The James W. Bryan house, a stately Queen Anne that was built in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1885, was published in a vivid chromolithograph plate in the Scientific American Architects and Builders Edition in 1887. The publication reported that the house cost $7,500 to build and had central heating, as well as fireplaces on the first floor to keep things toasty.
Over 100 years later, this beautiful home is on the market–and is in need of some TLC from a buyer who is willing and able to bring it back to its former beauty. Here’s what it looks like today:
A reader named Derek sent me these photos, saying, “It’s a phenomenal piece of history in the first suburb of Kansas City, Pendleton Heights. It’s a great area in the urban revitalization part of town with sprawling mansions built by the founders of the city (which are also located in Scarritt Renaissance).”
The home, which is listed on Kansas City’s Historical Registry, has 5 bedrooms and only 1 bath, with about 3,000 square feet. The listing price is $175,000.
If I could buy it and restore it, I would. Maybe you can? Look at this sad living room. It needs your help!
The house is discussed in the book American Architecture by Leland M. Roth as a classic example of the Queen Anne style. You can read what he has to say about it here.
I can just imagine what a beauty this could be in the right hands! You can see the listing for more photos and information here. Love old houses like I do? Click here to see more of them!
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It gorgeous. After living in my first “old” house (currently) and having worked on a 100 yr old one for a Designer Showhouse in VA, I can truly appriciate those that take on the renovation process. I’m gonna be honest. I ain’t cut out for it. If you can just make my dream house look “old” but have all the conveniences of modern day living, I’m in. I’d love to decorate it after it’s been renovated though.
That living room just hurts my heart. OH, to win the lottery and be able to restore an old home like that!
You can tell it has beautiful bones…just waiting for the right person to come along. I wonder how much $$ in renovations it would cost. $175,000 is a steal in my area, but maybe not with an extra $300k in renovations. 
.-= Amanda @ Serenity Now´s last blog ..DIY: How to Make an Embellished Burlap Table Runner =-.
Wow. It is priced well, though. It must be in a fairly rough neighborhood to still be sitting and not renovated. Kansas City has some beautiful old homes in the downtown area. Those newel posts and stair railings are great.
.-= Trish@TheOldPostRoad´s last blog ..America is Beautiful =-.
Our home is a 1902 Queen Anne. I just love old homes! Hope the right person comes along to lovingly restore it. So glad I stumbled upon your blog–great pictures and information!
In my dreams I would get my hands on a house like this…happy dreams! In my waking hours I know there is not enough time or money at my disposal.
Sigh…..
I, too, hope someone is up to the challenge.
Becky K.
.-= Becky K.´s last blog ..The Babies (Chicks) Grew Up! =-.
Wow – that’s such a neat house! I hope someone falls in love with it and brings it back to its original glory.
.-= AnNicole@OurSuburbanCottage´s last blog ..Anthropologie Girl =-.
Oh my…I’d love to buy it and refinish it. I get so sad when I see beautiful homes like that in such sad shape. I don’t think I’ll be moving to Kansas City though.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Monday Monday =-.
Gulp. Like comments above, if I had a bottomless wallet and a year off work, then maybe. But one lesson I’ve learned already about houses is, whatever you think needs doing, double it. This one looks to me as if there would be a thousand hidden problems, all of them very expensive to put right (or at least, to put right in a sympathetic style).
My guess is, someone has a long project ahead of them.
.-= Struggler´s last blog ..Formative fashion years =-.
Can someone help me out here? Is $175,000 considered insanely cheap for a house like this to you?
I’m in Australia, where I am starting to suspect property must be crazily expensive. For a house in Brisbane where I live, it’s now about AU$400,000 (US$366,000) for a regular three-bedroom in outer suburbs. Anything near the city is about US$550,000 for a three bedder in average condition.
You couldn’t even get a decent apartment in the outer burbs for the equivalent of US$175,000.
A beautiful house like this would be well over a million just about anywhere in this country.
I feel so ripped off!
Sadly to say, the Big Guy would never let me buy an old house. He would much rather build brand new so that we have a few “maintenance” free years living there before we have to start fixing things up
.-= Tamara´s last blog ..Scarecrow DIY =-.
Wow – it’s our dream to own a stately old home like this. Though I must say, I hope to buy one ALREADY updated!
.-= christy´s last blog ..A spectacular before AND after =-.
Its like the mother ship is calling me home.
.-= Derek´s last blog ..This house gets around. =-.
This is just fabulous fabulous fabulous. Although, I always think to myself, “I could never buy a house like that, it would be a sin to paint all the woodwork white.”
.-= Liz´s last blog ..Twilight Time at the Old Mill =-.
So beautiful! A really great solution to the bathroom problem is to convert one of the bedrooms to a bath and laundry room. I saw this in a similar home when we were house shopping a few years ago and thought it was a great idea. The part of the former bedroom that faced the hall was made into the laundry room and the part that faced the master BR was made into a master bath. Still have 4 BR, but now 2 baths and a 2nd floor laundry, which in a house like that, is just about essential!
With everyone going “green” I just can’t understand why more of these beautiful old homes aren’t “recycled”. Stop building new cookie cutter homes and preserve our past! WAhhhh!
What a beauty. So sad. I hope someone snatches it up.
I like E’s solution for the bath. I’d make a laundry room/bath/craft room, lol!
.-= Nikki´s last blog ..Get ready, you’re invited! =-.
“I’m going to Kansas City…Kansas City here I come…” (is there a musical note emoticon that I’m not aware of?). I love this house. I’m with Nikki…this graceful lady has recycle stamped all over her. I’ll also bet there’s a butler’s pantry on that first floor that can be a half bath, too. Sigh…
Signed, Stuck in NJ
.-= Laura @ the shore house´s last blog ..The sick, and the bazaar. =-.
Folks, don’t feel like you are missing much. This house makes my heart go pitter-patter too, but I live in the KC metro area and unfortunately this house is in a HORRIBLE part of town. There are so many fabulous historical houses in this particular area, but if you need a gallon of milk after dark, forget it. The nearest main street is Independence Avenue and I wouldn’t even drive down that street after dark, let alone get out of my car. You might pick up a beautiful house like this for a song, but you’ll pay out the nose to send your kids to a private academy because you aren’t going to send them to the public schools. It’s a crying shame.
As a life long KCMO resident I’m shocked that this house even resembles the original picture from 1887. What used to be the very best neighborhood and an envious location pre 1900 has been for more than 30 yrs. a very dangerous area. IIRC the limestone right next to the subjet Queen Anne in the photo was decades ago blocked off into low-income apartments and later became a group home. It is very sad that this area near “Judges Row” and the KC Museum cannot be resurrected to a more desireable neighborhood. KCMO itself is to blame as it drove the final nail into the coffin of blight for old NE KC way back when Wayne Minor was built just S. of this immediate neighborhood. In truth though the area began rotting even by the mid-late 1920′s as the push Southward and the develpoment of Ward Parkway as the next “great boulevard” began to take shape. So sad, too bad. Overpriced for the location and condition. Though it would be nice even if the home had to be given away in order for someone to restore her. So many with good intentions for architectural treasures buy into areas like this and lose everything because they cannot/will not see the enighborhood for the house.
I’m going to have to agree, and disagree with H. and L. Yes, this neighborhood has a ways to go (getting rid of apartment complexes, holding landlords accountable, obtaining basic services closer to the area, dealing with the crime artery known as Independence Avenue), but this area seems to be up and coming. It’s less than 5 minutes from downtown (with traffic and lights) and has seen lots of renovations in the past several years. Many hipsters are moving in and renovating homes. It’s just going to take more people to move in, and perhaps the neighborhood association to buy out some of the rental properties.
The limestone single family house mentioned by L. (you can see a very small piece of it in the picture) is ALSO up for sale for $184,000.
I just followed through to the Realtor’s website and this house is now listed at only 90,000! wow.
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