Hene - Gouloos House
640 Ferry St.
Lot :: 50' x 132' Unplatted
Key :: 156-06100-0546
This grand home was previously the home of Cecilia J. Gouloos. The home slowly crumbled as its owner grew older and older. Paint peeled, shingles feel, and the mechanical systems failed. The parquet floors had buckled and the stained glass windows became bowed and then cracked. Ms. Gouloos lived very simply in the home without plumbing, electricity, or heat. She was well known throughout the neighborhood for repairing her roof even into her 80's. Ms. Gouloos lived in the home until 1997 when she entered a nursing home. Ms. Gouloos was born Sep 24, 1898 and passed away Sep 16, 2001.
Many feared that this Queen Anne style home built in 1894 would be lost. The Hene-Gouloos house was put on the Wabash Valley Trust's "Endangered Structures List" in 1997. This home was recently renovated by Lafayette Neighborhood Housing Services, who replaced the roof, repaired and repainted the exterior, and intalled new mechanical systems. The last home on the 600 block of Ferry St. to be restored, this home retains its oak woodwork, fireplaces, flooring and hardware. On November 10, 1999, the home was awarded a Wabash Valley Trust Plaque.