Old home faces open space
Nearly 20 years ago, Peggy Lamanna asked her husband to take her to the park she could never find on her own.
She’d grown weary of living along a street too busy for bicycles and yearned for the feeling of open space she’d known as a child growing up.
“I wanted to look out at something,” she said.
Greg Lamanna drove his wife to historic Corbin Park, in a quiet North Side neighborhood minutes from downtown Spokane. Amazingly, they found a home for sale, just enough beyond their price range they could still afford it, Peggy Lamanna said with a laugh.
In the mid-1890s, Corbin Park served as the first Washington-Idaho Fairgrounds, home to state fairs, stables and a one-mile horse racetrack, according to an inch-thick document detailing the park’s history. The Corbin Park Homeowners Association prepared the document before the area’s designation as a historic district in 1991 – Spokane’s first local register historic district.
The Lamannas’ home is part of “Lumbermen’s Row,” one of four homes built beside the park in the early 1900s by wealthy lumber-company owners.
Buying the six-bedroom, Craftsman-style home built in 1910 took more than money. It took trust, vision and love.
They needed to trust that the aging plumbing and turn-of-the-century, knob-and-spool electrical work would last until they could find the time and money to replace it, Peggy Lamanna said.
It took imagination to see past worn carpeting that hid hardwood floors and curtains that covered leaded-glass windows, Greg Lamanna said. “We both just looked beyond.”
They’ve spent the past two decades on remodeling projects: stripping wallpaper, tearing out walls, replacing the “octopus” heating system downstairs. They do the hard labor themselves but leave electrical and plumbing work to professionals, Peggy Lamanna said. “It’s an endless job when you have an old house.”
While she chose the patterned, cream-colored wallpaper in the living room, her husband chose the dark floral in the dining area.
“We’re a good team,” she said.
Their devotion to the old home extends beyond weekend projects. A favorite pastime is visiting historic landmarks for inspiration, such as the Campbell House in Browne’s Addition, and a recently renovated home in Phoenix.
The Lamannas’ old home is filled with lovely touches. The staircase landing has a sparking bench, so named for the courting that allegedly took place there. The bedroom doors on the home’s west side have six-pane windows to let natural light into the hallway. Honduran mahogany beams bolster the living-room ceiling.
And there’s that gorgeous, tree-lined park across the street. The homes in the neighborhood are close, but the park across the street gives a feeling of openness.
“The park is kind of an extension of our house,” Greg said.
His brother owns the house next door, so summer weekends often include large family gatherings in the park. At Christmas, the park plays host to their four children’s snow-football games.
The park is frequently alive with activity, the Lamannas said. From the kitchen, Peggy Lamanna watches tai chi lessons and volleyball games. From the porch, Greg Lamanna chats with neighbors and makes friends with regular walkers.
“You see the same people, day after day,” he said.
Some people who buy houses along the park find the activity bothersome. Old homes with huge front windows allow passers-by unfettered views into living rooms. Music blares from parked cars. Lunchtime rendezvous trouble a few residents.
“If you’re going to live on a public park, you’ve got to expect the public to use the park,” Peggy Lamanna said. “I watch them. It’s a kick.”
A couple of years ago, a man approached Greg about buying the home. In fact, the man wanted the Corbin Park house so badly, he offered Lamanna $400,000 cash.
But neither Lamanna has any interest in selling, he said.
“We’re part of a community,” Greg Lamanna said.