Profile: Jan Brewington & Jim King<\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/historicwilmington.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Jan-Brewington-Jim-King.jpg\")
Jim King & Jan Brewington, pictured above with the sliding door that Jan restored, after it had been locked shut during the home’s stint as a boarding house!<\/p><\/div>\n
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Jan’s children, Alex and Stuart, were excited to take on the task of renovating their old home!<\/p><\/div>\n
This year, Jan Brewington\u2019s home turned 100. And for nearly one quarter of its history (23 years), she\u2019s been its devoted steward. Within its walls, she raised two children, and now, it also serves as her office; Jan and her husband, Jim, own Dram Tree Realty<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\nIn her work, Jan specializes in real estate downtown, often vintage spaces. She sees the value in them, advising homebuyers that, while it can be difficult to find an affordable home in Wilmington, if you\u2019re willing to move into an old home and live in it while making repairs, you can make it work\u2014and live among a beautiful history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nJan and Jim are proud of this history, and like many old-home homeowners, they feel connected to those who came before. \u201cCharlie Whitty, the Airlie butler, lived here. He owned The Barn, a nightclub where Louis Armstrong, Cab Callaway, and Ella Fitzgerald performed.\u201d When performers came in to town, they stayed with Mr. Whitty\u2014Ella Fitzgerald may have sung under that very roof!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later in its life, 706 S. 7th St. had been a boarding house. When Jan bought it, she took on the task of turning it back into a home. \u201cEvery room was a bedroom,\u201d Jan says, remembering all she had to do to open it back up, to provide space for her family. The pocket doors had been locked shut, and Jan pried them back open. Over the gorgeous wood floors, there were three layers of carpet, which she tackled with the help of her children.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t
Jim King & Jan Brewington, pictured above with the sliding door that Jan restored, after it had been locked shut during the home’s stint as a boarding house!<\/p><\/div>\n
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Jan’s children, Alex and Stuart, were excited to take on the task of renovating their old home!<\/p><\/div>\n
This year, Jan Brewington\u2019s home turned 100. And for nearly one quarter of its history (23 years), she\u2019s been its devoted steward. Within its walls, she raised two children, and now, it also serves as her office; Jan and her husband, Jim, own Dram Tree Realty<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n In her work, Jan specializes in real estate downtown, often vintage spaces. She sees the value in them, advising homebuyers that, while it can be difficult to find an affordable home in Wilmington, if you\u2019re willing to move into an old home and live in it while making repairs, you can make it work\u2014and live among a beautiful history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jan and Jim are proud of this history, and like many old-home homeowners, they feel connected to those who came before. \u201cCharlie Whitty, the Airlie butler, lived here. He owned The Barn, a nightclub where Louis Armstrong, Cab Callaway, and Ella Fitzgerald performed.\u201d When performers came in to town, they stayed with Mr. Whitty\u2014Ella Fitzgerald may have sung under that very roof!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Later in its life, 706 S. 7th St. had been a boarding house. When Jan bought it, she took on the task of turning it back into a home. \u201cEvery room was a bedroom,\u201d Jan says, remembering all she had to do to open it back up, to provide space for her family. The pocket doors had been locked shut, and Jan pried them back open. Over the gorgeous wood floors, there were three layers of carpet, which she tackled with the help of her children.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t