One of the older streets in the delightfully close-knit community of West Cape May, Leaming Avenue connects Broadway, the main drag of the west town where shops and farmer’s markets and parades happen, to the secret bat-cave entrance to the City of Cape May itself: Elmira Street.
Several changes in mood occur within a very short span along this roadway, from the Currier & Ives style neighborhood found just beside Broadway, where the house at 111 sits, then through the lonely wilds alongside Cape May Creek, and finally to the old train station of Cape May. One can only imagine how much of an advantage this must have been when the house at 111 Leaming Ave. was built in 1870. It’s still a huge advantage now.
Everything about this property has aged well, in fact, though the location is first among its many charms. The pretty little gabled front with its deep front porch is exactly one window too tall to be considered a cottage; this is a workman’s home built with attention to detail and strong plumb lines. It still presents a pretty picture to passersby, perched delicately at the front of a long narrow lot, currently a combination of two lots measuring 90’ across and 148’ back. This gives plenty of room for surprises to come, but the curb view remains that of a stalwartly modest home giving old-fashioned charm, snugly woven into the fabric of West Cape May. The gingerbread is bright and cheerful, the porch railing has an improvised charm that’s much more historically evocative than the perfectly curated palaces a half-mile to the east, and the colors seem a bit more masculine than the candy shades of the Historic District. So far, so very West Cape May.
Indoors, one immediately has to adjust expectations, because recent renovations have made the interior of this home much brighter and more comfortable than the narrow warren of dark rooms the actual Victorians preferred. The small front parlor has been opened up a bit, anchored by a sturdy gas fireplace with a commanding wood mantle. On either side of this focal point, decisions must be made: the staircase begins its winding path upwards just to the left, while a wide passageway leads to the dining room to the right. A small closet makes use of the space beneath the stairs, keeping coats and clutter out of the open paths leading back to the heart of the house. Hardwood flooring and soft pale walls keep the light flowing through, creating nooks instead of dead-ends, so the entire first floor offers little coves of quiet without closing any rooms off entirely. This arrangement was simply the most logical adaptation of the existing floor plan, in place with few alterations for 150 years now, but it does create a cozy sense of place. Put simply: it’s not a museum, but they didn’t gut the place entirely.
The kitchen is in its own little wing extending from the side of the house – a true testament to the home’s age, built when kitchens were never attached to the main house. This position grabs all the light and air possible from a southern-facing window looking out over Leaming Avenue, and another facing due east over the driveway with room for two cars leading to a detached shed. The horse-shoe shaped kitchen was designed to keep the work-triangle manageable while offering ample storage, one of the most efficiently-shaped kitchen designs. The countertops are a deeply veined marble, even over the laundry units, proving that the kitchen is both command center and working kingdom, limiting the number of wasteful steps one must take to do boring housework so one can get their steps in later by walking to the beach, shops or restaurants. This long space created by the kitchen and dining room is not entirely treated as a modern “great room” but it could be, if that was desired.
Just behind the dining room is a bedroom that could be an office, playroom or workroom, and a recently-updated full bath. This bath lends itself to family life with an extended tub perfect for getting the sand off the littles, and crisp fresh tile. The floor tile here maintains the same color scheme found in the kitchen countertops, which recalls the colors of the gingerbread and trim out front: every simple piece in harmony, so subtle one might not even notice at first look.
The upstairs is kept even more simple, with three bedrooms. The bath up here is even brighter and simpler, with a walk-in shower and a simple beige-granite vanity. Once again, it doesn’t feel like a museum but some care was taken to maintain the old-fashioned vibes. Wood flooring continues through the hall and bedrooms, and the primary bedroom is surprisingly large given the age of the home. The third floor is accessible through a drop-panel, and though it has a window over the front it is rather a steep angle under the roof for additional living space, and is therefore ideal for storage. (In many houses from this era, the top staircase could simply never be brought up to modern safety codes, so somewhere along the way in this home’s history, they simply removed the scary staircase entirely.)
The home’s yard is a real advantage, especially if one wanted to add garden beds, more patios or a pool. There is an existing small deck off the back of the house reached by a back door next to the bathroom, but this is only the first of the surprises in store back here. An entirely new guest house has been built at the far end of the lot, offering an in-law’s apartment, rental property for the family, or it could be where the owners stay while they continue to rent out the historic home in front. Either way, this little cottage has a bright front deck perfect for container plants and relaxing afternoons, a great room with a bright modern kitchen, seating at the island in the center, and space for relaxing or watching movies. A short hall leads to the large bedroom in the back, a smaller second bedroom for guests or hobbies, and a very pretty full bath with marble tile and a perfectly scaled-down sink for the small space. Though it’s a cozy setup, nothing feels cramped.
The combination of these two buildings adds up to six bedrooms and three baths spread out over two very cute homes, with new electric, plumbing, roofs and HVAC. The addition of the lot next door at 107 Leaming Avenue means this is quite a lot of house on a surprisingly large piece of property behind an adorable facade, and all of it located right in the heart of West Cape May. Even better, it is just off the main road on a quiet street that leads to both downtowns, both bridges, and all that the Cape offers.
