121 Richey Avenue
The American Four square style house at 121 Richey Avenue is the home to Jane and Richard Sestric. The house was built in 1906 by John W. Kline. The Sestrics are now the fifth owners of the home and found it a perfect spot for raising their four daughters.
Included among the former owners were the Krom family, who owned a shoe store on Federal Street, right here on the northside. A photo of the Kroms’, with the house all decorated for Fourth of July, hangs in the house today.
Since the Sestrics bought the home in 1977, they spent their time restoring it back to its original form by attempting to locate vintage woodwork, restoring the hardwood floors back to their original finish and discovering some hidden features that seemed buried “under wraps” by previous owners.
The green and rose colored stained glass window on the landing of the stairs is original to the home. The mantle in the living room is from Rich’s mother’s house on Peralta Street on the Northside. Her house and several others were demolished at the time of construction of the East Street Expressway. In the dining room, the window above the china hutch was covered with plaster and exposed just a few years ago while restoring the dining room.
Now that the Sestric’s daughters are grown, the backroom on the second floor is used as a library with a small collection of books and the computer. Jane and Rich collect books and enjoy spending time in the study.