IN JUNE 2018, LINDSEY AND MATTHEW KEEGAN BOUGHT 1410 PONTIAC IN A LEAP OF FAITH HAVING NEVER SEEN IT IN PERSON. Extremely busy, wrapping their lives up in Chicago, Lindsey Keegan, who is in software sales and was expecting a baby soon, and husband Matthew, an IT Risk Consultant, who both travel extensively for work, found it hard to find time to house hunt.  After losing out on the first home they bid on, Lindsey, who grew up in a large Grand Rapids family, put her mother to work. She found 1410 Pontiac and assured the couple that they would like the Ottawa Hills neighborhood and the Colonial Revival style home with its welcoming front porch. They did! The exterior is a combination of wood sided exterior, brick trim and traditional shutters on the main level and the long shed-roofed dormer.

In fact, Lindsey and Matthew love the house, and with baby Jackie, now one-year old, have settled into the friendly and close-knit neighborhood.  Despite its historic style, the home feels modern, and is filled with light from the large windows well-placed throughout the house. The refinished original wood floors are perfect for the stylish area rugs found in every room. Both the dining room with its cool modern hanging light, and the sun-room-turned-office with its original red tile, have views to the garden and walkways made from old Wealthy Street bricks. However, the Keegans are contemplating some plans for the sun-room which may include making it more of a family room.

In general the main floor has a nice flow with the living room connected to the dining room which opens into the newish kitchen with its butcher block counters and a soft green tile backsplash, remodeled by an earlier owner. 

The Keegans have filled the home with an eclectic combination of new and historic architectural pieces Lindsey picks up on her travels to New York and from stores like Nadeau in Chicago, such as the rustic modern table paired with the more classic period-style chairs in the dining room.   The stairway was surprisingly dramatic with its two-story height, elegant banister, switchbacks and abundant, well-placed windows. The Colonial-inspired neoclassical second-story window is gorgeous and overlooks the neighborhood.  In the upper stair hall, Lindsey has positioned a charming small dresser, one of her “found” treasures in a nook created by the turn of the bannister. 

The upstairs like the main floor has generous sized rooms. The master bedroom, below, and the dramatic stair hall above, make a great backdrop for the Keegan’s interesting art and wall-hangings. They are in the process of replacing gradually replacing light fixtures.

Much of this house is original, and in fact the bathrooms still retain the historic tile. There were some changes of course, and in fact, former owners added a cute knotty-pine paneled bedroom with en-suite bath over the garage to expand the space. The house lives on three floors since the basement, the “recreation/card room” as it was configured originally, is bright with sun from the glass block windows and is a space that Lindsey and Matthew have planned for future improvements. 

Just as Lindsey and Matthew have brought their own design aesthetic to this graceful home, they have also embraced its history. This house was one of the first two homes finished in the Ottawa Hills development after the first batch of lots sold quickly in 1922. A young architect named Alexander McColl designed it for developers Archie and Charles Blakeslee of Blakeslee Brothers Builders who completed the first two houses for their own families and lived across the street from each other on Pontiac just off Franklin Street in 1923. 

Archie owned this home at 1410 Pontiac until he sold it to Mabel and Earl C. Johnson who was Vice-President of Grand Rapids Savings Bank. However, Earl died young at age 51. Quite a number of owners followed. Recently the Keegans had a visit from some former owners who shared their childhood memories.

Truly If a home can be said to have a heart, this one does.