Are you in the market for a house?
Enos Park encourages anyone in the market for a new home to consider our neighborhood. Whether you are a single professional or a large family, we have existing housing stock ranging from bungalows to turn-of-the-century mansions. We also have land available for anyone interested in building a new home that will blend with the historic neighborhood. The housing prices are among the most affordable in the city, and the character and quality of these homes will amaze you.
For those interested in “sweat equity,” there are many properties still in need of renovation that you can make your own. If you prefer your home to be move-in ready, there are also many properties that have already been renovated. Or check out this recently completed renovation:
630 N. 5th (corner of 5th & Miller)
Old Neighborhood Rehab has transformed another historic house in the Enos Park neighborhood. The house at 630 N. Fifth St. was built in 1860 by James M. Garland, then a 24 year old bookkeeper who would later become Springfield’s mayor.
The house is a 2,187-square-foot single-family home with three bedrooms, 2 ½ baths and an attached garage. A wheelchair ramp inside the garage offers first floor “visibility.” Old Neighborhood Rehab, Inc., the nonprofit corporation that owns and manages the project, has placed the home on the market for sale.
James Garland was born in Springfield Sept. 26, 1835. As a young man he worked as clerk and bookkeeper for the merchant E. B. Hawley, then married the boss’s daughter in 1858. They lived in a duplex at Sixth and Canedy before buying the property at Fifth and Miller (then Cancer St.) on Feb. 26, 1860. By the late 1860s, Garland had his own dry goods company, Garland & Brinkerhoff, which kept a “full line of dry goods, fancy goods, ladies furnishings, etc.” at their store on the south side of the square, at 504 Adams St. Garland and his wife, Mary, lived at 630 N. Fifth for 20 years, raising five children and housing two servants. He sold the property in June, 1880, not long before he was elected to the state legislature. He was elected mayor of Springfield in 1885. At the time of his death on June 29, 1931, he was 95, the oldest native of Springfield.
Rehab construction is being done by K.J. Knox, Contractor, with Aaron Filbright as construction manager. During the demolition phase of the project, 16 dumpster loads of material were removed from the site. Roofing and porch reconstruction have begun. Demolition uncovered a 30-foot brick-lined well under an addition to the house, and there is also a cistern at the rear. An original curved stairway, which had been hidden behind a drywall partition, is mostly intact and will be restored. This is the 11th Enos Park home to be restored by ONR as an owner-occupied single-family residence.
Are you a contractor or builder?
As the Master Plan moves into Phase II, Enos Park Development, LLC is seeking contractors and builders to partner with us. We have big plans for the neighborhood, and we need skilled trades for both rehab work and new construction who are interested in urban revitalization. We will provide the design standards and zoning overlays as well as the market research. Find out how our team of nationally recognized consultants, combined with your construction expertise, can lead to something much bigger than just another subdivision! Contact Michelle Higginbotham at 553-4629 for more information.
