West Side,” Sloots says.

The Andersons have opted to live onsite full time, building their own 3,200-squarefoot apartment, complete with sunroom and patio, on the upper level of the building’s west side. They moved into their custom condo in 2010.

The ground floor still houses an auditorium, which René Anderson uses for storage for her small business, Emporium Plants, Gift Baskets & Boutique on Mount Vernon Avenue. The basement formerly housed a bakery, kitchen, cold storage, and laundry facilities. Now, it’s used as tenant storage, a maintenance shop, and a kitchen for Scott and his friends to craft beer and wine. Each resident has a private garage in the detached building to the northwest.

Although renovated for the 21st century, the property still harbors secrets. The administration building was once designated a local fallout shelter; Scott says a marker noting that designation was found in the basement during renovations.

The Andersons are engaged innkeepers, performing the property’s groundskeeping and beautification duties. The couple crafted a boulevard entrance off Boehne Camp Road on the building’s south side and installed within it a pergola, fire pit, and patio. René has added an apiary and a certified wildlife habitat.

“We love living in the historic building with lots of character,” Sloots says. “Thanks to visionaries like Scott Anderson, beautiful buildings with a story to tell are saved.”

SLICE OF HISTORY boehnecamp.com

50 Years

of world-renowned knowledge, excellent selection, and superior customer service.

“It’s always such a pleasure to work with Lynne and

Terry, they really make the process of purchasing our rugs effortless! Their ” attention to detail and personal service is truly refreshing! — Rita M.

“I’m in love with my new rug! It’s gorgeous and completes the dining room.

My daughter said she didn’t realize the dining room without the rug had looked so naked! Probably the best compliment? From my husband saying you picked a great rug. Thank you

The Rug Merchant for help

”with the perfect selection, service and delivery!

— Brenda W.

“The Rug Merchant is my go to place for all my rug needs. My parents have purchased rugs from Terry for over 30 years. I am the second generation to buy from

The Rug Merchant. They have any type of rug you need and so many styles to choose from. Terry and his family will work

”with you to find exactly what you are looking for.

— Autumn T.