The King and Queen...Are They Serious?
Yes, the King and Queen of the MagicHouse are real people. While not any real royalty (that we know of) we are serious about giving guests the 'Royal treatment' and sharing our Gothic Renaissance Revival style home with friends family and soon-to-be friends. Over time, we've received a number of questions about the 'MagicHouse' and we've sought to address a few below. If you have one you'd like to see us address, let us know!
01
Are all the pictures displayed of the house real?
Absolutely! We enjoy having fun with the site but the pictures displayed of rooms and events are 'real'.
No clipart or doctoring here. We feel blessed to live in such a wonderful residence and to share it with other like-minded 'Old House' enthusiasts. That said, we are often amazed ourselves at the work we have put into it and what we have been able (or had to) accomplish.
02
Do you actually rent rooms and can people also host their events there?
Like we say 'Bed / Breakfast & Beyond'. We enjoy sharing the home and grounds with family, friends and neighbors, and the home has participated in events like Bloomington's Christmas at the Mansions (2018) for the David Davis Mansion and Ewing Manor Historic Site Preservation programs. Along with Wine tastings, Halloween parties and the occasional Spring Fling celebration.
We have also rented the grounds for photo shoots and corporate team building presentations and this year (once Covid fully retreats) our first wedding may finally be booked! For Bed and Breakfast reservations send us a note from the site, or email us at Info@MagicHouse-bnb.com and we'll see what magic happens!
03
I heard your house is Haunted, is that true?
Depends on who you ask. We have friends who have had some interesting experiences, and previous owners who have shared some wild tales. However, we (the King and Queen) have not experienced anything particularly unusual. We feel that our generous and loving approach to repairs and maintenance has settled any restless spirits so we take it as a sign that we are doing right by the old house.
04
Who was the original Architect Charles E. Hall?
When we found the original blueprints hidden in the home we spent many hours pouring over them. (still do) We became akin to obsessed fans through our research and we have since learned of his impacts on Bloomington and its history.
He was a prominent building contractor in Bloomington from the mid 1920s until his retirement in the 1960s. In the 1920s he built many smaller homes on the East Side, or what is now known as the Bloomington's Founders Grove Neighborhood. He married a beautiful widowed Frenchwoman named Madeleine Bonnes Lockett who lived on the other side of Oakland Street. According to her obituary, she had been educated in private schools in Tunisia and Africa before coming to the states at the age of 12.
Chas was a friend to Bloomington and in the 1920s he took on the old Hills Hotel, completely renovated it and operated it as the Tilden hotel for many years. He organized the men and materials to build boy scout camp shelters and cabins at Camp Ta Ta Pochon and also helped to pay for the towns Christmas decorations during the depression as well as a being a toy manufacturer!
Chas. was quite a character and we still enjoy hearing new tid-bits about him. So do you have one to share?