House of the Week: Own a piece of Skaneateles history with this renovated one-room schoolhouse – syracuse.com

SKANEATELES, N.Y. A sign sits beneath Tom Scrivens television in the living room of his Skaneateles home.

Do not be afraid of change, it reads. Be afraid of not changing.

That statement perfectly encapsulates both Scriven and his historic home.

It was Christmas Eve 2014 and Scriven, a native of the village, his wife, Lindsay, and their two children were all set to move to Florida.

Their realtor was with them to sign the papers when suddenly the sale fell through.

We went into panic mode, he said. We had two little children and we needed to buy a house. My wife, We have to do something!

So, I bought a schoolhouse!

The red brick, one-room Willow Glen schoolhouse at 936 Old Seneca Turnpike, just north of the village, was on the market.

It was built in 1872 and educated students from the first to the sixth grade. A previous owner had bought it and had started renovating it but left it largely unfinished.

Scriven called the previous attempt a hodge-podge.

We knew we were in for a project, he said of the almost six-year undertaking to turn the school into a modern open-concept, four-bedroom, two-bathroom house.

Scriven would be up to the task. His family had called Skaneateles home for generations and now he was doing something to preserve a piece of its history.

He said he came from a jack of all trades family and was a pain in the butt kid, who watched his father carefully while he did home improvement projects.

(Scriven also said he had a lot of assistance and during this interview thanked family, friends, and the community who have helped us through the process.)

The school was updated from top to bottom, with fresh paint, new flooring, and new fixtures throughout.

The kitchen features new floors, counters, backsplash, and Samsung Smart appliances. There is also a new pantry and laundry room.

The spacious master bedroom is large enough for a California king-sized bed and two walk-in closets.

Scriven had a great deal sensitivity for this historic property.

We tried to preserve and renew as much as possible, he said.

The coat rack at the front door was made from an old wooden shipping box and the top of the island in the kitchen was made from a canning table found in the basement.

(He has the large original shudders and hinges and thinks they could make one-of-a-kind closet doors.)

An old wooden ladder which was used by children more than 100 years ago to climb to the cupola to ring the schools bell now adorns a master bedroom wall.

I wish we had the bell! Scriven said.

He found other items from the schools early days, maps, textbooks, and composition notebooks, and held on to these treasures which he plans to give to the homes new owner.

He even kept the schools traditional red color.

When we first started the work, he said. Curious people would come up and ask if they could take a look.

Many would tell him stories of when they attended school there.

The backyard has been updated as well.

We love to be outside as much as we can, Scriven said. We try to take advantage of the room he had.

They built a barbecue patio with built-in furniture and storage in their private backyard.

A small koi pond, with a waterfall and underwater lighting, was this summers coronavirus quarantine project.

Scriven said much of the home is finished but not everything.

The COVID pandemic meant that the home ironically reverted back to a school for his son and daughter this year which meant he could not be hammering and sawing away.

It has been a lot of fun, Scriven said, looking back at what he accomplished. It certainly is not a cookie cutter home.

He says he wants to find a new adventure someplace with a warmer climate.

For more information about this property, contact the owner who is selling the property himself. His information is below.

THE DETAILS

Address: 936 Old Seneca Turnpike, Skaneateles, N.Y. 13152

Price: $399,000

Size: 1,773 square feet

Acreage: 8,276 square feet

Monthly Mortgage: $1,325 (based on this weeks national average rate of 2.88 percent, according to Freddie Mac, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20 percent down payment. Fees and points not included.)

Taxes: $1,852 (Based on assessed value of $95,000)

Built: 1872

School District: Skaneateles

Kitchen: The new kitchen has plenty of new counter room and cupboard space. Owner Thomas Scriven updated the kitchen with a new travertine backsplash, new flooring, and new Samsung Smart appliances. The island was made from an old canning table found in the basement. Through the kitchen is a new laundry room and pantry.

Living areas: Scriven said that he renovated this historic one-room schoolhouse into an open-concept modern home. The place is like a bomb shelter, he said. It is built and insulated well. Forget the idea of the drafty old one-room school, this is an extremely warm and highly efficient home. The owner has updated paint, flooring, and fixtures throughout. There is a nice dining room off the kitchen and a spacious living room. There is plenty of room for a new home office and workshop in the detached garage. The office is heated and air-conditioned and was very useful during the COVID pandemic. All of the treasures from the buildings previous days as a school found during the renovation will be staying with the home.

Bedrooms: There are four bedrooms in the house. The first-floor master bedroom is big enough for a California king bed and two walk-in closets.

Bathrooms: There are two bathrooms in the home. The full bathroom on the first floor has new tile flooring and new fixtures.

Outdoors: Scriven and his family enjoys being outdoors and he has done his best to take advantage of the room we had. The private backyard has been updated with BBQ patio with built-in seating and storage. During the coronavirus pandemic, his project was creating a koi pond with waterfall and underwater lighting. There is an area for bon fires. The owner says that the property is close to everything, and mentions that it is within walking distance to the heart of Skaneateles, a nature trail, and Skaneateles Creek.

Sold by: Owner Tom Scriven

Address: 936 Old Seneca Turnpike, Skaneateles, N.Y. 13152

Phone: (315) 439-1883

Email: socalscriven@yahoo.com

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Do you know of any older homes in Central New York which have fallen on hard times but have a lot of potential should they be restored to their original grandeur? A fixer-upper with a lot of potential? Consider nominating them to our new feature, Save this Home, in which we will spotlight grand houses of the past around Central New York that need to be saved. Send nominations to home@syracuse.com.

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House of the Week: Own a piece of Skaneateles history with this renovated one-room schoolhouse - syracuse.com