Would you be daunted by the prospect of turning 13,600 square feet of space
into a comfortable home?
Not Trish Nabers. “The minute I stepped in the foyer, I knew what I wanted to do,” said Trish. Husband Buzz Nabers wasn’t so sure.
“He asked, ‘how are you going to make this our home?’” said Trish. “I said, ‘you just have to trust me."
“I was tired of living in suburbia,” said Trish. “I was tired of maintaining a yard. I wanted the city to maintain it. I grew up on a farm. I raised kids in suburbia. I wanted to live downtown, but
I didn’t want to downsize. I actually ended up with more square footage.”
Every floor is 3,400 square feet. The basement level (below Gay Street) includes a garage, a workout area, Buzz’s golf hitting net, a bank vault Trish plans to turn into a wine cellar and what she describes as “our tailgate staging area.”
Her husband, Buzz Nabers, operates one of his two dental practices on the Gay Street level of the building located at 304 S. Gay Street. “Buzz thought I was crazy to want to open a dental office here,” said Trish. “When we opened, there were several dentists downtown.
Now we are the only one. We had to hire an associate. We used to have one hygienist; now we have three. We’re open five days a week, including Friday.”
The Nabers live on the upper two floors. The area that is now their living, dining and kitchen space used to be an Arthur Murray Dance Studio. The original pine plank flooring is still there.
Past the kitchen there’s a small room with comfy seating and a large television.
“I couldn’t decide what to do with this room at first,” said Trish. “We spend 90 percent of our time in here. We watch tv. I’m a huge sports fan.
If I’m cooking I need to see the next play.” There’s a gigantic pantry that’s the envy of all who see it.
“People come over and say ‘can we go to the pantry?’” said Trish. “When we have large parties, people go throughout the house. The kitchen island fills first. There are nine bar stools around the island because nine is the number that fits.”
“Everyone has the same reaction the first time they see the space,” according to Trish.
“They say ‘it’s so vast and so long.’ We wanted it to be welcoming, and I think it is. There are lots of little nooks.”
“I had to think large,” said Trish. “Tiny pieces of furniture get lost in this space. It’ll look like doll furniture if you don’t use large pieces.”