Historic farmhouse for sale in New Albany

Jan. 16—NEW ALBANY — A historic New Albany farmhouse is on the market after being moved to a new location.

Indiana Landmarks is seeking a buyer for the Smith-Phillips Farmhouse at 3000 Lewis A. Endres Parkway. It was listed for $199,900 earlier this month.

Indiana Landmarks is seeking a buyer to convert the building into an office, restaurant or retail space while preserving the history of the house. The building is near Charlestown Road and Kevin Hammersmith Memorial Park.

"We're hoping that we will find someone who will be willing to kind of take the house and reimagine it for its next chapter of life," Indiana Landmarks Southern Regional Director Greg Sekula said.

The two-story house was built around 1860 for William Smith, who was part of an early Floyd County family who bought the land in the 1830s.

The home was bought by the Phillips family in 1941 and sold by the family in 2000 to Northside Christian Church. The church previously used the building for office space.

The home was relocated in April 2022 from its former location at 4407 Charlestown Road following an effort to preserve the historic building and save it from demolition.

Hogan Real Estate, the company behind a commercial development at the former farmhouse site, agreed to donate the structure to Indiana Landmarks after failing to receive zoning approval for its original plans to raze the historic building.

The relocation to a nearby spot made way for the construction of a new Starbucks and bank building at the original site.

Sekula said the nonprofit has been working with architect Ron Stiller to develop concept plans for the refurbishment of the two-story brick house, including the potential "context-sensitive addition" to the back of the house.

"It really is something that would allow a lot of flexibility with the property," Sekula said. "We think there is room for a sizable addition and off-street parking on the property and envision obviously some kind of commercial use for the building."

The sale of the home is subject to a preservation and conservation easement.

"So that will govern the preservation of the original brick structure, and we will have design review over any addition that goes on the back of the building," Sekula said. "And certain interior features — the staircase, fireplaces — those things will be required to be maintained in the renovation of the building.

The relocated building is still on the property that was part of the original Smith farm. Sekula described the house as an "important landmark along the Charlestown Road corridor."

"We sadly have lost a lot of buildings outside the downtown area that are historic as development has occurred," he said. "I'm delighted that this building will be able to remain and show people that we had settlement in this area in the mid-19th century, which this house embodies."

He also appreciates the proximity to Kevin Hammersmith Memorial Park.

"I think a lot of folks will be able to enjoy the beauty of the house as they come and go from that park, and it's possible that the use of that building will somehow dovetail with folks who utilize that park," Sekula said. "Perhaps if it's a restaurant or something of that nature, it's a place you can stop and eat before you get to the ballgame or vice versa."