House renovation brings family back to Castle Street

WILMINGTON — If you’ve driven along Wilmington’s Castle Street lately you’ve probably seen the slow but steady progress of revitalizing the community.

One of the renovation projects is bringing a family back to the area for the first time in years.

Near the corner of Castle and Seventh Streets part of a renaissance is taking shape.

Linda Cheek and her brother and sister decided the house they grew up in needed a makeover after it sat empty for years following the death of their parents.

“As a tribute to our mother, we wanted to get the house redone and not just leave it as it was,” Cheek said.

Four months ago crews started renovated the century-old home that needed a lot of work.

“The roof needed repair. The windows were rotted out. The basic structure was starting to deteriorate,” renovation director Libby Beccarino said

But now, it’s all starting to take shape.

There have been major changes.

A huge fireplace that ran from the ground floor through the roof has been removed to open up the living space. A bedroom and bathroom have been added upstairs.

“It doesn’t really have the same look that it had when we were growing up,” Cheek said.

Some of the old charm still remains, including the original, narrow staircase, complete with the original wood. The house is even being painted the same color Cheek’s mother selected years ago.

“They don’t build buildings like this any more. And the character of the building is terrific, and the streetscape remains like it was in the early 1900s,” Cheek said.

That’s part of rebuilding the neighborhood, bringing back homes mixed with business, like when Linda’s father ran a barbershop in what is now the living room.

But contractor Beccarino says there’s more.

“It’s an important project in many ways. But mostly, we’re bringing a family back to downtown,” Beccarino said.

Linda says when work is done in the next few weeks her sister plans to move back in, in to a home that reminds them of the past while helping them look forward to the future.

“It’s really great. And we plan to keep it in the family,” Cheek said.

Beccarino says the house is a mid-sized renovation that’s kept to a budget less than $200,000.