Needing larger home for a growing family, couple find four-square gem in Central Gardens

Emily Adams Keplinger
·4 min read
1
Austin, Winnie, Nora and Maggie Smith love their new home in Central Gardens.
Austin, Winnie, Nora and Maggie Smith love their new home in Central Gardens.

Maggie and Austin Smith, and their daughter, Nora, 10, relocated from North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family in Memphis and in Greenwood, Mississippi. Initially they bought a bungalow in Central Gardens.

“Over four years we poured ourselves into renovating that home for our family of three, and then about a month after finishing the work, we found out our family would be growing,” recalled Maggie. “Our daughter, Winnie, was born at our former house. Although the market wasn’t great, with her arrival we needed a little more space and wanted to stay in the Idlewild Elementary school district. There was a great opportunity to get a house that had another bedroom, room to expand for a playroom, and a fabulous back porch to entertain our huge extended family. The price was right. And, it was just a few blocks away. Also, we were friends with the next-door neighbors, so we bit the bullet.”

This classic American four-square home, circa 1912, in Central Gardens, has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,000 square feet of living space.
This classic American four-square home, circa 1912, in Central Gardens, has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,000 square feet of living space.

Maggie is the UX research manager at AutoZone and Austin is a change enablement manager at ALSAC, so staying in the Midtown area meant they would still have easy commutes to their jobs.

“We wanted a house that was in good condition, but not totally renovated, because I really wanted to put my stamp on it,” said Maggie. “More importantly, we wanted a house with four bedrooms and at least two bathrooms. We wanted a home that had lots of Midtown character and that was located in our current school zone. And, we wanted a place with great outdoor space for our girls.”

The kitchen is light and airy, but plans are in the making for a renovation.
The kitchen is light and airy, but plans are in the making for a renovation.

Maggie and Austin enlisted the aid of Eleanore Kelly Maynard, an agent with Hobson Realtors, who happened to be one of Maggie’s old friends, as well as a fourth-generation realtor.

The couple added the white subway tile backsplash to this area of the kitchen.
The couple added the white subway tile backsplash to this area of the kitchen.

“We reconnected with Ellie Kelly when Austin and I moved back to Memphis, and she helped us buy our first home,” explained Maggie. “Since then, she has worked with family members and friends of ours, both helping them buy and sell their homes. We told her we were ‘sort of maybe’ interested in a few properties, and by the end of the week we were under contract for our current home. Ellie Kelly has great relationships with lenders, inspectors, etc., so our home-buying process was really seamless. It was easy to work with her — plus she’s fun!”

The dining room sports a mix of antiques coupled with new lighting.
The dining room sports a mix of antiques coupled with new lighting.

“Maggie and I browsed the housing market for a couple of months, but when we saw this house, we had our hearts set on it,” said Austin. “We paid $500,000 for our classic American four-square home in Central Gardens. It had 3,000 square feet of living space, with the four bedrooms we needed and three bathrooms.”

The house also offered a large front porch with an elegant entry that opened to the living room. The spacious dining room came with a wet bar. There was a full bath downstairs, just off the kitchen and keeping room, as well as a dedicated laundry room with ample storage. Upstairs the primary bedroom with en suite bath was like a private sanctuary.

The living room sits at the front of the house.
The living room sits at the front of the house.

“This house just feels tall, due to the 10-foot ceilings,” said Maggie. “Our floor plan has the formal areas in the front of the house and the private areas in the back and upstairs.”

The couple found out that they had a special connection to their new home that went beyond their initial gut reaction of being drawn to it. “I remember thinking that this home reminded me of my parents’ house,” said Maggie. “Once we were under contract, my mom recalled that an old friend had lived on that block of Carr. She reached out to tell him we were moving, and realized that we had purchased his former home. Moreover, many of the plantings in the yard were propagated from plants he had gotten from her and my Dad. It feels great knowing a little piece of my Mom and my Dad will live on in the flower beds.”

This back porch gives the family expanded living space.
This back porch gives the family expanded living space.

After moving in, they have painted, refinished the floors upstairs, and changed out some fixtures and fans, but little else.

“We have plans to transform some of the attic space into a playroom, renovate the primary suite to get a walk-in closet and bigger bathroom, and do some minor aesthetic tweaks to the other two bathrooms,” said Austin. The family loves living in Central Gardens.  “We like the proximity to our jobs, just a 10-minute commute for each of us,” said Maggie. “And there are a number of great neighbors and families in the neighborhood. There is always someone looking out for you here—hiding the package Amazon left in full view, making sure you know you left your trunk open, or giving your kid a full-size candy bar on Halloween. My husband and I, and our kids, met some of our best friends on our former street, so we are looking forward to doing that here, too.”

The primary bedroom is very spacious.
The primary bedroom is very spacious.

Emily Adams Keplinger is a freelance reporter who produced this feature for the Advertising Department.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Couple finds Four Square gem in Central Gardens for growing family