Studer Community Institute

Public invited to historic home re-dedication, tour in Bagdad

May 15, 2015
/ Louis Cooper
/ community-dashboard

Members of the historic community of Bagdad will celebrate the rebirth of an old friend this weekend. A dedication is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Golden House, located at 4565 Forsythe Street, with tours open to the public on Sunday. The home was built about 1930 and a 14 month restoration was recently completed. “There was a 600 year-old live oak that had kicked that house up about 18 inches. It was just really in bad shape. It has been abandoned for years and years,” said Michael Johnson, president of the Bagdad Village Preservation Association. “Our building code says you can’t cut down a 600-year-old live oak, and you can’t tear down a 100 year-old house. That was the dilemma. It was a mess.” The solution? Move the house. The home was lifted from its original foundation and then relocated on the same lot to a new foundation. The home was restored by owners Chuck and Miriam Hendee. Miriam grew up in Bagdad, and the couple currently lives in Houston. The home is the former home of Albert Golden, a Santa Rosa county Commissioner in the 1940s, and his son, Curtis Golden, who served as the state attorney for the 1st Judicial Circuit of Florida for 35 years. Johnson said the home was restored in every respect, including new siding, new flooring and new electrical and plumbing fixtures. Originally 1,154 square-feet of living space, the restored home has 3,400 feet of living area, including a newly finished attic. Currently, the Curtis House is being used by the Hendees as a second home. “It’s an investment that will increase property values,” Johnson said. “It will be an addition to the community for commerce and every other way just to raise the bar.” On Saturday, State Reps. Doug Broxson and Mike Hill will speak, as will former Milton Mayor Guy Thompson in the dedication ceremony that starts at 1 p.m. On Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m., guided tours will be offered to the public of the Golden House and three other historic structures in the area: the Arnold House, the Brown House and the Brown Barber Shop. Both events are free. Since 1988, the Bagdad Village Preservation Association has promoted and preserved the history, nature and structures of Bagdad. Bagdad boasts 60 historic structures on the National Registry of Historic Places.

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Public invited to historic home re-dedication, tour in Bagdad

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