|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
In rural Loudoun, residents put their stamp on properties with names
Home buying can be a frustrating endeavor fraught with price shock, cracked foundations and nerve-racking negotiations. So when Richard Painter came across his three-bedroom Purcellville-area home in 2003, he knew the one-acre parcel deserved more than just an address. It needed an identity. Hence, "Plum Ducky.""It means everything is OK," said Painter, 63. "And plum means very OK. ... It expresses our property."
Perhaps foreign to the subdivision set, home naming is as much a part of rural Loudoun as large lots, dirt byways and hay bales. In western Loudoun, especially, home names run the gamut from the whimsical (The Wandarosa), to the anatomical (Pheasant’s Eye), to the wishful (High Hopes).
And while its roots are found on brass nameplates attached to stuffy manors and castles in Great Britain, home naming in Loudoun, at least, is not bound by pedigree, age or size.
"You don't need a lot of land," said Alec Walsh, principal broker at Walsh and Associates Realtors in Purcellville, who has heard of residents naming their homes after a favorite oak tree, nearby waterway or family member.
Cris Collins’ home, BearsBunk, which he shares with wife Maria Nicklin, sits on less than one acre in Bluemont. The couple's colorful sign declaring the home's name -- made by artist Nicklin -- went up in September.
“It just seemed like something fun to do,” said Collins, 38.
Inspiring the name was the fact that their 19th-century house once was filled with bunk beds as it used to be part of a summer retreat. The bear portion was simple, said Collins: “We’ve seen a couple bears in the neighborhood.”
Walsh said home names are not always so personal, since many are passed down from owner to owner.
Case in point is Leroy Hartley, 80, and his four-acre property south of Purcellville fronted by a stone with the carving “Tranquility.”
Dotted with trees and backed by a rolling stream, Hartley’s home is certainly befitting its name. It's just that Hartley didn't name it.
“The guy before me did," he said. "To be honest with you, I probably wouldn't have put that stone out there if the previous guy didn't have a name for the property. ..."But,” he eventually acknowledged, “it is tranquil.”
Cheryl Kilday, president and CEO of the Loudoun Convention and Visitors Association, said home naming enhances the experience of rural Loudoun.
"It creates a sense of place when people take the time to name their homes," she said.
When Sal Gentile finished building his luxurious four-bedroom mountainside home near Hillsboro in 2000, he knew a fitting moniker was in order. He chose Monte Fino, which is Italian for fine mountain. But he was concerned about the air of snobbery that could come with a name.
"It almost seemed pretentious to name your property," he said. "But it is such a pretty view."
The name Monte Fino has a double meaning for Gentile; half of it is found in his father's name, Serafino, a stone mason who helped build Monte Fino, which is now on the market. He would like the next owner to keep the name.
"One would hope," he said. "But it's nothing we would require."
Back at Plum Ducky, which is marked by a small purple sign hugging the edge of two-lane Route 287, Painter also acknowledged the risk of being accused of putting on airs.
"We weren't trying to be fancy," he said. "I just put it out there as a hoot."
Five years later, he says his home's eye-catching, homemade sign has now evolved into a memorable beacon to his house.
Now, when he calls the plumber or electrician, he says, directions are not always necessary. He said when they hear Plum Ducky, they say, “Oh yeah. I know where that is."
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.