SYRACUSE, N.Y. – There might not be many houses more compatible with its owner than the French chateau inspired home at 100 Dewittshire Road in Syracuse and Dixie Szafranski.
“The house was meant for me,” she said, “and I love everything about it.”
And why not?
Built in 1910, the house has seen few owners over the past 100 years and those who have lived there have maintained the original character and charm of the home, while also updating it with all of today’s modern conveniences.
For Szafranski, a native of Louisiana and a devotee to all things French, the house instantly reminded her of home.
(Just how interested is she in France and French culture? Szafranski’s two dogs, Odelia and Alice are, of course, French bulldogs.)
She and her husband had been in the Syracuse-area for about four years and were looking for their “forever home.” A drive brought them out to Dewittshire Road and to the home of their dreams, even though it was a little hard to see. Much of the house’s exterior was blocked by trees and shrubberies.
“I really could not believe a house like that was here,” she said.
It reminded her of something out of “Hansel and Gretel” or like a house seen in Normandy.
Szafranski purchased the house about three years ago and cut down the trees, added iron fencing and painted the front door a distinctive, vivid shade of blue which accentuates the original black strapped hinges.
The yard features a courtyard which was hand dug and laid with bricks by the previous owners. Szafranski added a French stone garden and New Orleans inspired iron gates to the space.
“When I light the tiki torches in the summer,” she said. “The courtyard is like the ‘French Quarter.’”
Inside the home, the charming original craftsmanship has been lovingly maintained and Szafranski decorated it beautifully.
Antique Storybook strap hinges are in every door and cabinets, which are of “double thickness” and are held together by antique bolts. All the antique doorknobs match and each have antique keys.
Intricate plaster work can be seen on the walls and ceilings and the home features amazing archways and windows.
The great room features a beautiful stone fireplace with vents that circulate the warm air throughout. A second fireplace is in the incredible lower level which leads out into a courtyard through French doors.
Szafranski had added modern lighting to the home and French wallpaper to the kitchen and bathrooms.
The roof, furnace with air conditioning and a tankless water heater have been added within the last ten years.
“Everything is solid and well-built,” Szafranski says. “It was built with love and maintained with love.”
In a kind of bittersweet twist, a job opportunity for her husband has meant that Szafranski will have to give up her “forever home,” after just three years.
“It is time to move on,” she said, but ends with the conversation with an upbeat note.
“God wanted me to tweak this house so someone else can enjoy it. The luckiest person is going to get this house.”
An open house is scheduled for Sunday, March 8, from 1 to 3 p.m.
THE DETAILS
Address: 100 Dewittshire Road, Syracuse, N.Y. 13214 (The mailing address is in the city, but the home itself is in the town of DeWitt.)
Price: $329,900
Size: 2,064 square feet
Acreage: 6,970 square feet
Monthly Mortgage: $1,217 (based on this week's national average rate of 3.72 percent, according to Freddie Mac, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20 percent down payment. Fees and points not included.)
Taxes: $9,428 (Based on assessed value of $235,000)
Built: 1910
School District: Jamesville-DeWitt
Kitchen: “I love my kitchen,” owner Dixie Szafranski says of the room. While not as spacious as some modern kitchens, she says she has “just enough room to spread out.” She says she loves to bake cookies with her two daughters when they come to visit. Kitchen features dishwasher, large refrigerator and gas stove and oven. She added the distinctive French wallpaper which she says tells a story. There is small breakfast nook just off the kitchen. All the cabinets feature original strap hinges.
Living areas: The original character has been “lovingly maintained” in this 1910 home, with Storybook doors, iron hardware, archways, exposed beams and cascading stairways. The home looks like something out of the French countryside or out of a storybook. Sunlight streams in from all sides in the home’s updated windows. The great room features a magnificent stone fireplace with Heatilator vents. Owner loves the very big dining room and says it is where the family gathers when it is together. Visitors enter through a gorgeous archway and it looks out onto the back courtyard. It is large enough for a big china cabinet and other furniture. The home has an enormous attic which adds to the storage available. The previous owner kept a workbench up there and two fans to keep the area cool in the summer.
Master bedroom: Owner says the master bedroom is “nice and big.” There are two windows and two closets. There is an adjoining office. There are three bedrooms in the house, although the lower level could be made into a guest or in-law suite.
Master bathroom: The master bathroom is one of two full bathrooms in the home. There is also one half bath. The master bathroom features plenty of storage, a pedestal sink and an original to the house wide tub with glass doors for the shower.
Lower level: The lower level adds about 900 square feet to the total size of the house. It features a second working woodburning fireplace. Owner enjoys walking out from the French doors there out onto the back patio for breakfast. Could be made into a guest suite.
Outside: The lost size is 6,970 square feet (0.16 acres). The back courtyard was dug out and had bricks laid by hand by the previous owner. Black iron fencing and gates have been added and trees and shrubs removed so the brick and stone exterior can be seen by all. The owner loves the courtyard and says it feels “very European” and is great for dog owners. She says “you can walk to anywhere” from the home, including Tops and Moses DeWitt School. The neighborhood is very friendly and “everyone helps each other out.” Holidays are celebrated by neighbors together. The roof has been replaced in the past ten years. The property has a two-car garage.
Agent: Barbara T. Miller
Licensed Assoc. Real Estate Broker
Century21 Arquette Properties
Address: 104 Salt Springs Road, Fayetteville, N.Y. 13066
Phone: (315) 382-3409
Email: bmiller@c21arquette.com
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