RENOVATION321
setting up a master bedroom suite downstairs. But even more
challenging would be that, because Connie and I are dedicated
ballroom dancers, we wanted to have a ballroom. Fitting such a
room into a 3,500-square-foot, two-story house that is almost
120 years old would not be easy.
Renovations and additions would certainly not be new to the
property. It was Alfred W. Lee who immigrated from England
with his Scottish wife and built the original structure out of
Merritt Island pine about 1904 in a style known as Frame
Vernacular. It had two stories with a third-floor attic and wide
wrap-around porches.
There was a windmill, a water tower and, in 1915, a detached
tinsmith shop was added to the property. In the 1920s, Dr.
Dallas Adams, who had a medical office in town, purchased the
house and moved in with his wife and children. No significant
alterations were made during his ownership.
In 1948 the house was sold to Clarence Richard “Daddy Mac”
McCotter Sr. who owned the local Ford dealership. He closed
off interior access to the second floor and added outside
stairs so that level could be used as an apartment. Most of the
exterior wraparound porches were enclosed and a 400-squarefoot
room was added to the southeast corner of the house
possibly sometime in the ‘70s.
Betty and Conrad Eigenmann acquired the property in 1995
and reestablished interior access to the second floor with a
70: SPACE COAST LIVING | SPACECOASTLIVING.COM
A 2019 aerial drone photo of the house while hovering over the Indian River.
central staircase and had the exterior stairs removed. They
also added a built-in pool and a three and a half car detached
garage. Now it would be our turn.
We will be taking our stewardship seriously as we recognize
the need to balance modernization with preservation. In fact,
we wish to make the house an homage to the late Victorian
era by drawing from decor and landscaping ideas that were
popular during that time. We invite everyone to follow us on
our journey.
/www.brevardcatholicschools.org
/SPACECOASTLIVING.COM