January 2004 - 517 McRorie St.

Hi Neighbors! Allow me to tell you a little about my home. It is a simple Florida Bungalow at 517 McRorie Street. The dark green one with the geckos on the front. I researched its ownership at the Lakeland Library after I moved in. My home was built in 1924 by a conductor on the local railroad. This man and/or his wife lived in this house until it was sold in 1980. Imagine living in the same house for 66 years!! Since then, 517 McRorie has been owned by about 5 different families, some for as short as one year, others for as long as seven. I purchased the house in January of 2003, and hope to spend the rest of my life here don t think I will make 66 years, but I might get close. My home has a traditional bungalow floor plan a large front porch, two bedrooms, one bath, a living and dining room, a kitchen, and an enclosed back porch. The house is remarkably un-touched. It has all of it s original exterior heart of pine siding, interior molding and trim, windows with poured glass, lathe and plaster walls, heart of pine floors, and a large pedestal bathtub. Unfortunately, my home's wiring and plumbing were also historic . The HVAC did not date back to 1924, but it was close. The kitchen dates back to the groovin seventies complete with psychedelic green and yellow accents. My home also had one (and only one) closet but it s original! Well, I have been busy. My home now has new wiring, new plumbing, new HVAC, new insulation, and new paint, inside and out. The bathroom has new fixtures and a new floor, but I kept that pedestal tub! I sacrificed some of the kitchen floor space to block out a floor to ceiling pantry I d much rather have more storage space than room for a dinette set. The landscaping front and back has been torn out and redone. In fact, my neighbors were a little afraid that I was going to keep on cutting down trees and bushes and leave the place bare they were relieved when I actually started to plant new things. But I am not done yet that kitchen is still singing the songs of the seventies - maybe this year? So, if you are walking by and see me on the front porch, stop by and say hello I d love to meet you. And who knows you may be able to answer the question of the day how the heck did people manage in 1924 with only one closet????