Susan Gray, a St. Anne’s resident and president of the neighborhood’s Historic District, calls the area one of the most cohesive groups of early residential buildings remaining in the city. Located between the Oregon Historic District and the Huffman Historic District, St. Anne’s Hill has gone from farm land, to an ethnic core, to a re-restored historic district.
Gray explained some of the early agricultural history. “There were two farms in this area; the Bomberger farm and Eugene Dutoit’s apple orchards.” Dutoit’s home, one of the oldest in the area, still stands at 222 S. Dutoit St. Bomberger’s estate was razed to make room for Bomberger Park at Fifth and Keowee streets.
Some of the stand-out homes in the area include The Steamboat House at 6 Josie St. and the Bossler Mansion at 136 S. Dutoit St.
Gray said most of the residences in the area were built between 1860 and the early 20th century. “We have 333 properties in the area,” said Gray.
Gray and her husband purchased a boarded-up home that they have restored. “Of course old homes are a constant work in progress,” she said. The couple did most of the work themselves and worked on it just shy of five years. “We pretty much took it down to the studs and put a new house in an old house shell.”
Gray said interest in restoring older homes and living closer to the central city is growing. “It used to be the area was primarily empty-nesters and young couples, but we’re seeing a lot more young families with children,” she said. Being named a Historic District sets certain standards protecting property owners.
Every other year the district hosts a Christmas tour of homes. The next tour is set for December 2015. Money raised at the event goes toward improvements in the neighborhood like the entrance on the east side. “This is a very tight community. We really don’t have much crime, and we all watch out for each other,” said Gray.
Gray said the area currently has three vacant properties, and folks interested in moving to St. Anne’s Hill can sometimes pick up a property for as low as $20,000 if they’re willing to put in the sweat equity necessary to meet the designated standards for the district. “You can’t beat this area. We can walk to the ball park, the Oregon District and have access to the highways and theater. We really have very few homes for sale right now and our property values are going up.”
To learn more about St. Anne’s Hill, go online to www.stanneshill.org/.
About the Author