That One on the Corner: From “Seen Better Days” to “Instagram-worthy” Home

Story By Mary Casey-Sturk l Photos by Jessie Eden

Editor’s Note: Fort Thomas residents were so curious about this house, the Guerras started an Instagram page with full updates. Check it out at instagram.com/that_one_on_the_corner/

Many of us have a vision of our perfect home: great schools, a walkable neighborhood, and nice neighbors. Jimmy and Kristin Guerra had that vision too. They, along with their son Santiago, saw their vision of a perfect home come to life in front of their eyes. Unlike many people creating their dream home, their vision also came to life in front of many of our eyes. During the 18 months of restoration and building, neighbors wondered, “What’s going on at that one on the corner?”

Welcome to the “That One on the Corner”.

On the corner of North Fort Thomas and Bluegrass Avenues stands the home the Guerra’s spent the last 18 months creating to be perfect for their family, including their dog, Dolce. Who is as sweet as his name suggests.

Residents of Fort Thomas for the past 15 years, the Guerras sought a home closer to shops, restaurants, schools, and all that makes Fort Thomas, well, Fort Thomas. Walkability was high on their list as well as a true sense of community. The sort of place where neighbors know your name and check on each other. 

The search for a home that fit the bill commenced and nothing quite matched up to their wish list, that is until a conversation with their son’s friend & parents changed the narrative and drew their attention to the house at 146 North Fort Thomas Avenue.  Their future next-door neighbor provided the contact information of the house’s current owner (Shade Tree Homes) which led the Guerras to buy it.  Even though they were about to redo the kitchen in their current home (everything was already ordered), they had a vision of what this house could be, and a deal was struck.

If the house is familiar to you, it might be because the house was once home to Marcelle Beauty Shop. The salon was in the front of the house and the sinks remained, a reminder of coiffures and conversations.   Adding to the charm of obtaining the house, the Guerras had the opportunity to speak with the daughter of the owner of Marcelle’s, Patti (Kelly) Kattenhorn. Kattenhorn lived in the house with her mother Marcella Kelly and kindly shared family photos and stories.

Happy to see the house being transformed, Kattenhorn was one of 100 friends and neighbors who came into the home to wish the Guerras well and left messages of love on the studs of their new walls before they were covered up.  Patti Kattenhorn added a message, remembering what it was like to climb the stairs as a child. This is community. 

A Vision of the Perfect Home

Built in 1890, the house had stood empty for some time and needed, well let’s just say, “a little love”.  

Kristin shared a video of walking through the house early in the process, it was clear that their vision would make any fan of HGTV swoon. They could see and plan beyond the walls and existing footprint to envision how the home would work for their family.

“We went through many design iterations with the builder, we don’t know if we would have gotten to this point without Shade Tree Homes (who owned the house and managed the remodel)”. Shares Jimmy, adding, “We got ahold of the plans they had, which was a starting point, and then we began to make it ours.”  Noting, “We got to design and pick what we wanted for our family.”

“We’d create spaces for things we wanted, but sometimes had to adapt for the structure. There was a lot of back and forth. The original part of the house was built in 1890, but it hadn’t been lived in for so long there wasn’t a lot that we could keep”. Adds Kristin.

While some things in the home were beyond repair, Kristin shares that they were intentional in saving what they could, “For example, the (existing) stairs, it was important for us to save them. The house had a flat roof, and over time we learned that there were leaks so a new roof was just built over it and we wanted to take it back to the flat roof. The floor grates were all rusted, and we brought them back. We tried to save the front door and couldn’t, but we saved the hardware and used it on the pantry door.”  Their new front door was painted green, a nod to the Green Line streetcar that once operated along Fort Thomas Avenue. Marble window sills were saved, including the ones from the old bedrooms of both Kelly and Kattenhorn. The outdoor frieze at the front of the house was saved, it’s made from molded metal and had many layers of paint, after it was ground down, it was repainted. Like the rest of the house, the frieze links the new and the old beautifully.  

On good surprises, like finding pocket doors. Jimmy adds, “The pocket already doors were there, we wanted to add pocket doors, we never knew they were there, and we found them during the demo”. Another bonus was finding a large beam in the basement, it has been repurposed into shelving for their bar.

This project was more than a basic house build, “Part of it was a renovation, part of it rebuilt, and then the rest was an addition.” States Kristin. 

“A lot of creativity was used inside” adds Jimmy. 

Features like the garage and an expanded front porch were supported by neighbors and approved by the city, for which the Geurras are grateful. 

A Family Home

Inside, guests are treated to the fruits of their labor.  Light streams in from an abundance of windows and the home is welcoming with the original staircase, now restored, greeting you. 

With three finished floors, the family enjoys both indoor and outdoor fireplaces, and room for entertaining both adults and friends of Santiago’s (Santi) from Highlands Middle School. The kitchen shines as a gathering place for all and is thoughtfully laid out with an impressive walk-in pantry. Bedrooms and office space are plentiful and there is even a second-floor workout room with a sauna. 

“Our builder was helpful, he said to keep the old “old” and the new “new”. It’s all very intentional. Kristin did a really good job of trying to modernize and respect the old.” Shares Jimmy. 

In a cheeky nod to the film Steel Magnolias, Kristin added some whimsy to her home office that once served as a beauty salon. “Most people knew the house was a beauty salon”, shares Kristin, “so I had magnolia print added to my office.”  Jimmy’s office space was once the waiting room for the salon.

In other nods to the past, they chose a tile pattern for the main floor bath that closely matched what had formerly been in the old entry hall.

Since moving in last September, the Geurras have been pleased with the finished product and wouldn’t change a thing.  

This is home.

Jimmy, Kristin and Santiago Guerra (along with Dolce the dog) spent 18 months turning this Fort Thomas home into their dream home.  Along the way, they discovered treasures such as hidden pocket doors. They also sought to repurpose as much as possible, including the hardware from the old front door-now repurposed for the pantry door and beams found in the basement were turned into shelves. The original front stairs were saved and details near the roofline were preserved. The front porch was widened, and the front door is painted green, a nod to the Green Line streetcar that operated along Fort Thomas Avenue.  Part restoration, part addition, the project has turned “That One on the Corner” into their dream home.

Patti (Kelly) Kattenhorn shared photos and family stories with the Guerras. Kattenhorn lived in the house with her mother, Marcella Kelly, who owned Marcelle’s.