It all started in the late 90s when were dating, still college students in Highland Park at TTU - we would come to and from campus and often wonder how beautiful the neighborhood would be if these cool old houses were fixed up. We never dreamed we'd ever be a part of that. Actually, we thought we'd graduate, get married, and return to Andrew's home state of North Carolina. But the more time we spent in Chattanooga, the more we loved it. We were married in Highland Park in Asbury Chapel which is on the National Register of Historic Places and found jobs in the downtown area after graduation. As newlyweds in 2001, we started looking for a house to purchase. We looked at some in Brainerd, Red Bank, and St. Elmo; but we kept being drawn back to Highland Park. That was around the time that some investors from Atlanta were really making progress on buying up the old houses and restoring them to their former beauty. We were hooked, and we picked out our first home and got to watch its restoration from start to finish...learning a whole lot along the way. Our 13th Street home was a 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath Victorian cottage of 1800 sq ft or so with lots of original charm forgotten under years of abuse and neglect. In February 2002, we moved in and eventually became really involved in the neighborhood association and all its efforts to improve the community. Here are some before & after photos:
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| Foyer |
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| Living Room |
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| Living Room toward Foyer |
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| Pocket doors from Living Room |
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| Dining Room |
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| Dining Room |
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| Kitchen |
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| Pantry turned Half Bathroom |
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| Full Bath off Hallway |
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| Front Bedroom |
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| Master Bedroom |
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| Master Bedroom |
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| Built-in between Dining Room & Kitchen |
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| Office |
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| Utility Room |
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