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This home one of three built by John Lewis Cochran in Lakewood Balmoral to accommodate buyers that were looking for both a home and an investment (see the 1899 double-house ad on page 7). The side-by-side units are three stories tall and built as one building. This one was built in 1898. Church and Jobson were the architects. The façade is limestone to the second floor and brick above. The porch has brick pillars with limestone caps. At the second level, the porch is enclosed on this unit. The front door is original and shows the craftsmanship of the era.

The first hallway provides an airlock to keep the winter cold from blasting into the house. Past the second door is a foyer with a window which is in keeping with the design of the house in curving leaded glass. There was no window in this location but the current owners felt the need for more light and had it installed. It is remarkably like the original window found at the home at 5506 Magnolia by the same architect. The foyer is divided by a wooden column that offers entrance to the left into the front parlor or to the right into the family parlor. The wooden screens above these framed entrances are original. A staircase to the second floor is at the back of the family parlor. A fireplace is on the north wall, with original details in the woodwork and an original tile surround.

From this central room, you can see the dining room and the framework of a large, original pocket door. In the dining room, there is a built-in wall cabinet on either side of the original tiled fireplace and a built-in sideboard with ogee designed clear glass windows on the west wall. A new built-in bench that fits into the shape of the bay windows has been installed along the north wall. All the floors are the original oak.

The kitchen has been designed by Greene and Proppe Design to accommodate the owners’ growing family. The kitchen floors match the original oak floors. An addition was added to the north, which provides a great view of the pond in the backyard and the side yard. Windows and a glass block wall were added to maximize sunlight. The custom cherry cabinets, two different granite counter tops, and a ceramic glass-blend mosaic backsplash complete the room.

The once-enclosed back staircase now has a baluster that was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, where the owners were married, and that echoes the wood screens by the front entrance. A new stained glass window in the mudroom was designed by the owners and designers collaboratively. A powder room, with a custom tiled wall, is off the kitchen.

The second floor originally had four bedrooms. The owners eliminated one of the bedrooms to create a master bedroom suite with a full bath and walk-in closet. The master suite opens onto the enclosed front porch, which is not original. A second staircase leads up to the original servant’s quarters, which now serve as a playroom for the owner’s children. The front staircase, with a handrail in the straight wood style, leads down to the family parlor.