Brick columns are painted white and have surface wiring. Plaster is gently curved to soften and add warmth and interest to the room. The first floor is the only livable space to date. A lifetime of furniture and curios are tucked wall to ceiling in the former bank lobby. Doug s computers are on makeshift desks.
Cardboard boxes contain pictures, papers and other household items.
The family cats sprawl on the sectional couches. The downstairs, once a dank, dark basement is being transformed into a light-filled retreat that will be Doug and Jeanne s private living quarters. From the outside, the building still looks like a bank. The only hint of a new use is a two-story atrium entrance which provides a separate and private outside entrance to the subterranean living quarters. Original small, fixed basement windows have been replaced with larger , opening windows, both for inside aesthetics and fire safety.