THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 9, 1995 TAG: 9512070249
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT K. TURNBULL, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
The neighborhood is quiet, peaceful. Perhaps it' the 70- to 80-foot pine and oak trees that canopy the roads, creating a natural barrier to any potentially intrusive sounds.
Book-ended by The Hermitage Foundation Museum on the far west side and the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club on the east side, is the neighborhood of Loch Haven.
The area includes an older subdivision, Glencove Estates, but those who live in that section of Norfolk consider it all to be Loch Haven.
The Hermitage Foundation Museum is an English Tudor Style structure established in 1937, and like most of the Loch Haven neighborhood, appears to have been frozen in time. With a combination of brick and wood exterior, elegantly carved eaves and wrought iron accents, the museum has the look and feel of a quiet country inn.
The museum, however, merely culminates the essence of Loch Haven. As you drive off the grounds (or walk, for the exercise conscious) you'll find an eclectic mix of homes; houses representative of the English Tudor style, old Williamsburg colonial brick, white and gray stucco, some white- or gray-painted colonial brick, and several ranch style homes.
The houses are comfortably spaced, each with sizable back yards and front yard azalea gardens like the one displayed at the home of long-time residents Bob and Margo Taylor on Glencove Place.
``My mother and father, Bill and Jerry Taylor, moved here in 1948 and bought this home from the Brown family,'' explains Bob Taylor. ``We moved in when I was about 10 years old, and then moved back in with my wife Margo and our two children after my parents passed away.''
The Taylors moved into their waterfront Glencove Estate home in 1988 after some extensive renovations and additions. Their old Williamsburg colonial style house has a wide, well-tended backyard along the Lafayette River.
``This house was built in 1928 on what used to be the Glencove Links (golf course), part of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club,'' recounts Taylor. ``In fact, most of Loch Haven was built on the golf course. Now the club is primarily tennis and boating.''
The development of Loch Haven began in the early 1920s and reflects an older-style of construction both in the exterior and interior. For instance, the Taylors' 9,500-square-foot four-bedroom three-bath home is complete with sun-room, parlor and beautifully finished hard-wood floors.
``We added this family room to our house using teak wood and had to drive 50-foot piles into the ground for support, because we're so close to the water,'' Taylor says as he points to the golden teak room.
``This was the butler's sink, and over here was the maid's kitchen. They were really small in the old days, so we made it into a walk-in pantry.''
Like the Taylors' home, a few residences in Loch Haven have been kept in the family. ``It's been about 10 years since a waterfront home has come up for sale, but a lot of the homes have been selling along Gleneagles Road,'' says Taylor.
Margo Taylor concludes that, ``The people here are pretty sociable. I'm originally from Arkansas and when I came here everyone was very friendly.''
The city of Norfolk has been replacing the antiquated sewer system with new pipes and booster pumps. Gleneagles Road and North Shore Road should be finished by the beginning of '96 and the city will then start replacing the pipes on Glencove Place. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by Motoya Nakamura
Margo and Bob Taylor...
View of the Lafayette River
Graphic with map
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Schools: Sewells Point Elementary, Blair Middle School, Maury High
School and Granby High School. Williams School (K-8) and Norfolk
Collegiate (K-12), both private, are also nearby. Old Dominion
University is a short drive away.
Shopping: Wards Corner is a five minute drive, Military Circle
Shopping Center and Janaf Shopping Centers are less than 15 minutes
away.
Recreation: Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, Hermitage Foundation
Museum playground, Jewish Community Center, Naval Base Little
League.
FOR SALE
At 7665 Gleneagles Road, a four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath house was listed
for $169,900.
At 7430 Muirfield Road, a three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath house was listed
for $249,900.
At 7445 Gleneagles Road, a five-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath house was listed
for $299,900.
SOLD
At 7600 Gleneagles Road, a three-bedroom, one-bath house was sold in
June for $178,000 after 24 days on the market.
At 7607 Gleneagles Road, a four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath house was sold
in October for $215,000 after 158 days on the market.
At 7609 Gleneagles Road, four-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath was sold in July
for $285,000 after 101 days on the market.
by CNB