Tucked just behind the Neo-Classical Revival Lester Shepard Parker home on the corner of Capitol Avenue and Lafayette Street sits June's Golden Hammer Award recipient.
Kevin Callaway and Jason Jett remodeled the pre-1920s carriage house which once housed the original family's chauffeur in the upstairs quarters and their 1920's Cadillac sedan on the main level.
The main house, where Lester S. Parker lived with his family, was built in 1905. Parker was an influential man in Jefferson City who was instrumental as part of the art commission at the Missouri State Capitol following the fire of 1911 and is credited with purchasing much of the artwork you see in the halls today. He was also the president of the L.S. Parker Shoe Company and the Capitol Telephone Company.
Jett and Callaway purchased the property in July of 2021, which began more than a year of renovations.
Despite the carriage house being in particularly rough shape and eventually needing to be completely gutted, it didn't stop Jett and Callaway from salvaging the property's history.
"What we tried to do was incorporate historical parts of the building and kind of put it back into place to tell the story," Kevin Callaway said.
One of the larger projects that was necessary included digging up the original concrete floor, which was covered by a layer of carpet and hardwood flooring, in order to run new plumbing and electrical. The original wood from the floor was then repurposed on the underside of the stairs. A new concrete floor was poured as a nod to the original concrete garage floors.
Another use of repurposing old pieces came in the form of a stack of burned lumber they found in the garage. The wood was discarded after a fire that broke out in the chauffeur's quarters nearly a hundred years ago. Now, the wood serves as a closet door in the main level of the carriage house.
The design of the kitchen was inspired largely by a sink they found in the basement which was cast in 1923.
A newly-expanded bathroom upstairs boasts a large, modern shower that Jett and Callaway were able to fit in by opening up one of the bedroom closets.
"The coolest thing about the process was we did some research and we actually found descendants of Lester Parker and that's been the rich part of it. They live in St. Louis. Lester Parker was born in 1860 and he actually has a granddaughter that's still alive," Jett said.
Jett added Parker's granddaughter and great-granddaughter recently visited the house and had lunch in the carriage house.
Jett and Callaway are proud to share the history by listing Parker's Place Carriage House as a short-term rental that is now available on sites such as rentbyowner.com and airbnb.com, or by booking through their website, parkersplacejc.com.
Courtesy Jason Jett: Parker's Place Carriage House is the recipient of June's Golden Hammer,
Courtesy Jason Jett: Parker's Place Carriage House is the recipient of June's Golden Hammer,
Courtesy Jason Jett: Parker's Place Carriage House is the recipient of June's Golden Hammer,
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Jason Jett, left, and Kevin Callaway pose inside The Carriage House, winner of the recent Golden Hammer Award. They are co-owners of the restored carriage house which is rented out for short-term stays.