Every week, I scour the internet to find interesting articles or websites to share with you. Sometimes related to home decor, often times related to vintage, and always fun and interesting! Topics that start conversations, teach you something new, or make you think.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee and tune in each Saturday for “The Conversation Piece” – you never know what we’ll discover to talk about!
The Conversation Piece this Week
This week, I came upon an article called “Old converted church hides gorgeous modern interiors in London” by Lucy Wang on Inhabitat. I think it would be amazing to live inside this old church – take a peek!
From this article, here are some of the photos I love. Make sure to click the link to the article above to see more photos (NOTE: The ads on the website are annoying, but trust me, the photos are worth it).
Just think of all those amazing stained glass and arched windows in the church and how they would enhance a living space! Oh my! The open rafters and beams add even more interest. The large open spaces and extra high ceilings would really be incredible. I love that this old church has been revamped into such awesome living spaces! It would have been a shame to see such a beautiful building abandoned.
My Grandma converted an old school house that was built in the early 1900s into a tavern and restaurant. She was quite the entrepreneur! She lived in the country in Wisconsin, and was raising eight kids on a farm – by herself. In order to support her and her kids, she bought the old schoolhouse across the way and turned it into one of the busiest places in that area! It was called The Lone Pine – named after an incredibly large pine tree on the corner of the homestead (and one that my cousins and I climbed many times). It was literally THE tallest tree around! When you saw that tree while driving down the country road, you knew you were almost at Grandma’s house and at The Lone Pine.
This old schoolhouse had the original chalkboard on one wall, the original interior walls and the creaky old wood floors. I think all of this just added to the overall look and feel of The Lone Pine, and are elements that made it a special place. Well, that… and my Grandma!
Grandma sold The Lone Pine when she retired, but it’s still there today – including the original chalkboard and creaky old wood floors. The exterior has been redone, but the memories of the place remain. My aunts, uncles, and cousins still go there – and when we do, all the memories of Grandma come flooding back. The Lone Pine has stood the test of time and that old schoolhouse building is what makes it so unique. Thank you for the memories, Grandma.
If you want to see what The Lone Pine looks like today, check out The Lone Pine on Google. The tavern looks much different than it did when my Grandma owned it, but from this link, you can see the house on the hill that my Grandma built (off to the left of the tavern). Across the street is the old farmstead. The farmhouse burned down, but the original barn is still there – oh, the memories of playing in that barn! You can still see one of the old pine trees on the corner of the property. THE “lone pine” was struck by lightning and is sadly no longer there. You can see a small house behind the tavern – we called it “the playhouse”. It was a small house on the farm property, tucked among the largest willow trees I’ve ever seen. The “playhouse” was moved behind the tavern, and it is where my uncle lived for awhile. Bet you didn’t know you were going to have all this “family history” when you started reading this article, did you? 🙂
My family and I live in the country, and there are lots of abandoned town halls and churches in our area. I often think how fun it would be to renovate these places, and turn them into livable spaces for people. Just think of the possibilities!
Let’s Start the Conversation!
Would you ever want to convert an old church, school, or other building into a house? If so, we want to hear your ideas!
Share in a comment below!
In Our Shop Now:
Love this article! It is so wonderful to see when pieces of history remain intact by those that renovate and save these buildings from destruction. Hearing your memories of what your Grandma created was heart warming! Thank you for sharing your story!
Thank you, Pam. So many fond memories of that place! I could write a book about some of our adventures on the farmstead and about the tavern. If you’re ever in Wisconsin, let me know and we’ll meet up at The Lone Pine! Cheers!
Bonjour JD!
> My Grandma converted an old school house that was built in the early 1900s into a tavern and restaurant
> My family and I live in the country, and there are lots of abandoned town halls and churches in our area. I often think how fun it would be to renovate these places, and turn them into livable spaces for people. Just think of the possibilities!
Truly Love this! 😉
Another Fabulous article JD! Merci beaucoup for sharing!:)
Hey there Solveig! I’ve missed you!
Thank you for stopping by and for your nice comments! I hope all is well with you!
What a wonderful article & story of your memories of your grandma’s homestead & tavern!
(Now I see where your energy & entrepreneurial skills come from!)
What a treasure that it still is a place you can visit to recapture the past!
Thank you, Shel!
My Grandma was quite the woman, and definitely an entrepreneur – I loved that about her. Maybe one day you can join me at The Lone Pine!