Last week’s Fruita Times published the following after a visit and an interview with Bill and Donna.
Fruita couple hopes to restore historic home
Kathleen Goddeyne
Many Fruitans drive by 404 East Aspen Ave. without knowing they are passing a piece of history.
Donna Stratton and her husband Bill Holstein have admired the home since moving to Fruita from Grand Junction in 1992. Through the years, the house has seen more and more damage and is now in a state of disrepair. Stratton and Holstein hope to change that, and closed on the house, which they refer to as Masser House, in August of this year.
“She was over $100,000 and we couldn’t get a loan. The bank denied us because the house is not inhabitable, so the money that was going to go into fixing her up is suddenly going into buying her, but things happen for a reason. Maybe this is meant to be for the community,” Stratton said. “Our goal right now is to get her cleaned up and get her prepared to get through the winter. Last winter was horrible for her. There was too much snow on the roof and it ended up coming through. The owner had renters who weren’t paying, but working on the house and they left in the middle of the night without telling the owners, so the pipes froze and caused a lot of damage.”
The couple has been spending Saturdays and Sundays at the home cleaning both inside and out since purchase. Although Stratton’s main focus is to ready the home for winter, the couple is also interested in learning the history of the home. Community members are already coming forward with information on Masser House.
“Our number one request from this community is to help us with the history of the house. We’ve been trying to learn as much as we can and people coming by has been the most wonderful thing in the world. We love to hear people’s stories,” Stratton said. “We know the land was purchased in 1901 by Gertrude Masser, the wife of Charles B. Masser who was one of the first doctors in Fruita. They bought two lots for $300 and the house was built in 1911.”
Holstein and Stratton believe this is the perfect time to renovate the old home with the renovations to Civic Center Memorial Park and the downtown area. They are considering applying to “This Old House,” a television show dedicated to renovating old homes, but help from the community wouldn’t hurt either.
“Our plans to restore her will continue with or without the show. We simply see an opportunity to benefit this community with exposure,” Stratton said. “This is one of the last historical homes in the area. We want to be good neighbors and restore her to be something this area can be proud of.”
Anyone interested in helping with the repairs to Masser House is welcome, on Saturdays and Sundays. The couple is also open to ideas to raise funds for the home before Jan. 31, 2014, and is also in need of someone with experience in grant writing.
“When we moved here, we had no idea we were moving into such a community,” Stratton said. “This is more than a town, it’s a community and we really want to get involved and try to do everything we can to save her.”
Our thanks to Katie and the Times!