Homewood residents fundraising to preserve "Secret Garden" home
A group of Homewood residents are trying to buy back a historic Edgewood home that is slated to be demolished for a new development.
The "Secret Garden" home, also called the "Pink House," is located at 214 Edgewood Boulevard and was built in 1921. The property, originally six lots, includes an Italian-style home, stables, a studio and extensive gardens. It's a place many Homewood residents fondly recall visiting or admiring as they passed by for decades.
Developer Patrick O'Sullivan purchased the property in 2004 and, when the current residents' lease ends in January, he intends to tear down the existing buildings and construct five homes there. The Planning Commission approved O'Sullivan's resurvey of the property into five lots at its June 5 meeting.
At that Planning Commission meeting and on social media, residents have expressed opposition to the loss of the house, which is older than the city of Homewood, and have shared favorite memories of the well-kept grounds and former owners George and Eleanor Bridges.
“The neighbors in this area are at a loss for words,” one resident told the Planning Commission about the possibility of the house being torn down.
“When are we making choices in order to preserve history?" another said. “When do we say no?”
In addition to aesthetic and historical protests, residents also noted the addition that new homes would crowd parking on an already tight street.
While the Planning Commission approved the resurvey – stating that O'Sullivan met all city ordinances with the request and the commission is not permitted, by state law, to judge on aesthetics or historical merit – many residents decided to continue to fight for the preservation of the house.
Homewood history author Martha Wurtele Jones, who has established the nonprofit Homewood Alabama Historical Preservation Society to save the house, met with Mayor Scott McBrayer and Patrick O'Sullivan in June. Mary Ellen Snell, one of the board members of the preservation society, said O'Sullivan was willing to entertain an offer to buy the property between now and mid-July. The Homewood Star has reached out to McBrayer and O'Sullivan for comment.
The Homewood Alabama Historical Preservation Society has a goal of raising $2.5 million for the purchase and restoration of the Secret Garden home by July 8.
“The community response has been wonderful. They don’t want to see the house destroyed,” Jones said. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
Jones and Snell said that the Historical Preservation Society has discussed using the Secret Garden home as a meeting space and historical spot, among other ideas that have been floated. Though parking was one of the major concerns for neighbors if the house was replaced with five new residences, Jones said they would approach nearby churches for parking agreements if they succeeded in turning the home into a space with public use.
Despite the short timeline, Jones said she is "very optimistic" about reaching the $2.5 million goal and being able to make an offer on the house. She said some pledges have already come in, and the group is working on setting up PayPal and GoFundMe, as well as organizing more door-to-door fundraising efforts.
Snell said the Hoover Historical Society and the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation have voiced support for the project as well.
“It’s a grassroots effort to block Patrick O’Sullivan from razing this house. This is the last estate in Homewood. It was built before Edgewood, before Homewood,” Jones said. “We’ve got a long way to go.”
For more information on the fundraising efforts, email Jones at homewoodhistoricalpreservation@gmail.com or look for "Homewood Al Historical Preservation Society" on Facebook.