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History with a view: The Skellenger home

The dining room

By Joe and Erica Skellenger

1000 Lakeshore Drive

The Skellenger home, owned by Joe and Erica Skellenger, is located at 1000 Lakeshore Drive in Gladstone. The location — a large corner lot with a beautiful view of Little Bay De Noc and the Gladstone harbor — is hard to beat.

The house was originally built in or around the year 1919 for John and Anna Card, making it now approximately 100 years old. John Card founded and operated Marble-Card Electric motors with Webster Marble — more notably from Marble Arms. John and Anna did not immediately use the house as their residence but as a cottage near the lake. They lived only a few streets away on Michigan Avenue and in 1924, they made 1000 Lakeshore Drive their permanent residence (although the street was actually called “Lake Avenue” until 1929).

John Card lived the remainder of his life in the home until he passed away in 1948. Anna Card continued living in the home until it was finally sold to Louise Dabney in 1953. Louise made 1000 Lakeshore Drive her home for the next 36 years, before selling it in 1989 to Joe’s grandmother, the late Joan Martin.

The three-season room facing out to the yacht harbor and Little Bay de Noc

According to Joan’s daughter Mary Martin, the two of them went to look at an antique china cabinet at the estate sale of the home in the fall of 1989. Upon entering the house, they were both intrigued by the “potential” of the home, although it was in dire need of some TLC. Within days, Joan would make an offer and ultimately purchase the home. She then set out to completely renovate it before making it her permanent residence.

Joan was a “go-getter,” to say the least. In the ’70s and ’80s she served on the Gladstone city commission and was elected to two terms as mayor. At the time she purchased the home, she was also well-versed in real-estate and had recently opened her own realty company, American Dream Realty, with longtime friend Lois Boydston.

Those that knew Joan were likely familiar with her incredible attention to detail. Simply put, she felt there was only one way to do things — and that was “perfectly.” This ideology rings true in all facets of the home — from the gorgeous original oak and maple flooring to the period-perfect bead and cove oak woodwork, complete with plinth blocks and craftsman-style rosettes. Martin Krokstad did most of the interior renovations along with Jim Brassick. Nearly every piece of the interior was removed or replaced, including all plumbing and electrical. Large cast iron radiators move throughout the entire home and their heavy, square design keeps with the original craftsman feel of the home. The original plaster and lath was removed and replaced with new drywall throughout the house as well. At one point, one could look right through all interior walls from the front door to the back. There was truly no stone left unturned in the renovation, which also included finishing the basement and turning a bat-infested attic into a beautiful master suite.

The kitchen is located near the back of the home and is finished with the beautiful contrast of lightly colored walls and dark-oak cabinetry. As you move from the kitchen, the floor plan opens into a bright formal dining room where a classic “hoosier” cabinet sits as a display for antique dishes and also serves as the perfect spot for mixing a Christmas cocktail. From the dining room, you walk through an original French-door archway into the large living room and sunroom. The brick fireplace serves as a beautiful focal point for the living room and first floor. There is no shortage of natural light, as the residence is literally surrounded with large windows — in total, there are 39 windows in the home.

In the front of the residence, the original front porch was closed in and turned into a three-season room. It is the Skellengers’ favorite room in the house, as they can see the Bayshore baseballfield, yacht harbor, lagoon and Little Bay De Noc all from one vantage point. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the world go by! Off the front porch is an impressive formal stone staircase with built-in stone planters. The staircase was constructed by Melvin Gabrielson in 1998. To the Skellengers’ knowledge it was one of the last big projects of Mel’s career.

The Skellenger Home, located at 1000 Lakeshore Drive in Gladstone

The rest of the home features three large first-floor bedrooms and a large second floor master suite with walk-in closet and ensuite bath. The cozy finished basement is a place for enjoying movies and football games — and for Oscar (5) and Miles (18 months) to play and create in the “kids only!” toy room. There is also ample storage on the basement level with a very large crawl space, two large closets and a large laundry/powder room.

Joe says his wife Erica “has always had an incredible knack for interior decorating, and I love that she has been able to put her own spin on this house to really turn it into ‘our’ home!”

“I also know that my grandmother would be very proud knowing that her home was being so highly thought of,” he continued. “She was so thorough in the home’s renovation, that I’m sometimes still in awe of it. At the time she bought the house, my grandfather had already passed away, so she was a sixty-year-old widow. To take on such an enormous project and do it so flawlessly and completely is really a testament to the type of confidence she had. She was certainly proud of the home and had every right to be! We love raising our kids here, and this is just a great way to honor her memory!”

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