Coppolas close to making their home, Samuel J. Childs House, a Local Landmark
HENDERSONVILLE - One step is left before a Henderson County home constructed in 1923 could earn a "Local Landmark" designation, and this comes after several years of restoration efforts by the current owners.
The Samuel J. Childs House at 105 Turley Falls Rd. was purchased in 2018 by Michael and Aleda Coppola, who have lived in Hendersonville for the past 11 years. The final step left in the process is for the Henderson County Board of Commissioners to review the application and finalize the request.
It's been a long road to get to this point, because when they first bought the home, it was in need of desperate attention, Aleda Coppola told the Times-News on July 28.
"We fully renovated the interior of the home and updated the essentials on the exterior. The hardwood floors are original and were buried underneath several layers of linoleum and carpet, which preserved them perfectly for us," she said. "Our goal is to keep as much integrity to the home as possible."
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After meeting criteria, the Henderson County Historic Resources Commission recommended the house be designated as a Local Landmark. The Commission completed reports on the historic, architectural and cultural significance of the building and determined it is worthy of the designation. The State HistoricPreservation Office has also reviewed the application for conformance.
Henderson County tax records list the appraised value of the property at $640,500, which includes the house and the 2.62-acre parcel of land.
For 50 years (1923-73), the house was a part of the Childs family. He was a real estate developer in Henderson County beginning in 1922, when he began purchasing land for his farm and house. According to a report from the Henderson County Historic Resources Commission, Childs was involved in the farm, but his sons were the ones who performed the majority of the farming operations. Childs’ main occupation was in real estate and in the development of the Brightwaters resort to the north of his property, a community that annually drew summer-long residents from Florida.
The Samuel J. Childs House was built by local builder Ervin J. Anders, with stonemasonry done by localstonemason Lee Dewey Wright. The report said the house is "a highly intact example of the Bungalow/Craftsman style with some minor elements of the Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival styles."
Aleda Coppola said she and her husband are also in the process of working to have their home listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"We have commissioned Sybil Argintar of Southeastern Preservation Services to help us get the additional information needed to continue with this process. The county has been great to work with and a huge help in this process, specifically Liz Hanson," she said.
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Aleda Coppola said their family, friends and neighbors have all been supportive throughout the process.
"We have several people in our community who are just as passionate about local history and its preservation as we are. It takes a lot of time and resources to go through this process but we would do it again in a heartbeat," she said. "This process of becoming a historic designation and the process of renovating the home are definitely not for the faint of heart, but the reward makes it completely worth it."
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Samuel J. Childs House close to being landmark, thanks to Coppolas
