Photos: Nearly $1M Oakwood home built in 1925

Owners of the English country manor styled home at 245 Thruston Blvd. in Oakwood say they were surprised at the homes available in the Dayton area when they moved here in 2003.

“Homes like this in Connecticut can cost $10 million,” said a co-owner.

Of European origins, the owners agreed this house “felt like home” to them.

Indeed many of the home’s features add a European flavor with elegant moldings and woodwork, large rooms and seven fireplaces; yet substantial updates endow it with today’s comforts and amenities.

The owners research revealed that this home was built in 1925 by Robert Thruston Houk II, then vice president of the Mead Paper Co., and was later inhabited by several corporate executives, whose familiar names are associated with Dayton history.

Current owners updated all the exterior stucco, added heated flooring in some rooms, remodeled bathrooms and replaced some windows. The kitchen was completely updated shortly before 2000 in a forward-looking style that displays today’s elegance and functionality.

Offering about 5,300 square feet of living space, the home is listed by Georgiana Nye of Coldwell Banker Heritage Realtors for $875,000.

Double oak doors open into the grand foyer, which displays textured plaster walls and oak flooring.

In the library the fireplace facing is made of antique tile printing plates. Original millwork surrounds the window arrangement, and built-in bookshelves fill one wall.

An archway leads into the living room, where features include a wood-beamed ceiling and a fireplace accented with natural stone and a rough-hewn mantel.

Double doors open into the banquet-sized dining room, where original millwork frames three arched upper windows in fanlight fashion. An oak mantel and antique andirons enhance the fireplace.

The family room appears to have been an early addition to the home styled perhaps as a sunroom. The built-in entertainment center wraps around two corners into bookshelves and bench seating.

Terra-cotta tile flooring distinguishes the breakfast area, which is open to the kitchen surrounded by cherry cabinets and granite counters. The center island offers bar seating at one end.

“We cook quite a bit, and I love this kitchen,” said one owner.

Appliances include a six-burner gas range with a griddle and two ovens. The double sink and a second sink flank the range. A second refrigerator is available in the butler’s pantry, which has a granite-topped planning desk.

A wall of square windows and a wrought-iron chandelier accent the landing of the main staircase to the upper level, which offers three bedroom suites, a study and a laundry area.

“A very striking thing about this house is that the kids’ bedrooms are suites with fireplaces,” said one owner.

The main suite has a huge bedroom with a sitting area at the end. The renovated bath offers an oval jetted tub, a deep step-in shower accented with mosaic tile, and a long double vanity with a makeup station at one end. The walk-in closet has a built-in bureau and a window.

A carpeted hallway leads to two more suites, each with bedroom, sitting room and private bath.

The third floor is arranged as a guest suite. Under a cathedral ceiling, the bedroom and the sitting room have arched windows. The walk-in closet has a dressing area. A built-in wraparound desk provides versatile workspace. The full bath has a raised vanity and a shower surrounded in tile.

An extra room with wood flooring, built-in bookshelves and a walk-in closet is arranged as a study.

The back staircase descends to the lower level, where the media room has theater seating. Large glass-block windows add daylight to the recreation room and to the wood-paneled billiards room, which has a fireplace. Other features on this level include a wine cellar, a workshop, and multiple storage spaces.

A co-owner said, “It’s big, but despite its size, it still feels very personal.”

The other added, “It is spacious for entertainment, and there is a lot of storage space.”

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