Candy Lytle said her husband Bob has always wanted to live on a lake, and the former Rochester couple recently fulfilled that dream when they purchased a home built in 1929, on Indianwood Lake.
The Lytles, who own Lytle Pharmacy in Rochester, recently completed renovating the home, which needed new plumbing, electrical and heating. They also added air conditioning to the house.
‘We moved into the house in July,? said Candy. ‘We lived over the garage all winter while work was being done…We sold our house in Rochester about a month after we put it up for sale.?
Candy said the home, located on Indianwood Road on about five acres of land, was the third house she looked at.
‘I came to see it with my son, who is in real estate,? she said. ‘We fell in love with it.?
Candy said she learned from the property’s owner that the house was built in 1929 by Frank Blair, who was president of Union Trust Bank and the former owner of the property now known as Indianwood Country Club.
‘I’d assume this house was built as his cottage,? she said. ‘He built this house as he was also having the Guardian Building in Detroit constructed.?
The Lytles were able to obtain the homes original blueprints, and are trying to retain as much of its history as possible.
‘Blair owned the house for four years, and by 1934, I think he’d lost it,? Candy said.
The Lytles hired Jerry Yurk of Yurk Architecture in Rochester to help them maintain the home’s historical integrity.
‘It is an unusual property,? said Candy. ‘It’s hilly, and there’s a main house as well as a carriage house.?
The main home has two floors, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
‘The basement was the maid’s quarters, and we’ve turned that into our offices,? Candy said.
‘The home was listed as 3,150 square-feet…But we enclosed the back porch and that now has heating and cooling, so that probably adds another 500 feet of space,? she said.
The Lytles kept several of the home’s original windows, including a cathedral-style one in the living room and two looking onto the now enclosed porch.
They kept the original tile in the bathrooms and some of the home’s original light fixtures are still in place.
‘In the library, we kept the ceiling and the trim,? said Candy. ?(Jerry Yurk) said the house is very solid. What you can see, we did nothing to, other than the windows.?
The Lytles had the home’s hard wood floors redone, and found out that the floors were most likely brought over from Europe.
‘Our refinisher said they were probably already 200 years old when they were put in,? Candy said. ‘They don’t even need a stain…When they are that old, they take on a dark patina on their own.?
So far, the Lytles are life in Lake Orion.
‘We still work in Rochester,? said Candy. ‘We have met some of our neighbors, and they are all very nice.?