OCEAN CITY – Walking into Lisa Sarajian’s house is like stepping back in time.
Built in 1928, it reflects many features of Craftsman homes including a gabled roof, wrap-around porch, hardwood floors and magnificent interior staircase with two landings.
There are some surprises, too: beautiful front windows that slide open into the walls to maximize sea breezes, a brick fireplace tucked in next to the front door, and a basement – unusual for shore properties!
Lisa’s father grew up in West Philadelphia, Pa., and became a Navy pilot flying from an carrier aircraft. When stationed at Willow Grove (Pa.) Air Force Base, he brought his wife and children to experience the shore he enjoyed as a child. They fell in love with Ocean City.
In 1965, they bought the house at 837 E. Fourth St. An elderly brother and sister had lived in the house for decades, leaving antique furnishings behind, including a classic dining room table perfect for large family gatherings.
Lisa’s family vacationed there for years. When her father’s assignments sent them too far away to enjoy the house, they rented to other families. The additional income helped pay for Lisa and her siblings’ college tuition.
Lisa eventually purchased the house from her parents and it’s remained a treasured gathering place for their family. A bevy of babies and toddlers surrounded by loving adults can be found all through the summer, among mountains of donut boxes stacked on the sideboard and board games ready to play.
Nostalgia abounds in the kitchen: Original white cabinets, ice box and a gas range that looks like it came from the 1950s. Rooms throughout the house beam light through diamond-patterned window panes. One summer, Lisa’s mom brought her sewing machine and 50 yards of $1/yard materials for curtains, which still flutter there today. The first-floor bedroom contains a “Sarajian Painting and Wall Paper” sign, a familial reminder from Lisa’s grandfather’s business long ago.
A second bathroom and rear entrance were added to the original four-bedroom house. Pilings were installed under the porch, along with restored porch floors and cedar shake siding.
A third-floor porch, added later, offers views of the sky and surrounding neighborhood. Native and traditional shore plants fill their garden, including dune grasses, Ocean City roses, limelight hydrangeas, corn flowers, black-eyed Susans, lavender and a sprawling catalpa tree’s pink and white flowers attract hummingbirds.
Local artists’ shore-themed art work reflects the history of the house and Ocean City’s Life Saving Station nearby.
Five generations have enjoyed this house thus far and it continues on as a beloved gathering place for Lisa and her family.
“Because of my father’s military career, my family moved around a lot,” she said, “but Ocean City was the one place we always returned to and thought of as our home. My siblings and I consider the house the heart of our family – an ongoing reminder of our parents for us.”
By BARBARA SCHMIDT and MARYANN PIONEGRO-SMITH/For the Sentinel
