A couple years ago, we told you about the Spafford House at Front & Bainbridge in Queen Village, noting that it was vacant and available for sale. The building was constructed in 1762 according to QVNA, and was originally home to William Spafford, who made his living as a sea captain and slave trader. Shortly after Spafford's death in 1768, the home was auctioned off by the sheriff. And in a neat case of historical symmetry, the property went to sheriff's sale again in 1992 and once more in 2011. Most recently, it was home to Tori's Brickhouse, a restaurant that cleared out back in 2006.
In 2012, the building was on the market for $425K though it sold for a more reasonable $300K earlier this summer. A year ago, the previous owners took the property to the ZBA and got approvals to convert it from a restaurant use back to a single family home. This came after what we believe was an aborted effort two years ago to demolish the rear garages and build a new four story structure.
This building has been around for hundreds of years and definitely looks better today than it did a few decades ago. But it has unfortunately sat vacant for the last few years, and we can only imagine what kind of shape it's in inside. Hopefully, the new owners will restore the property to its former glory in bringing it back to its original use. It should be exciting to see this building come back to life.