After two years of waiting, residents of the new Evergreen Elm group home at 8 Elm St. will finally be able to move into their new house in April.
Prior to that, however, the home at 8 Elm St., also referred to as Benton House, will host an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. April 17, said Evergreen Elm executive director, Debbie Price.
She said the open house, which will include a shuttle service and refreshments, will be hosted by CNB Bank in Bradford.
“There will be a shuttle every 10 to 15 minutes from the First Presbyterian Church back parking lot,” Price said, noting the ATA bus service will provide the shuttles.
“We have staff who will be doing tours for everybody,” Price continued. “And it will be part of the (Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce) Business After Hours” event also attended by area merchants.
Price said the gathering will also serve as an open house for donors and other individuals who helped with the cost of the new home.
The $1.5 million house has been under construction since groundbreaking last May and replaces the former historic home that was destroyed by an accidental fire April 20, 2016.
No injuries were reported among the 11 residents, who after the fire were split up and have lived in other structures since then.
The 5,000-square-feet, split-level home was designed by Bradford architect Curt Wallace of C.J. Wallace Engineering LLC, and was constructed by Hennard Construction.
The new house, which will accommodate 15 residents who will move in toward the end of April, is accented with a turret, or tower, that contains a weathervane and matches the style of some of the historic Victorian-era homes in the Second Ward neighborhood. The upstairs is a handicap-accessible residential setting with access from Elm Street. The structure also has a door on its South Avenue side as well as office space on the ground level of the home.
She said while the home is beautifully designed and constructed, the inside furniture will be very basic and simple.
“It’s specially designed stuff to be strong and sturdy,” she explained.
Price speculated that landscaping around the home as well as the final coat on the driveway likely will not be completed for the open house. Despite this, she said everyone is very excited about the completion of the home.
“We’re all excited about this,” she said. “I was watching the contractor and architect interact … and there was a look of relief on their faces (that said) ‘Oh, we’re almost done.’”
