A Dream Come True

Nineteen years ago, Linda made the move from south Florida to Ocala. The series of events that followed are magical enough to grace the pages of a beloved fairytale...

By Karin Fabry • Photos by John Jernigan

Linda Anker never imagined she would one day be living in her dream house. Nineteen years ago, Linda made the move from south Florida to Ocala. The series of events that followed are magical enough to grace the pages of a beloved fairytale.

"I remember driving down 5th Street several times and passing this house," Linda begins. "I thought it looked like the kind of home a fairy princess would live in. At that time, the Ficus vines had just been planted and they were beginning to climb the exterior of the home."

Linda knew the home would soon be covered by the fast-growing vines. Then several years passed since Linda first noticed the home in Ocala's historic district, and still she had never been inside. Then she got her chance.

"I learned the house would be on the annual HOPS tour,” Linda recalls, “It was just beautiful, everything I imagined it would be."

It was still a few years before fate would intervene. Dr. Sol Anker, a respected area dentist, was interested in purchasing a dental practice. By chance, he purchased the one where Linda worked. The two began dating and eventually married.

Today, Linda and Sol still work together at that same dental practice. Together, they are also devoted to the constant restoration and upkeep of their centuries-old home.

"It's a lot of work," Linda says. "But we both enjoy the final product."

A Glimpse Inside

Today, just like Linda imagined, the outside of the two-story Mediterranean-style home is covered with Ficus leaves. The heavily textured rock stucco exterior is painted a soft terra cotta. A variety of plants and flowering bushes welcome all visitors and guests.

Just inside the front door and to the right of the entry hall is the couple's parlor room. Adorned with Oriental items collected from years of travel, it's a place for Sol and Linda to display some of their favorite items.

A unique feature slightly hidden in the room is the home's original front door.

"When the house was built between 1910 and 1912 there was no driveway," Linda says. "The horses would pull the carriages right up to this door. It's where guests would be greeted and their coats would be hung."

The Ankers’ home, along with the four surrounding homes in the historic district, are all a part of the original Camp property. The Camps were a well-known, well-respected timber family in the early 20th century. Today, four separate families call the old Camp property home.

As the tour continued, we entered the Ankers’ music room. A shiny grand piano is the centerpiece of the space.

“The woman who originally lived here was a pianist," Linda says. "The corners of the room were purposely rounded for acoustical reasons. When I'm playing piano, it can't really be heard throughout the house."

The music room also features a hand-cut oak ceiling, one of the home's intricate details.

"It must have been very tedious work," Linda says. "When you shine a flashlight at the ceiling, you can't see any nail heads or holes. They don't make homes like this anymore."

If Walls Could Talk

According to Linda, one of the joys of owning an old home is the stories that come along with it. These are the tales that are passed down and transformed from generation to generation. As we walked toward the formal dining room, Linda pointed out that the home's ceilings are very high and open, while most of the doorways are noticeably low and narrow. All of the pocket doors leading into the dining room also close and lock -- something not common in modern homes.

"When the servants would serve meals and clear dishes, they would have to knock to receive permission to enter,” Linda says. “It was very important not to interrupt the homeowners during their dinner."

Throughout the home, all of the doors, with the exception of the newly positioned front door, are original.

"And they all work," Linda laughs. "You just have to know when to pull, push, shake, or shimmy."

Unlike many contemporary homes, the Ankers’ home is filled with unique architecture and custom moldings, not to mention conversation pieces. Opposite the dining room entrance is the couple's elevator. That's right, an elevator! This house was the first in Marion County to have one.

"It still works and we actually use it," Linda says. "The elevator comes in really handy when you have something heavy to take to the second floor."

Linda's favorite place in their home is the cozy den, which features a cross-beam, solid-wood ceiling.

"It's where we come together as a family," she says. "When my girls and grandchildren come to visit, this is where we spend a lot of our time."

The chocolate brown leather couches in the den are offset by richly paneled walls. A black granite fireplace provides warmth on chilly nights.

"I've always enjoyed when we have a fire," Linda says. "I like it so much that sometimes we have a fire going when the air conditioning is on."

Also on the first floor of the home is the Ankers’ luxurious kitchen, one of the few areas in the home that isn't original.

"The kitchen was a very small, galley-style space," Linda says. "Previous owners did this remodel and it came out beautifully."

The kitchen is now open and inviting. Shaped like a grand piano, the center island is the focal point of the kitchen. The gas-burning cooktop represents the piano keys.

The wood cabinets are painted a grayish blue color that complements the emerald and sage granite countertops. Stainless steel appliances lend a modern flair to the kitchen.

Luxurious Living Space

At the base of the wide staircase that leads to the second floor is an antique music chest.

"Composers and musicians would keep their sheet music stored and locked in here," Linda says. The beautiful chest is hand painted and features a gold foil overlay.

As we climbed to the second floor, the stairs popped and cracked beneath us, prompting Linda to say she's heard stories of a spirited ghost that still haunts the home.

“Of course I've never seen any physical evidence of any ghost," Linda says. "And that's fine by me."

Halfway up the stairs is one of the home's greatest treasures -- an original Tiffany stained-glass window. A small crack is visible in the middle of the window and hints to years of exposure to the elements. During the hurricanes last fall, Linda and Sol hoped Mother Nature would spare their one-of-a-kind window. Luckily, she did.

Just up the stairs is the second-floor parlor. A small sitting area features an antique rocker and a Queen Anne-style loveseat. What looks like a skylight is actually the entrance to the home's attic.

"We've heard stories that many of the children who lived in this house used the attic entrance as a way to sneak out and hide from their parents," Linda says.

The upstairs guestroom is adorned with rich shades of gold and red and holds another of the home's hidden treasures -- a second Tiffany window located in a small closet.

"We can't really enjoy it from the inside,” Linda says. “The window was placed in the closet to be seen from the front of the house. The larger of the two Tiffany windows is actually on the side of the house."

Next to the guest room is the Ankers’ master suite, decorated in a calming gold and accented with sage green. An ornate fireplace is the room's focal point and another highlight for Linda.

"The fireplace is original to the house and features an ornate cast-iron screen," she says. "Back then all of the detail was done by hand, not machine."

Through the master closet is the laundry and storage room, noticeably cooler than the rest of the home. Linda says families took advantage of that in the past.

"They would sleep in this room because of the cool concrete and the breeze you get when the windows are open," Linda says. "I imagine that's the only way some of Florida's balmy nights would have been tolerable."

As Linda and I toured her home and she explained the joys and challenges of living in an historic home, one main thought kept surfacing.

"The story of how I came to live here still amazes me," Linda says. "Sol could have purchased any dental practice, he didn't have to buy this house, and we didn't have to fall in love. There were just so many elements involved.”

Linda and Sol were married three years ago in the lush backyard of Linda's new home -- her dream home.

“I feel extremely blessed," she concludes. "Not only do I have the husband of my dreams, but the home of my dreams as well. It's my fairytale come true."