Old Pompano Beach Historic Homes Tour
3. THE "CAP CAMPBELL" HOUSE Circa 1910
Welcome to 300 NE 4 Avenue
LIVING ROOM
 As
you enter the house. the first thing you will probably notice
is the green circular staircase in the middle of the room.
Donna Merritt. (previous owner & Doris' mother) decided
that the room needed something so after seeing a circular
staircase advertised in the classifieds she proceeded to
have it installed right in the middle of the room. opening
to the attic. We finished the attic loft by adding insulation.
bead board paneling paint, and carpet. We also built the
wall and door area to block the rest of the attic off. When
we replaced the central air unit. For those of you who are
steady on your feet you may want to take a peak upstairs
at the "Beanie Attic". There are over 200 Beanie
Babies who call this cozy loft their home. It is also a
game room for the kids.
KITCHEN
The kitchen. as you see it today
was used as a dining room when the Merritt's bought the
house. Where the stove is. there was a hallway with a cLoset
on each side, which lead to the front bedroom. The cabinets
came out of a home in Lighthouse Point that was being demolished.
There was a doorway where the kitchen sink is and on either
side was an old window opening. Donna and Bob designed the
kitchen and also did all the labor. Alan used 19 tubes of
caulk to fill cracks in the walls and ceiling from years
of settling. We painted, took down (but kept) the French
doors and added the arbors. to give us a little bit of "Napa
Valley"
FIREPLACE ROOM
If look at the floors you will notice
this room and the kitchen are obviously from the same construction
period. It is thought that these two rooms were part of
the original home that was rolled here on logs in the 1920's.
The fireplace was a functional wood burning fireplace but
was converted to gas about six years ago. The bookcase that
covers the south wall was built by Donna and Bob to create
a library affect. My favorite things in this room are the
"THOMAS KINKADE" paintings that actually pickup
the light and change in appearance as you brighten and dim
the lights.
HALLWAY
If you can imagine this room was
the kitchen. It was and still is a very dark room that had
the refrigerator stove. and sink along the wall where the
dry sink now stands. There was a very small counter space
and hardly any cabinets. That was the first thing that was
remodeled when my mom bought this house. She converted it
into the laundry room and when Alan and I moved in we took
it a little further. We decided to cLose in the washer and
dryer area and to make a cLoset for the boys room (the front
bedroom). We also made a cLoset (accessible by the fireplace
room) to create a hallway affect. The ironing board hanging
by the bathroom door was painted by my mom (Donna Merritt)
and made a perfect addition to my sunflower room.
GUEST BATHROOM
As was mentioned before. this bathroom
was created by Donna and Bob while they were remodeling
in the late 80's. They purchased the tub at an antique shop.
my mother and I wallpapered, the pedestal sink and toilet
were added and viola. The only bathroom that graced this
house when my mom moved in. It was not only small but really
unusable. Yon had to see it to believe it. The boards that
made the partition walls were reused to create the "outhouse'".
You'll see it later. As you are standing in the guest bathroom
you'll notice that it's also the boys bathroom and the entry
to their bedroom. Take a peak inside to see that it's very
lived in by two boys.(11 and 14) enough said.
MASTER BATH
In 1994 Donna decided she wanted
a nice updated bathroom so she design ed what you see today.
Basically. Alan and I didn't have to do anything to either
bathroom. we just moved in and started using them. Bob told
me recently, two different mortgage companies turned them
down (although they were already pre-approved for far more
than the asking price) because they considered the house
unlivable. Basically this was due to the lack of a usable
bathroom. I guess they proved them wrong! Lucky for us.
MASTER BEDROOM
 This
room was added to the house in the early 80's from what
we were told. Once again we didn't have to do any remodeling
or repairing of this rooms interior, however we did have
to replace the wood on the entire cast exterior wall. due
to dry rot. If you really want to go back in time just go
around the bed and peak behind the green curtain. There
you'll find this homes most unusual feature, the "outhouse".
As I mentioned before the old barn boards were taken from
the previous bathroom wall (if you want to call it a bathroom).
It started as kind of a joke turned out to he something
that people leave here talking about. It isn't everyday
that you see a working "outhouse" in this part
of the country.
POOLSIDE
The pool and the garage\apartment
building were built in 1988. and over the years the pool
area has evolved into our own little piece of paradise,
The apartment is being occupied by our teenage girls and
the garage is occupied by our 1966 Mustang convertible and
(on cold winter nights) out three black labs. In the hot
summer months the. dogs have been known to occupy the pool
as well Under the canopy you will find a display of old
photos that might help to give you a better idea of what
the house looked like when Donna & Bob bought it. and
will also show you some of the transformations that have
taken place over the years. You don't want to miss that!
Seeing is believing!
DINING ROOM
Alan and I converted a small pantry
into our "Wine CLoset". We cut a hole in the wall
and had a glass company do the etched glass to create what
we consider another of our homes unique features We put
mirrored tiles on the walls. track lighting on the ceiling
(with a dimmer switch for mood). and added an air vent to
keep the temperature down. My husbands wine collection is
his pride and joy so we wanted to make a nice showplace
for it.
SCREENED PORCH
Last but not least. is a place enjoyed
by all. This porch was here. but was an open porch when
my morn, moved in. Shortly there after. it was screened
and latticed to make it more private and usable, My mother
added the swing Nit I told her it had to stay or I wouldn't
buy the house. She also left the old stove for us to enjoy
since it kind of belongs in an old home.
This ends your tour of the "Cap
Campbell House" hope you enjoyed it!
Doris & Alan Price
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