bought

A Detroit couple bought a vacant 1925 bank and neighboring bar for $66,000; 13 years later, one old bank vault is a den and another is a wine cellar

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A Detroit couple bought a vacant 1925 bank and neighboring bar for $66,000; 13 years later, one old bank vault is a den and another is a wine cellar

Michael and Lynne carried out much of the renovation themselves. (Pictures: Homes.com) A former bank building in Detroit, Michigan that sat vacant for about a decade has been turned into a two-bedroom home after a couple spent years restoring it by hand. The unusual property, built in 1925, is now on the market for $1.3 … Read more

A British couple bought a derelict 85-foot, seven-storey Victorian water tower at auction; after years of painstaking work, the former asylum water supply became their family home

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A British couple bought a derelict 85-foot, seven-storey Victorian water tower at auction; after years of painstaking work, the former asylum water supply became their family home

A British couple bought a derelict 85-foot, seven-storey Victorian water tower at auction An 85-foot Victorian water tower that once supplied an asylum in South London has been turned into a family home after a major multi-million-pound restoration by a British couple. The Grade II-listed structure in Kennington was built in 1877 to supply water … Read more

In 1969, a Church’s Fried Chicken co-founder bought 3,000 acres of neglected Texas ranchland; decades of restoration brought long-absent springs and flowing water back

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In 1969, a Church’s Fried Chicken co-founder bought 3,000 acres of neglected Texas ranchland; decades of restoration brought long-absent springs and flowing water back

Bamberger Ranch PreservePhoto credit: https://www.bambergerranch.org Back in 1969, R. C. Bamberger made a bold move that left many locals scratching their heads. The co-founder of Church’s Fried Chicken bought 3,000 acres of badly damaged land in the Texas Hill Country, stepping into a landscape ruined by generations of heavy cattle grazing. The topsoil was washed … Read more

An Iowa couple bought an abandoned fire station for $90,000; nearly 10 years later, they had turned the black-mold-covered 1960 building into their family dream home

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An Iowa couple bought an abandoned fire station for $90,000; nearly 10 years later, they had turned the black-mold-covered 1960 building into their family dream home

Photo: absolutprop_firehouse_flip/ Instagram Growing up in Iowa, Steven and Ashley Evans knew all about the local fire station in Cedar Rapids because it was right by the high school they both attended. “We always dreamed we’d live here one day. It went up for sale and we thought we’d come check it out,” Steven, 40, … Read more

In 1974, the National Park Service bought the Stewart family’s 890-acre California ranch; they negotiated the right to remain and continued ranching there until 2021

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In 1974, the National Park Service bought the Stewart family's 890-acre California ranch; they negotiated the right to remain and continued ranching there until 2021

Photo credit: Canva (Representative image) When the federal government stepped in to buy the Stewart family’s 890-acre ranch in 1974, most people assumed a century of family cattle operations had reached its end. The acquisition was part of a major initiative to build out California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, setting up an obvious conflict between … Read more

68-year-old Sheila Consaul bought Ohio’s abandoned Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse for $71,010 in 2011, then spent 15 years and over $300,000 restoring it as an off-grid home

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68-year-old Sheila Consaul bought Ohio’s abandoned Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse for $71,010 in 2011, then spent 15 years and over $300,000 restoring it as an off-grid home

Sheila Consaul transformed Ohio’s abandoned Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse into a unique off-grid summer home. At 68, Sheila Consaul owns one of America’s most unusual homes, a century-old lighthouse standing in Lake Erie. During a conversation with Tiny House Giant Journey, she opened up about how she went from building a career in Washington, DC, … Read more

In the 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin and his wife Paula bought a barren piece of land in Hawaii; planting one sapling at a time, they transformed the wasteland into a 19-acre forest with more than 3,000 palms

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In the 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin and his wife Paula bought a barren piece of land in Hawaii; planting one sapling at a time, they transformed the wasteland into a 19-acre forest with more than 3,000 palms

An acclaimed American poet laureate, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author, environmental activist and literary translator, W.S. Merwin held many titles throughout his life. But what he held even more closely was his love for nature. The poet who moved to Maui in the 1970s, to study Zen Buddhism ended up buying a barren parcel of land … Read more

In 2016, an Indiana family bought a former bishop’s residence with its own private chapel; after nine years restoring it, the century-old home is listed for $1.28 million

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In 2016, an Indiana family bought a former bishop's residence with its own private chapel; after nine years restoring it, the century-old home is listed for $1.28 million

The century-old home is listed for nearly $1.28 million (Image Credit: Maggie Patterson via PEOPLE) An Indiana family spent nine years restoring a historic home that once served as a Catholic bishop’s residence and contains an elaborate private chapel. The story was detailed in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, in which Maggie Patterson shared how … Read more

In 1951, a New Jersey couple bought 185-acres of land as a summer retreat after which an injured owl turned their property into a wildlife refuge

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In 1951, a New Jersey couple bought 185-acres of land as a summer retreat after which an injured owl turned their property into a wildlife refuge

Jim and Betty Woodford. Image Credit: Cedar Run Wildlife refuge In 1951, Jim and Betty Woodford bought 185 acres in what was then the largely undeveloped Medford Township, New Jersey, hoping to create a summer retreat. But the land became the foundation for a lifelong commitment to wildlife. According to the Cedar Run website, the … Read more

In 1912, a Black couple bought California beachfront land and built a resort; the city seized it in the 1920s, and a century later their heirs got it back and sold it for nearly $20 million

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In 1912, a Black couple bought California beachfront land and built a resort; the city seized it in the 1920s, and a century later their heirs got it back and sold it for nearly $20 million

Charles and Willa Bruce on their wedding day (Left) and Margie Johnson and John Pettigrew in Manhattan Beach in 1927 (Right) A prime piece of Southern California oceanfront property taken from a Black couple through eminent domain a century ago was formally returned to their descendants and then sold back to Los Angeles County for … Read more