Step back in time with renovated 1920s house on the river

PHOTO PROVIDED

Once you cross the small wooden bridge at 1935 Quay Dock Road in Indian River Farms, you find yourself in the 1920s, a time when Vero was a tiny town on an undeveloped coast and things were simpler. There’s nothing simple about the home nestled along 292 feet of the western bank of the Indian River Lagoon.

“Rarely does a magical property like this come on the market,” says Premier Estate Properties broker associate Cindy O’Dare, who with her partner Richard Boga has the property listed for $4,995,000. “Once I go through the gates, I feel as though I’ve stepped back in time.”

In fact, the property is a designated archaeological site on the Survey of Indian River Archaeology, according to research done by the previous owner Wallace Roddenberry. Native American pottery shards dating as far back as 1,000 years have been found on the site.

At the property’s entrance, a historical marker notes the significance of the location. It reads: “Historic wagon road built in 1890’s and used by early settlers on John’s Island and the peninsula to transport their produce from the Quay Dock to Quay Station now Winter Beach.”

The property’s original owner, L.I. Thompson, had timber cut to build the house that had been recovered from docks wrecked by a storm.

Catherine Sullivan bought the property with plans to live there with her fiancé, John Ballouz. Unfortunately, he passed away before they were able to finish updating the property. “This was supposed to be our forever house,” she says wistfully.

“A home like this needs to have life. It needs to have somebody come in and enjoy it and love it. Places like this should be protected,” she continues.

Sullivan took great care to keep the personality of the century-old home. The pecky Cypress lining the walls and terracotta floors create a warm and inviting aura.

To bring the home “up to date,” Sullivan raised the ceiling in the kitchen, updated the bathrooms, plumbing, air conditioners, water heaters, water purification system, irrigation and well, dock and electric, put on a new metal roof and installed a STEP system.

After passing through the natural privacy fence, the space opens up, and you find yourself in a tropical clearing. To the right is a barn-like structure housing a carport, upstairs guest suite and one-car garage where Sullivan stores all the water toys – kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and fishing gear.

A brick pathway meanders through a tropical oasis and around the entirety of the house. Hints of the welcoming interior can be seen at the front door, where lattice walls and a bench offer a lovely spot to sit and enjoy the breeze.

Stepping into the house, it’s hard to decide where to look first. The living room is bright, with the sun filtering through windows and glass doors on three sides of the space.

During those rare cold winter days, you can sit by the hearth and enjoy a toasty fire while watching the river through a pair of French doors that open onto a screened patio with a front-row seat to all the comings and goings along the Indian River Lagoon – including pods of bottlenose dolphins, sailboats with towering masts, and multimillion-dollar yachts cruising north or south along the Intracoastal Waterway.

“The river has a sweetness and sound that is very particular to this property. There’s nothing like this on the east coast of Florida,” says O’Dare.

At the rear of the house, a breakfast bar delineates the living room and kitchen, where pecky Cypress cabinets and the tile countertops original to the house tie in nicely with newer additions like the stainless appliances.

Off the kitchen are a dining nook, powder room, laundry room with a back door, a side door, under stair storage and steps leading to the upper level.

Upstairs, Sullivan had some fun updating the owner’s suite, most notably, with two full bathrooms – one with a soaking tub and the other a shower. She also put in two walk-in closets and expanded the sunrise balcony.

“It’s so much fun sitting out there in the morning having coffee,” says Sullivan of the panoramic views of the lagoon.

The real treasure is the undisturbed native habitat in Winter Beach, “where the sunshine spends the winter.” The property is nestled between protected Indian River Land Trust properties Quay Dock Road and the Winter Beach Salt Marsh.

“We’re totally surrounded by Land Trust property. You will never see another house or development. That’s pretty great,” says Sullivan.

“We’ve got everything around here,” Sullivan continues, from wild boar to a Florida panther to bobcats, otters, dolphins and manatees.

You can take in all of this from the patio seating area off the house’s southern side or the nearby dock.

“Anything that came off the barrier island all those years ago came across right here,” notes Sullivan, sharing that the current dock was built using grates salvaged from an old bridge in Jensen Beach when it was torn down.

“It was an act of genius,” continues Sullivan, noting that the dock has withstood several storms while neighboring docks weren’t so fortunate.

“The fishing here is incredible because there’s no one around,” says Sullivan. “It’s like living in a miracle amusement park. All the aspects of Florida that you love and we’re losing, I still have them here. It is a step back in time, which is, to my mind, magical.”

Photos provided

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