"Everybody who goes by the
place remembers it, that's for sure," Joanne Foster told us the day we saw this
house in Walden. "It's different." Joanne is the town clerk, and her in-laws
live ... where you turn to get up here. We spoke with her and a few other people
in town to get some background on this unusual house and its builder (John Leith
Holloway, Jr., who lives in Maryland now).
"He's well liked — quite an intelligent guy,"
we heard at the general store, and "very meticulous," from one of his former
neighbors. Can't say that surprised us. Along with the listing sheet and photos
and business card we picked up at the real estate office was a ten-page computer
printout put together by Mr. Holloway to help the new owners when they move in.
Along with the names and phone numbers of people like the trash man ... and
plumber and the guy who plows the driveway, there were all sorts of information
and advice on how to run the place. We'll let you discover all the details on
your own, but here is an example:
"If a bird does get into the chimney, you will
know about it quite soon by the sound of flapping wings in the pipe. He (or she)
gets stuck just above the port and tries to fly back upward again. Do not try to
open the port to remove him. The best way to get the bird out is to wait until
daytime and do the following: shine a floodlight into the stove through the glass
door, with the bypass lever to the right. The light coming from below will
attract the bird downward toward the stove and he will land in the stove in a few
minutes. Partially close the bypass lever to keep him trapped in the stove.
Next, close all interior doors to the Big Room and open the outside doors. Raise
the window wall shades. The next step is to open the stove door and coax him out
with a poker (he may not come out on his own). He will immediately fly toward the
glass in the window wall and will be stunned by the impact. Gently pick him up
with a gloved hand and toss him out the rear door. He will fly towards the
woods at great speed. The poor birds are much more frightened than you will be.
When you live in the country, you have to learn to love all God's little creatures
and treat them kindly..."
We also saw notes and signs all over the house
that identify where things are, how to turn things on, etc. (We see a lot of
houses that are "ready to move into." Some, we've learned, are more ready than
others.)
The house was built in 1979-80 and contains two
small bedrooms and a Big Room with a large iron circular staircase that leads to
an observation tower. (As the notes say, the tower windows are tilted outward
slightly at the top to reduce distracting reflections, as in airport control
towers.) The Big Room also has the wind instrument that displays wind speed and
direction. Mr. Holloway is a meteorologist, and it is clear that he designed
this house — sited with fabulous views on 70 acres — with that in mind.
"it wasn't built with a family in mind," another resident told us. "It was
definitely designed by a man." (Mr. Holloway is also a bachelor.)
Learn more about the house and its passive solar
heating system, its Time-of-Day electricity metering, and other details by
calling ...".