Perfect Preservation with Mark and Mary Eck

417 Magazine: When did you and your family move into your home?
Mary: We are the sixth owners of the home, and we purchased the home in 2010. Mark and his 11 siblings grew up in the neighborhood. He actually mowed the lawn when he was just a boy!

417: Your home has so much character. What drew you to the home back then?
Mary: The home was built in 1924 by William and Jane Elkins. The floor plan was very efficient and it’s got a great front porch.
Mark: Mary likes to sit out on the front porch and read. Another thing we really liked about the house was the exterior. The Carthage stone and the brick really appealed to us.

417: What are some of the things you did to update the home?
Mark: We finished the basement, and updated the bathrooms. One of the most successful projects we’ve done is adding a back porch. We matched it to the front. You can’t even tell the back porch is new.
Mary: In 2022 our son and local builder Jeremy Eck helped us update the kitchen. We replaced the cabinets and the appliances. We really tried to keep the historic integrity of the home. All the windows are original and we tried to replace the lighting with period- appropriate lighting. My favorite fixture is the 1920s art deco fixture we bought at Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen in Paris.

417: Your home is having a birthday this year! How do you plan on celebrating it?
Mark: We’ll have to have a party! We are in the process of fixing the 100-year-old roof too. We will be removing all the Ludowici tiles, and then the copper flashing and the underlayment will be replaced and then the tiles will be carefully put back into place.

417: What’s your favorite way to spend an evening in your home?
Mary: We love sitting out in the front yard on a cool night. We build a fire in the firepit and have pizza and beer with Mark’s siblings. Seven out of the 12 siblings still live in the area, so we are lucky to be able to have family so close.