Philip and Renae Hardy had been living in Louisville, Kentucky, for 17 years when they decided to move.
They were ready for a change. Their son and daughter were adults and on their own. The draw that the Hardys felt to the Mississippi Delta was understandable; both had roots here and had graduated from Delta State University. Their careers were flexible regarding location; he was a pilot for UPS, and she was a teacher.
They started scouting.
“Let’s see,” Renae said. “We looked in Clarksdale, Cleveland, Memphis, Germantown (Tennessee), and Collierville (Tennessee).” Though Renae had grown up mostly in Clarksdale and Philip in Cleveland, they couldn’t find anything that compelled them to make a commitment to a house or even a community.
Eventually, they searched in Greenwood.
“I don’t know what it is, but there is something about this town,” Renae said. She had been to Greenwood many times, even recently. Her sister, Allison Harris, lives on Grand Boulevard. But the town itself was the magnet.
“I sat down with Philip and told him, ‘I want to be in Greenwood. I don’t know why.’”
That was compelling enough.
The couple began working with Realtor Pam Powers, owner of Powers Properties in Greenwood. Renae thought she knew which house she would like to live in, on Grand Boulevard, and it was for sale. But then Pam called with another property that had just hit the market and was also on the Boulevard. Philip looked at it right away and called Renae to tell her he was pretty sure this other house would change her mind. It did, and they bought it.
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Hello, Readers! This is the point at which the narrative of the “house feature” in this issue of Leflore Illustrated diverges from our routine stories. Usually, when we ask homeowners if they’ll consider opening their houses to let you peek in through our pages, if they’re planning or in the midst of a renovation, they’ll ask us to check with them again after the reno is complete. Renae took a different approach, inviting us to actually witness part of the reno in a “before and after” format.
Philip and Renae’s house will turn 100 in the spring of 2025, and Renae suggested the two-part story could be a birthday present to honor the house she has come to love.
We hope you enjoy Part 1, the now, and will look forward to seeing Part 2, the future, in an upcoming issue.
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At 53, Renae is a trim, athletic force of nature with the boundless energy of a 2-year-old and the discipline to focus all that power on achieving her objectives. She is the embodiment of the adage, “If you want something done, give it to the busiest person you know.” She teaches biology, chemistry and physical science at Pillow Academy and tutors in those subjects after school. She runs and plays tennis. She is a local director for the Mississippi Miss Hospitality pageant. (In 1991, Renae herself won the swimsuit competition in the annual pageant.) She manages the house reno while Philip flies for UPS, and she has three beloved cats — Moose, Moon Pie and Big Stuff, all rescues.
“This house has great bones,” Renae said, “Structurally, it’s a very sound house.” But it needed some work, starting with the floors and walls before the couple moved in.
Built in 1925, the house had several walls with uneven texture of some kind where they needed to be smooth. New drywall and painting accomplished that task.
Most of the floors were carpeted or tiled, and it was thrilling for Philip and Renae to find hardwood floors underneath, intact and well-preserved in surprisingly good condition. Refinishing or retiling took those floors from good to excellent.
All of the interior rooms needed painting, and that was done in neutrals, though Renae said she may change some colors as the reno progresses. The house has three bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths, a living room, dining room, den, kitchen with breakfast room, butler’s pantry, office space, laundry room and an atrium surrounded by the house but open to the skies. Additionally, the house has a two-car garage, an attic accessible by stairway and a small basement, but no renovations are currently planned in those areas.
In the backyard, the pool needed to be drained and repainted, and the tile and coping along the edges had to be redone. All around the exterior of the house, Renae worked with Brantley Snipes, owner of Osmanthus and Brantley Snipes Landscaping & Design Inc. of Greenwood.
The property includes a charming guesthouse in the back near the pool. It has central heat and air, one bedroom, one full bath, a kitchen whose appliances are scheduled for updates and a living room with built-in shelving and a generous window seat. The guesthouse is almost finished and its furnishings ordered.
Most of the major upcoming work on the property will be concentrated on the large patio areas in back, the kitchen in the guesthouse and deciding how to reconfigure the office area for greatest efficiency. The rest is cosmetic, Renae said — painting and accessorizing.
“They” say time passes quickly when you’re busy. Renae will likely have a full and fast year on the way to the reveal next spring.
- This article first appeared in Leflore Illustrated, a quarterly magazine published by The Greenwood Commonwealth.
