HomeMy WebLinkAbout897"Photocopy of a handwritten document, 28 x 43 cm., prepared for the General Hospital
Auxiliary House Tour, circa 1970.
Loucks House
""Southwood"" was built in 1856 by Innkeeper Bostick on land awarded to Captain Hill
as a crown grant in 1796. It was later bought by Robert Secker who farmed it
successfully and some of the fruit trees in the garden are thought to be part of his
original orchard. The house is charmingly situated in an acre of garden which also
serves as a dog run, a pet cemetery and, this year the home of 17,576 caterpillars-none
of whom are original.
The present owners, Don and Mary Loucks, moved into the house after their marriage in
1953 and have added extensions to both the east and west ends of the original structure
which still retains many of the early windows and details such as pine woodwork and
hardware.
The interior walls are panelled simply to prop up the old plaster and each room is
furnished in an interesting melange of periods - early crippled civilian, mid-Victorian
(from the owners' childhood) and present-day San Francisco. In addition, the Loucks
have excavated many authentic artifacts belonging to the original owners such as the
old locks and keys and some of the old bottles and hinges displayed in the kitchen.
In the antique glass comport in the living room are the hand-made nails with which the
house was built.
The rooms upstairs (excepting the master bedroom which is neat, clean and utterly
charming) are most not the responsiblity of Mrs. Loucks but rather that of her rotten
children - who are original. The guinea pig has been removed for this occasion from
Graham's room but anyone finding his snake is asked to report it to the tour guides.
""Southwood"" is typical of its era in design. It was originally a centre hall plan with the
staircase rising immediately inside the front door, which opened on to a road running
down to Frenchman's Bay- unfortuantely long since disappeared. Now, the entire
property is situated aesthetically between two busy highways and boasts a panoramic
vista of the Armor Elevator Company.
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