BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) – Gia and Ron Emory bought and restored the well-known home with the intention of giving neighbors the opportunity to experience the architecture and learn the history of the home.
- Gia and Ron Emory bought the famous home and have been restoring it for the past year, now the home is ready for the public
- The home was built in 1971 by architect Willis Regier
- The couple wants to share Regier's work and give neighbors the opportunity to experience the mid-century home for themselves
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
People now have the chance to explore an iconic mid-century home, now preserved and celebrated.
When Gia and Ron Emory saw the listing for the Bellevue home, they knew it was worth saving.
"We walked through and saw the potential but also immediately saw the passion and the marvel of what has taken place here," Gia said.
The couple from Sioux City who already had a history of restoring mid-century homes knew they wanted to be the ones to do it.
The home, completed in 1971 by architect Willis Regier, holds a lot of history that the Emory’s said was important to keep around to honor Regier first plans and designs of the home.
"This is the original everything. Look at the original stove top. One thing that we love, we got to show you this,” Gia said referring to a built-in blender in the counter, that still works over 50 years later.
It sat empty for 11 years before the couple bought it. After working to restore its mid-century glory, the home is ready to welcome neighbors again.
"We want this to be a place for education,” Gia said. “It’s a VRBO but I want to exploit the process of learning and inspiration in the space.”
The restored home sleeps 12 adults; is currently listed on VRBO and already has reservations stacked up.
The Emory’s hope their work inspires their neighbors to come learn about the history of this home and the work that Regier put into to it.
"This has been an ambitious effort absolutely, but we do believe that we are going to be passing this blessing onto others just by sharing it," Gia said.
Now, as for the famous name, Gia said she is trying to move away from the flying nun and come up with a new name that she said will better represent the home.
There’s more to come, the Emory’s plan to also restore the basement and the exterior of the home.
