Marion house receiving the Dorothy treatment
Staff writer
Plans are underway to turn the original J.W. Moore house across the street from the Historic Elgin Hotel into a tea and coffee shop and a counseling center for troubled minds.
Duke and Glenda McCord of Gainesville, Texas, purchased the 1887 house last year and hired an outside contractor to renovate it. The work stopped in November, and Dusty Hett and his crew were hired to complete the project.
Glenda’s daughter, Tammy Ensey, and her husband, Jeremy, who own and operate the Historic Elgin Hotel, are overseeing progress on the house.
It will be named Dorothy’s House and will be a place for people to relax and come to when they need help, Duke McCord said.
In that sense, it will follow along the same line as Heart Ministries, which Bill and Carole Cowell established in that house in 1972 to help young people in trouble. The ministry continues at a site near Burrton.
McCord said the Enseys had noticed signs of drug dealings at the house when they were working on the hotel, so he and his wife decided to buy it to prevent interference with the development of the hotel.
Plaster walls have been replaced with Sheetrock, and new wiring, and central heat and air have been installed. Original hardwood floors are being refinished.
As much as possible of the interior trim is being saved and restored.
The original kitchen has been replaced with new cupboards and countertops and furnished with modern appliances.
The kitchen was set up to accommodate the coffee and tea shops. Other first-floor rooms will be used by customers. The second floor will be the counseling area.
Each of the two enterprises will be a separate company and have its own name.
The McCords may establish a drive-through on the south side of the house, where customers can pick up drinks without coming inside.
“I heard that millennials don’t like to get out of their cars,” Duke quipped.
They are planning to renovate the old one-car garage south of the house into a one-bedroom apartment for their use when they visit Marion.
When the house opens for business, Tammy Ensey will oversee its manager and employees. She is excited about the new endeavor.
“I have a passion for history and for preserving that history,” she said.
“We hope Dorothy’s House will build up the community,” Duke McCord said.