Plumb Place: A Final Update
This is my 13th, and final, post trying to save Plumb Place.
A final round of five bids were accepted for consideration by a judge. All were above ask, a significant improvement from the low-ball offer previously accepted.
I had spoken with one of the these final-round bidders. He impressed me with his knowledge of the house, his obvious architectural historical knowledge, his passion for preservation, his desire to live in the house, and use it as an Airbnb and events space (thus continuing a century of public access).
Sadly, the judge did not select him.
The new owner is Emporia resident Chris Stanley. Her and her family ran Stanley Jewelry in Emporia for 68-years. She closed the store 6 years ago, and it remains today as it was the day the business closed.
Stanley reports that she will take possession on July, 12.
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Well, that’s better than Ely.
I only hope Chris Stanley doesn’t decide to sell in the near or far future to Ely. I worry that this might just be a shill deal for Ely and his business partner to get their hands on Plumb Place. They do own a property right up the street on the opposite side.
Hi, Mary!
I have no such worries.
Well, that’s a relief.
I hope you keep us updated on any activity of interest across the street. Like a new paint job or landscaping. Maybe Chris will invite you inside once things have been updated a bit.
Sure envy that library and those sinks. (and tubs.)
I knew it would go for over asking.
This whole thing has been perplexing. I sure hope Ms. Stanley has a plan. A big plan.
Hope it works out for the house. 🙂
It’s a shame that the bidder mentioned above was not selected as the new owner. Hopefully Ms. Stanley will respect Plumb Place and restore it appropriately.
According to some public Facebook comments being made by the new owner, it does appear that she has airbnb in mind for the place. I hope she is also open to meetings and events being held there as well, it’s been tough finding meeting spaces in the area lately.
Another comment she made which was of interest, though, was stating “…in order for them to make the sale this time they took all the restrictions down” when she was asked if there were renovation restrictions in place for a historic property such as this one. I am totally ignorant of these matters, so wondering if this is standard practice/unavoidable during a sale, or if this was yet another suspicious element of the sale…?
I did see an article in the Emporia Gazette where the new owner confirms her intentions of living in the mansion while using it as an AirBnB. From her comments, she seems to appreciate the house’ history, but at the same time stated that it would have fewer bedrooms after she was finished with renovations. Moving and/or removing walls is never good news in regards to a historic structure…and saying “it could have been so much worse” only partially helps. Here’s the article: http://www.emporiagazette.com/free/article_b0df7812-f3da-11ec-8b57-a7ff0e73afaa.html