843 New York Street

843 New York Street after completion.
Photo credit: Beth Ham

The home at 843 New York Street, built in 1892 with a porch and back addition constructed in 1920, is enjoying new life after spending the past 40-plus years as a rental property with minimal updates. Free State Properties Inc.—owned by long-time Lawrence contractor Mike Randolph, who has purchased and renovated more than 120 homes throughout Lawrence since 2001—bought this house in 2021, knowing it needed the type of work the company could provide.

843 New York Street before work took place.
Photo credit: Mike Randolph

Mike’s team installed all-new electrical, plumbing, insulation and zoned heating and cooling systems, while keeping nearly all the original plaster intact. There also were plenty of opportunities to preserve original elements, including almost all the original hardwood floors, trim, stained glass, doors, windows and hardware. Mike was pleasantly surprised that almost all of the original trim had never been painted, noting how rare that is for a structure of this age, especially since it had been a rental property for so long. The original finishes of the woodwork, flooring, brass-stamped doorknobs, hinges, and window sash locks were restored. Although the front and side doors had been badly damaged over the years, Mike’s team was able to rebuild and restore them to their original beauty, incorporating vintage doorknobs and the original twist doorknob, as well as gilded house numbers in the transom window above the front door. Some modern updates were made to the kitchen and bathrooms, but even those rooms retained some historical elements, such as subway tile and hexagonal floor tile.  

Entryway of 843 New York with beautiful glass work.
Photo credit: Beth Ham

Mike was able to salvage the original exterior siding and trim, including the fish-scale shake singles on the front gable, the gingerbread trim on the side porch, and the unique fleur de lis molding on the front gable.

New owner Chris couldn’t be happier. “We really wanted an older home with character,” he says, “and we won the lottery with the way Mike expertly updated with modern elements while maintaining its historic personality.”