This April 9th of 2023 is Easter Sunday. Whether celebrated in church or out on an egg hunt or chomping on chocolate bunnies, it is the time of year when we mark the rebirthing rituals of spring after the dormancy of a long winter’s nap. This is especially true for us as we contemplate the memory of Dovetail Lodge. She went up in a blaze of glory April 9th of last year and it has taken us all of these past 365 days to come to terms with all of that. Once the structural engineer decreed that it wasn’t fiscally feasible to save what little bit remained, it took till November of 2022 to finally remove the rest of her. Before the machinery came, we harvested as much of her doors, windows, paneling and river rock as we could. The structure is a mere memory. What’s left is land that is a glorified mud pit waiting to be refashioned.
Two large buildable lots located on prime real estate with a wooded ravine for a back yard, we’ve been in a bit of a quandary about what to do with it all. Keeping with the theme of spring and resurrection, we have finally determined that the path forward is to rebuild something that honors the original homestead on the land of the original homestead. The other lot we need to sell in order to recreate a vision of any sort.
Designing something completely new from the ground up whilst simultaneously keeping the best about the old is a different sort of challenge. The original building was a unique hodgepodge of craftsman, prairie, bungalow, cottage and lodge architecture — which provides both guidance and great leeway in reinterpreting what we still think of as a reimagined restoration project. We also want this new lodge to be around for the next 100 years so we’ve also added in elements of universal and flex design into our planning. This additional criteria meets our needs as we age in place while ensuring that the lodge can expand and contract as occupancy fluctuates from one owner to the next. Plus there must be space for music, art and dance as that too is the legacy left behind by the three former owners of this lodge. It won’t be the same of course. Yet it will be the same spirit that made us fall for her to begin with — and THAT is what is keeping us mesmerized by the potential of this new opportunity.
Speaking of possibilities —
There exists a precedent for purchasing a house on the Overbrook Ravine, tearing it down and building your dream home in its place. We’ve already taken care of the demolition — and are selling one of the two buildable lots that remain. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to build a dream home of your own from the ground up on the Overbrook Ravine. I repeat, one of the lots is FOR SALE. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please send us an email at djnral2.0@dovetaillodge.com or sign on through this website with your contact information so that we might share additional details. THANK YOU.