The Seguin Daily News each day this week will feature one of the seven properties listed on this year’s 30th annual Holiday Heritage Tour of Homes. The event being hosted by the Seguin Conservation Society will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2. Tickets are $20 pre-sale or $25 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Gift & Gourmet or at the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce.
Built in 1930, and previously owned by the Saegert and Stoffel families, local accountants Robert and Jennifer Meservey have purchased and renovated the historical home located at 520 N River Street. While previously a residence, the Meserveys have transformed this location into their professional accounting office from which they own and operate The Meservey Group, Certified Public Accountants.
After hiring local contractor and home builder, Mark Wheelington, the Meserveys began to create a plan for the renovation and modernization of this home. “We knew the major projects that needed to be accomplished and worked backward from there”, says Jennifer Meservey, who spearheaded this project. First came upgrading the plumbing and electrical systems, since commercial compliance codes are different than residential compliance codes, and next came asbestos abatement, which, unfortunately, comes along with renovating a structure of this age. “We may or may not have come across glass fuses during the electrical rework”, says Robert, also noting that he had not seen glass fuses in person before but only in reference material. During that time a new HVAC system and Water-Filtration system were installed by local professionals. Second came gutting the kitchen and a half-bathroom, and removing an attached closet off of one of the bedrooms. Luckily, they were able to accomplish two goals with these transformations by upgrading the half-bath to ADA compliance and creating an additional exit for fire code compliance. The third part of the project was new paint and wall texture and the installation of recessed lighting, ceiling fans, and window frames around newly uncovered windows, along with new sinks and fixtures in the bathrooms. The final phase was new slate tile and cabinetry in the kitchen along with a beautiful farm-house style sink, and pouring a parking lot to accommodate clients of the Meservey’s CPA firm. After putting in a purchase offer on the property in December 2021 to finally moving their CPA firm from its previous location in Downtown Seguin in November 2022, the Meserveys celebrated the near completion of this year-long project. But, even after the move, the work on this property was not quite complete. Since November of 2022, the Meserveys have added rugs, shudders, and furnishings to help give their space a more comfortable ambiance. Most of the artwork in the building are photographs of landmarks and landscapes exclusively from around the State of Texas. Additionally, several vintage tax returns, which were discovered during the move, have been framed and displayed in the office and range from 1929 to 1934. All have been presented with permission from surviving family members. The landscaping was finally completed in late summer of 2023 with financial assistance from the BIG grant, facilitated by the City of Seguin and Main Street Program. And, the final addition was “Chance” the Squirrel, which is a fixture on the Seguin Painted Squirrel Trail orchestrated by the Seguin Arts Commission, and was unveiled in October 2023.
The Meserveys are beyond excited to invite the community into this building for the Seguin Conservation Society’s Tour of Homes and hope that everyone can appreciate the time and effort that went into restoring this property while trying to maintain its historical charm and character. While this property has been on the Home Tour in the past, they are hoping that new life has been breathed into this old house and that many generations to come will continue to enjoy its charm. The Meserveys would like to extend thanks to the following professionals who helped make this dream a reality: Mark Wheelington with Wheelington Construction, Torres Electric, McCall Plumbing, Joe Cools Heating & A/C, San Antonio Water Solutions, GC Floors, Keepers Interiors, Cummins Stripe-It, Razor’s Edge Painting, EZ’s Landscaping Service, Gunckel Architectural Stoneworks, River City Gutters, Patrick Felty, Jeremy Wallace with the Creation Company, and Shanafelt Automotive for applying the clear coat to the Squirrel.