218 LaPrado Place interview today!

This morning I had the pleasure of talking with Shannon Murphy, owner of 218 La Prado Place and Keysha Drexel, Editor of Over The Mountain Journal. Keysha is writing a feature story for OTMJ about Shannon’s home and about the Historic Hollywood Home Tour.  Look for the issue in your front yard on April 18!

The April 2013 issue of Birmingham Magazine has a home feature of this home, but there’s something so special about standing in the house and looking at the restoration, as well as to talk to the home owner. Shannon shared the very personal story of how her home was affected by the April 27, 2011 tornadoes.  The upper floor of the house destroyed after a lightning strike hit the house during the afternoon storms. We were all in tears just listening to stories of how Shannon's family had been in a safe place to protect the children, realizing the house had been struck by lightning, then seeing the home be flooded with fire hoses.  The emotion of the situation is so much more than many people can imagine.

However there were several moments that made me smile- because they are reassurances of why we love this historic neighborhood. Shannon spoke of neighbors helping remove contents of the house to salvage what they could- and how the neighborhood all pitched in to help that evening.  Neighbors were returning to the house to try to save items on the first floor so the family would not lose things like pictures. The smiles of the firemen rescuing her dog after she tearfully told her children that she knew the dog would perish in the flames. She spoke of how they were displaced for many months, but coming back to the restored home and returning to the loving neighborhood that they had been a part of since 2002. Shannon said they did an open house for the neighborhood to thank them for helping the entire family. She also said that she was happy to put the home on the 2013 tour because the tour generates funds for triangle maintenance in the neighborhood, as well as supporting Shades Cahaba School and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.  It gets at the heart of why many of us love Homewood and Hollywood- it’s about the people and sense of community here that just can’t be found in every single neighborhood.

When you are at 218 LaPrado Place, think of the families who have grown up in this house.  Pay special attention to the upstairs children’s bedrooms. Inside the window benches are mounted fire ladders, so that in the event of a house fire- children will be able to escape.  Also look for the framed child’s drawing of guardian angels.  In the destroyed second floor of the home, one of Shannon’s daughters found this picture she had drawn years before- and it has the footprint of a fireman on the back of it. Through all the destruction, the guardian angels were still in the house and one of the precious memories which was salvaged. Amazing; it gave me chills to hear her describe the story.

Please read the feature in your next issue of Over The Mountain Journal, purchase tour tickets and enjoy our tour this year! Tickets can be found at Hunters Cleaners, Harmony Landing, Arceneaux Gallery and Sweet Peas Garden Center. You may also contact our ticket chair, Jennifer Kramer at dank_7371@yahoo.com or 879-6777 to purchase tickets.