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A new spring for Barr property

Texas couple transforms Animas Valley estate

HERMOSA

A Texas couple is transforming the historic estate in the Animas Valley that was owned for decades by Roberta and Robert Barr.

Eric and Alice Foultz are renovating the Barr property’s 1940 stone cottage at 22 County Road 202 and the 1937 log cabin at 140 County Road 202. They’re planting raspberries and fruit trees to re-create the well-known gardens that Roberta Barr tended until her death in December 2013.

They’re also building a nature trail through the 7-acre property that winds along Hermosa Creek in the Animas Valley.

“We’re really trying to restore the historic context of the place,” Eric Foultz said during a tour of the property Monday.

The Foultzes are from San Antonio, but they’ve owned the property near Purgatory Resort since 2006 when they purchased it after falling in love with the Durango area on their way home from a camping trip.

“We love our place up at the mountain, but we have become more and more fond of what the property has to offer,” Eric Foultz said. He is senior managing director of LBJ Wealth Advisors, an investment firm, while Alice Foultz is an art curator and adviser.

As with many of La Plata County’s vacation homeowners, Eric Foultz said Durango’s relative proximity to Texas was a selling point.

“We really wanted a place we could drive to in one day,” he said. “It’s a long drive, but you can do it.”

After the property’s renovations are completed, the Foultzes plan to list it as a vacation rental on VRBO.com. The Foultzes see it as a potential venue for weddings, reunions and other special events.

They also plan to use the property themselves, especially as they grow older.

The Barr property echoes with history. In the basement of the stone cottage is where Roberta Barr kept her canning. A small building known as the “Honey House” is where Robert Barr did his beekeeping. The Foultzes plan to use Robert’s old bee boxes as rustic shelving.

They also removed cables and several rusted-out cars from the bank of Hermosa Creek, where they were installed decades ago to stabilize the bank. Other “found” objects will be integrated into the interior design.

Eric Foultz came to know the Barr property by happenstance. He used to ride his bicycle by the property along with his Jack Russell terrier, which sat in the bike’s basket. He struck up conversations with Roberta Barr, who often sat on the porch.

Barr’s property had vibrant flower gardens and fruit trees. She was even featured in Flower Gardening magazine in 1999.

“Even though it was way overgrown, her garden was amazing,” Eric Foultz said.

He offered to buy the property years ago, but Roberta Barr was not interested in selling. After Barr’s death at age 99, the Foultzes quickly put in an offer, beating out several others. “There was a long line of people who were interested in it,” he said.

The transaction was completed in September for $800,000. The seller was the Robert M. and Roberta E. Barr Trust. The buyer was the Foultzes’ limited-liability company, Honey House Hermosa.

The Foultzes placed the property under contract once, before flooding issues were discovered. They pulled out of the contract and agreed to a lower price.

Eric Foultz said he and his wife plan to “double up” on their investment – or spend about the same amount on renovations as they did on the property itself.

The Foultzes have hired Goff Engineering to reinforce the historic stone cottage. Dearien Custom Construction is doing much of the work on the property, and horticulturist Lisa Bourey of Passion Flower Durango is helping to beautify the outdoors areas. Mountain Oasis is installing an irrigation ditch that loops around the property.

The property is highlighted by the stone cottage, which spanned 2,442 square feet before the renovations began. The Foultzes tore down a 1961 addition; it will be replaced with modern construction. They’re hoping to turn the basement into livable space, but they face height and flooding concerns.

The log cabin is only about 800 square feet. The Foultzes are combining the small bedroom and bathroom to make one large bathroom. They plan to install a king-size bed in the cabin’s main room, which also has a historic fireplace.

Outdoors, the Foultzes have planted fruit trees in Roberta Barr’s old orchards in the spirit of restoring her flora. Look for apple, pear, plum, nectarine, cherry, almond, walnut and apricot trees.

Eric Foultz said the crews are being sensitive to the property’s natural character. For example, Bourey opted to retain a pine tree overlooking Barr’s rose garden because hawks nest in it.

“The property delivered so many things to us on its own,” Foultz said.

cslothower@durangoherald.com

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