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Culbertson Widows Home
704 East Main Street
New Albany, IN 47150




Listing Description:

“Very few people in our city occupy dwellings near so luxurious as our friends here. The visitor goes over this Home, feeling really this is a home, indeed. Nothing stingy, nothing mean, because it would be cheap, can be detected in any part of the workmanship, but every part is grand, massive, just the thing for ages.” This is how the New Albany Ledger-Standard described the Culbertson Widows’ Home upon its opening in November 1873, and the same holds true today. 704 East Main Street is one of the highlights of New Albany’s “Mansion Row,” a National Register-listed historic district which includes the homes of the City’s mid-19th to early-20th century elite. The property offers tremendous possibilities as a magnificent single-family home or as a bed-and-breakfast.

The Widows’ Home was completed in 1873 due to the benevolence of one of Indiana’s preeminent businessmen and philanthropists, New Albany resident William Stuart Culbertson. Moved by the plight of women left widowed by the Civil War – and himself recently married to a woman who had been in that situation – Culbertson donated $25,000 for the construction of the facility, as well as an endowment of $150,000 for its operation. Local contractor James Banes was responsible for the design and construction of the home, which was executed in the Italianate style.

Along with his brother William, Banes had also designed and built Culbertson’s own residence (now the Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site) farther east on Main Street, and the plans here are very similar. The Widows’ Home was designed to accommodate thirty to forty women at a time; the only qualifications for admission were a good moral character, lack of a home, and an inability to support herself.

The Widows’ Home operated until 1971, when the Board of Trustees closed the facility and sold the furnishings at public auction. The home itself was sold two years later to Charles and Roberta Mitchell, who used it as their residence. Mrs. Mitchell was widowed herself in the mid-1980s, and lived alone in the house until her death in March 2000. The home was then purchased by the current owners, Carl Holliday and Steve Goodman, for use as their residence and a bed and breakfast.



The Widows’ Home has almost 9400 square feet of living space, including nine bedrooms and five full and two half-bathrooms, and sits on an artfully-landscaped lot which is more than a half-acre. The brick home is three stories plus a full walk-out basement. The exterior of the home displays fine materials and craftsmanship, and is virtually unchanged from its historic appearance.

An ornate cast iron porch is the predominant feature of the front elevation, while a two-level balcony overlooks the back yard. The roofline is marked with paired ornamental brackets typical of the Italianate style. An original wrought iron fence with a limestone base and pillars defines the front of the property.



The interior has hardwood floors and ornate woodwork - much retaining its natural finish - throughout, and twelve-and-a-half-foot ceilings on the first floor. Ceilings are twelve feet high on the second floor, and eleven on the third.

Ten original cast iron fireplace mantels remain, several of which retain their original hand-painted finishes, as well as interior shutters and two original mahogany staircases. The 17’ x 20’ dining room and 17’ x 26’ front parlor offer plenty of room for entertaining.

The primary kitchen, which was the home’s original kitchen in the lower level, has been updated with professional-grade appliances. The kitchen’s brick floors in a herringbone pattern, have been restored. Although the historic character and materials have been faithfully maintained, the house has been updated to meet today’s needs: a new boiler powers the radiators, and the electrical system has been updated.

Other interior features include original pocket doors, renovated windows with original glass and pulleys, two 1870’s bathrooms with original clawfoot tubs, spacious hallways, original closets with nine-foot doors in every bedroom and an original linen closet on third floor. The master suite contains an antique vanity, a jacuzzi tub, a seven-foot shower and is complete with a bidet.  All bedrooms contain ceiling fans and period lighting.



Don’t miss this opportunity to own one of New Albany’s true treasures! Because this is a contributing building in a National Register of Historic Places district, qualified rehabilitation costs could potentially be recouped through rehabilitation tax credits - see www.in.gov/dnr/historic/incentives.html for more information. In addition to being listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Mansion Row is also a locally regulated historic district. Therefore, any exterior alterations must be reviewed and approved by the New Albany Historic Preservation Commission. For more information about the NAHPC and a copy of the City of New Albany Design Guidelines for local historic districts, please visit www.newalbanypreservation.com.





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To be sold at auction Thursday, 8 October 2009 at 6 PM.  For more information visit www.beckortauctions.com.



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