Eastlake House

The Eastlake House is a grand, renovated Prospect Hill home with a 21st-century heart. Restored and renovated by a dedicated crew of talented designers, artisans, crafts people and technicians, the Eastlake House reflects the best of traditional and contemporary architecture, set in Bloomington’s most livable neighborhood.

It’s all about lifestyle here: Walk and bike to Bloomington’s vibrant downtown, the IU campus, B-Line trail, BEAD arts district, Farmers Market and Bloomingfoods. Itself a contemporary architectural landmark, the neighborhood’s Fairview Elementary is a Leonard Bernstein Artful Learning School.

The Eastlake House’s original clapboarding, trim, woodwork, lighting, floors and walls have all been lovingly restored. The house features an expansive formal living room, dining room with fireplace, and two spacious bedrooms. The completely renovated kitchen includes stainless steel appliances, high-end counters, white oak rift-sawn floors and Amish-built solid wood cabinets. The new bathroom is a high-style contemporary haven, with sleek modernist fixtures and Italian tile. The cozy Italian-tiled sunroom looks out into a secluded cobblestone courtyard. Technicians have installed up-to-date insulation, electric and communication services, and the new Green mechanical systems, including an environmentally friendly Rinnie tankless on-demand water heater, dual-flush toilet, and an efficient high-tech gas furnace and central air conditioning.

The Eastlake House grounds are equally ambient, from the Arts-and-Crafts inspired landscaping design, original limestone urns, vintage limestone walls and WPA-era limestone sidewalks to the enclosed rear garden that features an edible landscape set amidst perennial ornamental plantings. The completed garden will include blueberry and raspberry plots, fruit trees and raised beds for urban organic vegetable gardening. Rare for this traditional compact-form neighborhood, the Eastlake House has a two-car garage and off-street parking.

The house has a grand history. It was 1900 when the Neal family built their dream Eastlake-styled home on the crest of Prospect Hill, the leafy neighborhood near the bustling Courthouse Square, which served as the social hub for Bloomington’s 6,460 citizens and 1,017 IU students. President McKinley was president. Hawaii just became a US territory and New York City started work on its controversial subway system. More than 25% of the new-fangled automobiles on the road were electric.

To construct a home that was the epitome of Victorian living, the Neal family utilized elegant Eastlake proportions and ornamentation. The magnificent tulip-motif woodwork, ten-foot high ceilings, chandeliers, fireplace, wide-plank floors and welcoming front porch spoke of refined living in a salubrious neighborhood setting. In the 1920s, the fashionable Neals again used modern styles and technology to update their home for contemporary living, adding a broad bungalow porch, electricity and indoor plumbing.

As the decades passed, the Eastlake House remained a Prospect Hill landmark, a magnet for music lovers drawn to the instruction of Don Neal, a renowned and beloved Bloomington teacher. Well over a century after the Neals constructed their cutting-edge home, the Eastlake House remains a space for creative 21st-century urban living.

See information and virtual tour here: http://arcbloomington.com/bloomington-rental-property/eastlake-house/