A historic site in Zionsville is undergoing renovations as part of a real estate firm’s business plans for the property.
Many area residents know the two-story brick home at 3650 S. U.S. 421 as the Simpson-Breedlove House. Built just after the Civil War, the site is now home to The Agency, a global luxury real estate brokerage that was founded in Beverly Hills, Calif. The brokerage has expanded to 90 locations and launched in Zionsville May 9.
According to Traci Garontakos, a Zionsville resident and managing partner for The Agency in Indianapolis, the entire property, including the lot next to the house, is set to undergo changes.
“The house is part of the Holliday Farms development, and it is on the (National Register of Historic Places), so we have to follow all of the guidelines set forth for renovating and restoring the home,” Garontakos said. “We have done so with a lot of caution and respect. We had a vision for what this house could be for both our employees and our clients.”
Garontakos said as the vision grew, it made sense to expand her plans to a second lot and redo the entire site. The Agency plans to add three buildings that resemble barns to serve as commercial real estate spaces. She said her vision is to make the site a village of barn-like structures with amenities for the town.
“We just submitted a proposal to the plan commission, and we are looking at building three additional buildings that look like barns,” Garontakos said. “There will be courtyards, and from the street, you’ll see the house and the barns. A Starbucks is set to go in a few lots down. The plans are incredible, and we expect exciting things for this area.”
For landscaping, Garontakos said the goal is for hedges to cover the planned courtyard for privacy.
“You won’t see the parking lots, you won’t see the courtyard, you’ll just see the house and then the barns,” Garontakos said.
Garontakos hopes that the restored site attracts tenants that complement The Agency and makes the area fun for the community. She said bringing The Agency to Zionsville allows clients to see the “old-world charm” of the town.
“This town has the overall small town, Hallmark feeling,” Garontakos said. “It is a sweet, sweet lifestyle here. That coupled with the development that has happened here recently with Holliday Farms and other communities in the works right now with the plan commission. Our passion for this community is why we chose (Zionsville).”
The idea to have the new buildings resemble barns was inspired by an old barn on the property that was built in 1995 as a workshop for former homeowners. It was torn down in late August, according to Garontakos.
“I loved the charm of (the barn), so when we bought (the site), we looked at keeping it and trying to potentially make it a commercial space and work out of there,” Garontakos said. “We thought we would find a tenant for (the house) and had some ideas, but I loved the house so much that it broke my heart to think of someone else being in it and not us.”
When making plans for the site, Garontakos noted that the barn was not designed to be a suitable residence, which she said was unfortunate. The barn was so “rotted” and “structurally unsound” that many windows had fallen out.
“We had to work with Indiana Landmarks, with the developer and with the town to get everybody’s blessing to take the barn down,” Garontakos said. “It took us six months to get approval to tear it down. We loved the idea of the barn.”
Garontakos said she is excited to restore the historic home and land for the town. She said it is a passion project.
“We love the idea of keeping it quaint and charming because that falls in line with what Zionsville is,” Garontakos said. “I have been in love with this house from the moment I saw it. Paying homage to what this site was is really important to us.”
INSIDE THE HOME
The home was built in 1865 by Zionsville lawyer Michael Simpson and his wife, Caroline. John McKenzie Breedlove and his wife, Mary Ellen, purchased the property from the Simpsons in 1870. Gary Essary purchased the home with his partner, Jerry Hamm, in 1996, and together they restored the house before Henke Development purchased the property in 2018 and had it rezoned from rural residential to a planned unit development district.
Garontakos, who has been in real estate for 14 years, said seeing the brokers work and function in the space makes the collaboration process unique and cozy.
“We worked with our designer to bring in old-world elements with added modern touches,” Garontakos said. “It was an original farmhouse and then at some point, it turned into a house for the farmhands.”
The upstairs of the house originally had three bedrooms, and since the renovations, there are now two rooms. Renovations included refinishing all the floors, redoing the bathrooms and the kitchen, and rebuilding the addition on the back of the house.
“We did a massive masonry project on the brick because it was in really bad shape,” Garontakos said. “We had phenomenal masons come in and replace a bunch of bricks. It’s so beautiful now, but it was a good four week process.”
