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New Listening Room, and New House


Mallette

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Well, the "Dave Cave" will revert to its actual intended use as the offices of the Regional Music Heritage Center and perhaps a residence perk for an RMHC employee as we gear things up there.  I found a place here I could not resist.  Smallest house I've owned in 40 years, but with more K'horn friendly rooms than any other house I ever visited.  Besides that, it fits my dream house concept when I was growing up.  It is mostly concrete inside...I was stunned.  Very little drywall, all 2 inch concrete with stucco.  Built in 1950.  I don't even know how this was done, but there it is.  Even has an attic fan, priceless in our climate with six months of no heat, no cool if you have a way to circulate air.  Also a great way to get the dope smoke out (when it's legalized, of course) if you have unexpected visitors.  A garage that is 29X21 is a major bonus as well.  Completely rewired at a cost of 15k, good roof, new HVAC, brand new double pane windows, and move in ready...38.00 a square foot.  Texarkana is a buyers market for houses!  I rather doubt there are many places with the amenities of a fine symphony, great food, entertainment, and with three Interstates converging in a wonderful climate where you can find a deal like that.  Listing price was 84.5.  I offered 77k and they went for it in about three hours.  It's passed a VERY rigorous inspection so I should close within a 3 weeks.  When I posted the pictures on my personal FB page, I got over a hundred "likes" and 60 or so comments within 24 hours, including the complete history of the place.  Won't go into all that, but part of it explains why the place spoke to me so clearly.  It's music central in the city that sent Boogie Woogie into the world, from which sprang jazz and rock and roll.  Jazz might exist in some form without Texarkana, but rock and roll would either not exist or be so different we wouldn't recognize it.  This house adjoins where the lot of the home where Conlon Nancarrow, increasingly recognized as one of the great composers of all time, grew up.  Rule Beasley, composer, educator, and whose father had Scott Joplin play in his piano store visit on his last visit to his home town in 1907, grew up across the street.  His father also sold the Nancarrow family a 1928 Marshall and Wendell AMPICO player piano that fascinated Conlon and became his instrument of choice to compose for the music he wrote that no human could perform.  Then, RMHC Board member and world's most eminent Boogie Woogie musicologist Dr. John Tennison was also raised in the same block and his first music and kindergarten teacher lived in what is now my house.  It wasn't just speaking to me, it was SCREAMING at me!

The RMHC will be paying for an open house in March because that will be a couple of weeks before our second annual RMHC sponsored Scott Joplin Music Celebration and so a great time to have event sponsors and potential donors to such an event.  But it will be public as well, so here's notice for you Forum friends to watch for an announcement in this thread once I get a date pinned down.  I'll have a Klipsch Heritage system setup.  It will be 7.1 one, though two speakers will be Klipsch but not Heritage.  It will also be fully 2 channel only, if you are adverse to surround.  I also will have an all classic Frazier system in the living room.  It will have four speakers, 2 Mark Vs and 2 Mark IVs, but will be 2 channel DynaQuad.  There will be a couple of other lesser, but competent, systems as well but haven't gotten to precisely how I intend to set those up.  I may also have the 1928 Marshall and Wendell AMPICO player piano brought there.  It's currently stored at a piano company downtown until the building is renovated to protect it from a lack of climate control.  Might as well move it to the house for myself, and others, to enjoy until the building is ready for it.  I have probably 300 rolls for it, including some recorded by Scott Joplin, Eubie Blake, and other world class musicians.  So, here is the music room plan.  This room is quite live at the moment, given hardwood floors and concrete walls.  But the big bay windows that break up the symmetry means great sound can be had.  I suspect just a rug and furniture will bring it up to excellent.  The pictures show this room as well as the rest of the place.  I have purchased and lived in houses much larger and more expensive than this one, but this one spoke to me like no other I've ever owned.  Threw in a few other images of the Living Room, office, and kitchen.  That isn't me, but the inspector in the kitchen.  

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Plan view of 7.1/2.1 listening room.  

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From seating towards front of listening room.  I'll have a 10' projection screen on this wall, flanked with K'horns and a La Scala center.  Office is to the right, living room to the left.

 

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LR door across listening to the office.  The bay windows are an acoustic asset in breaking up the symmetry.  

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Office door to LR view.  Fireplace is functional.

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Office

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Not sure why I put this one here.  Anyway, rear of office to hall, listening room to the left.

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Inspector in the kitchen.  

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Dining area, patio out the door.

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Beautiful living room, high ceiling with all lines curved.  Master bed room through the door.  Fixtures are all 1950.  

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Living room from listening room.

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Overall view.

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Considering walling off an area in the garage, Brian.  Always be room for you somewhere, and all Klipsch Klan.  The RMHC basement offices will be overnight friendly, though eventually a staff member may take up residence there as a "perk."  

Dave

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1 minute ago, CECAA850 said:

Just beautiful Dave!

Carl, I am still blown away at what I am getting for less than 300.00 a month.  If that weren't enough, the taxes are ONE TENTH what I paid in Seabrook.  And they will be less than that as the place is assessed at 96k and my final price is likely to be 75k as we'll be going back at them for about 2k of relatively minor, but needed, repairs the inspector found.

 

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Just now, Mallette said:

Carl, I am still blown away at what I am getting for less than 300.00 a month.  If that weren't enough, the taxes are ONE TENTH what I paid in Seabrook.  And they will be less than that as the place is assessed at 96k and my final price is likely to be 75k as we'll be going back at them for about 2k of relatively minor, but needed, repairs the inspector found.

 

Location, location, location.

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2 minutes ago, CECAA850 said:

I'll send you some Amontillado so you two can celebrate.

I am NOT putting an emoticon in this response so as to queer that deal.  I LOVE great sherry.  I'd prefer you deliver in person and share, but will take it however I can.

 

Dave

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1 minute ago, Mallette said:

I am NOT putting an emoticon in this response so as to queer that deal.  I LOVE great sherry.  I'd prefer you deliver in person and share, but will take it however I can.

 

Dave

Yes Carl go for it.  I will lend him a hand with that wall you can inspect from the other side.

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