Lisa Kassinger purchased the 142-year Stevenson house on Griffith Avenue at auction earlier this month. The farmhouse came with horse stables and bore little resemblance to any other home on the block.
The home belonged to multiple generations of Stevensons before the auction, most recently the late Jane Latimer Stevenson. Stevenson’s family built the house in 1881 on what was then a family farm.
Kassinger purchased the home because of its nostalgic charm and plans to live there after making some renovations.
“It is located on a beautiful lot and conveniently located on Griffith Avenue with a country feel,” Kassinger said. “I just love the feel when I’m standing in the backyard and all my visions of things I will do to improve it.”
Kassinger intends to keep the home’s “pristine” features while adding modern updates. She said the barn is important to her, and she has big plans for it.
“I’m planning to use it for wedding photography and other things in the future,” she said. “I’m very excited, and I know many people are excited to watch the home get some ‘TLC,’ and it most definitely will.”
Despite poor weather conditions, six bidders and a large crowd were at the auction. Amy Whistle served as the agent and auctioneer for the property and said several people reached out to see if the auction would still happen.
“I took calls all day from people asking if the auction would still happen with the weather we had,” Whistle said. “We roll on unless there is a state of emergency. The weather rarely affects an auction. There was a tree top that was taken out by the morning storm, but I was able to get someone to take care of that fairly quickly.”
Whistle has grown close to the home and its heritage over the last few months and is delighted to know Kassinger has no plans of tearing it down.
“The representatives from Ms. Stevenson’s trust were pleased, and the buyer was very happy,” she said. “I am tickled to say that the buyer has no plans of tearing the house or barn down. She looks forward to revitalizing the property and keeping that piece of Owensboro history going.”
