Sanford Heritage Revolving Fund Completes First Rehab

BY KATHY HULL Completes First Rehab SANFORD HERITAGE REVOLVING FUND

left: 213 S. Laurel Ave. after renovation, and before (top); Center: Fund directors during demolition; Bottom: Open House held by the fund managers

The Sanford Heritage Revolving Fund (Fund), a tax exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the first of its kind in Florida.

Based on guidelines from other long-established revolving funds, such as the Historic Savannah Fund and the Historic Macon Foundation, the goal of the Fund is to acquire distressed historic properties, rehabilitate the property and sell it with a single family, owner-occupied deed covenant. Proceeds of the sale are “revolved” back into the fund and used for the next redevelopment project.

The fund started as a direct response to the high visibility of vacant and blighted properties in historic neighborhoods. Fund directors, Hank Dieckhaus, Charlie Hull and Bill Kirchoff, saw the need for a Revolving Fund in Sanford.

The house at 213 S. Laurel was donated to the fund by a California hedge fund. The house was in a dilapidated, unsafe and unsaleable condition. The City of Sanford facilitated the donation of the house to the fund.

The house was inhabited by a squatter who claimed to own the property. The squatter lived in the house rent free and was collecting room rent from six other individuals. The squatter and five renters plus a dog left right away rather than waiting for eviction. The last renter held on till the last day of the eviction notice.

The interior of the house was a flea infested nightmare. Disgusting carpet covered holes in the floor, added plywood partitions, a non-functioning kitchen, unsafe exterior staircase, and a small bedroom with a dirty toilet just sitting next to a bed were just some of the things that needed to be removed before renovation could begin. Hank, Charlie and Bill were determined to rehab this home to its original glory. They financed the project through a bank loan from Citizen’s Bank, material donations from Lowe’s, a matching grant from the Sanford Historic Trust and a few private donations. Much of the demolition was done by Hank and Charlie, plus volunteers and a subcontractor. The interior was completely gutted, including all interior walls and flooring. Two lower exterior walls were removed to reveal the original front porches. Local subcontractors were hired to do interior and exterior work. The layout was redesigned to include an addition to the house on the rear bottom floor.

The work, once started, took nine months.

213 S. Laurel Avenue is the first endeavor of the Sanford Revolving Fund. The directors are currently looking for their next project.

After building a new house in Sanford's historic district, Kathy, a retired Miami Dade art teacher, moved to Sanford eleven years ago with her husband, Charlie. Since then, she has been instrumental in getting the 'Old Sanford Historic District' signs designed and installed. Kathy, along with Reg Garner, started the annual Images of Sanford calendar and photo contest. In addition, Kathy makes pet portraits and donates the proceeds to Pet Rescue by Judy.

If Walls Could Talk HISTORIC BED & BREAKFAST TELLS STORY OF SANFORD’S RICH HISTORY

BY JOHN Di DONNA

If one takes a stroll down Oak Avenue in Sanford, they will notice a stunning home on the corner of 5 th street. Dating back to 1894, it serves as one of the historic district’s only bed and breakfasts, The Higgins

House. In the last few years, the home was purchased by Lisa Hurt, the great granddaughter of James Corcoran Higgins, who moved into the home in 1902. She credits this to the type of quirky coincidences that “make you believe in angels.”

“At the urging of a cousin, I saw the Higgins House from the outside, found it breathtakingly gorgeous, and immediately made arrangements to see the inside. I still remember the wonder and delight I felt sitting in the living room — it was love at first sight!”

This love continues with all the guests who flood into this Queen Anne style home, since almost every weekend is booked solid. Visitors come from up and down the eastern seaboard. Those visiting family in the area, Europeans flying into the Sanford Airport, and folks travelling on the auto-train. Each one has gone away impressed and delighted both by the bed and breakfast and by Sanford as a whole. As Lisa explains:

“Sanford is a wonderful, welcoming community to be part of. It’s a hidden gem that is slowly — almost 100 years from its initial heydays — being re-discovered as a place to come live, vacation, explore and enjoy a variety of offerings.”

Most importantly, the guests all vow to come back. In this Lisa has seen many of her dreams for the Higgins House already coming true — repeat guests who go from an initial one-night stay to a multi-day reservation on their return to the area.

Mia and Miss Lady With her spirit of “a rising tide lifts all boats,” the notion of more overnight accommodations in the downtown area is something the Higgins House owner looks forward to with a sense of comradery rather than competition. “I can’t wait for the Mayfair Hotel to be re-opened and other hotels to come online. It will increase our ability to become a destination of choice for those seeking a delightful vacation spot,” Lisa adds.

Guests to the Higgins House can bask in the rich history of the area and the home itself. At varying times, it has been a private residence, a boarding house, apartments, and at one point even sat empty — gaining a reputation as a “Haunted House.”

It was not until the early '90s that the house was lovingly renovated into a bed and breakfast. Since then it has had a series of owners, most recently Mike and Patty Ribera, who did extensive renovations to the kitchen, landscaping, and added a bathroom. All ready for it to return at last to the Higgins’ family itself.

Lisa has added pieces donated by Higgins’ descendants, including a baby grand piano, and hopes to create a museum documenting her family and its history in Sanford. The home is also a showcase for talent with a series of house concerts, collaborations with Sanford based Phantasmagoria, and events throughout the year, including ice cream socials, Sunday brunches, and whisky tastings.

Lisa Hurt loves being a sort of “ambassador and concierge” for Sanford and has many dreams for not just her business, but for Sanford as a whole.

“My dream for Sanford is that it once again have a reputation on the world-stage as a place to come and have a truly relaxing and wonderful vacation as a gateway to beautiful, natural wonders and an easy commute to — or escape from — the excitement of the theme parks.” n

John is one of the City of Sanford’s “Social Media Ambassadors”, as well as the director/ producer of Victorian performance troupe “Phantasmagoria”. He calls Sanford home, and resides with his wife and their ghost in a truly “haunted” home just below the historic district.

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