2/29/2016
The Ihnfeldt House
Coming soon
After Move, Historical Society Seeks Help on House Renovation
Citizen’s Advocate Advocate -
Wednesday evening, February 24, 2016, during the middle of the night, the "old green house" as it’s affectionately referred to, on the corner of Lodge and Sandy Lake Roads, was moved to Heritage Park in Old Town Coppell to join the Kirkland House and the Minyard Store. The house was built in 1924 and until 1999, was the home of Erma Ihnfeldt. Since then numerous local families have called it home over the years, including the most recent owners, the Carrick family.
Sara and Rory Carrick invited the Coppell Historical Society to view the house prior to it being moved or tom down to make way for another house. Moving the house was imminent. and during discussions, the Carricks offered to donate the house to the Society, agreeing to pay part of the moving cost.
The Society had been saving dollars from a foundation grant for just such an historical investment and envisioned creating a Coppell museum and historical archives depository, as well as providing additional meeting space and sharing it with community groups.
While the City of Coppell could not find a suitable site for the house. City Manager Clay Phillips and other staff worked to add the house to Heritage Park and allow the Society to seek retroactive zoning approval. The Council agreed by consensus to the idea.
The Wheelice Wilson family had earlier provided land for Heritage Park in an agreement with the City that the City would purchase the site at a future time. The Wilson family decided to add land to the Park to make space for the lhnfeldt house, and the Planning & Zoning Commission lent week agreed to recommend that the Council approve the zoning change. Said Pete Wilson Wednesday, "The lhnfeldt House is a part of our local history, and we‘re so lucky that all our efforts to save it have paid off.”
The move was made by Hitchcock House Movers, which also has a long history in Coppell, the family having lived and officed across Lodge Road from the lhnfeldt house. The house will soon be placed on its new foundation.
The Carricks, who are now active members of the Society, having received the group’s first Lifetime Membership at its last meeting, are excited about saving and helping restore the house. "The Society is planning ways to make it accessible to the community. We‘re still in the planning surges though. so stay tuned.” said Sara Carrick. "Meanwhile. to get to that point, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to the house and we’re looking for individual volunteers or local businesses who can share their skills, donate their time or help out with the cost of materials."
Agreeing to help coordinate, Carrick said, "We`re looking for volunteers for exterior painting, roofing, and general woodwork. We also need more specialized help with HVAC installation and electrical work. lf you’d like to volunteer or donate, please message or email us at GreenHouse@thecanicks.net” (this is an updated email address since the article was written.) Already, Darling Homes has provided emergency help on part of the roof that became open during the move. With rain predicted this past weekend, they helped seal the open places.
The Rotary Club of Coppell has agreed to help repair and paint. And several scouts have agreed to do major reconstruction projects for their Eagle Scout designation.
Erma lhnfeldt was employed as a receptionist for a Grapevine optometrist and was an accomplished pianist, serving at the First United Methodist Church of Coppell.
Ihnfeldt House Rezoning Recommended by P&Z
Citizen’s Advocate -
Coppell’s Planning and Zoning Commission last week gave approval to the Ruby Nell Wilson family’s rezoning request to expand Old Town Coppell’s Heritage Park from .265 acres to .83.
Currently. Heritage Park is home to the Historic Kirkland House. as well as the old Minyard Store and windmill. The request will formalize the effort of the Coppell Historical Society to relocate the lhnfeldt House to Old Town from E. Sandy Lake at Lodge Road.
In an agreement with the City of Coppell, the Wilson family has allowed historic properties to be placed on the family lots at the comer of W. Bethel and S. Coppell Roads. The house was donated by residents Sara and Rory Carrick, along with dollars for the move.
The 850-
Steer noted that the Historical Society plans to begin immediate restoration of the building`s exterior. With future plans to restore the interior. Part of the roof will be replaced and new siding will he added. Steer said that City staff and P&Z recommended approval of the rezoning request, with the condition that the change would not alter existing and proposed sidewalks around the property.
The applicants architect Greg Frnka had no additional input, and Commissioner Vijay Sarrna moved to approve the request. The request received unanimous approval.
"It's great to see a piece of our history has been preserved." Said Planning and Zoning Chair Edmund Haas.
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