Mike and Missy O’Daniel’s move to the East Side a decade ago was a case of perfect timing. Their youngest daughter was nearly done with college, and the McCutchanville residents — whose 1920s Nantucket-inspired home was featured in July/August 2010 Evansville Living — sought a location with close neighbors and where all of their children and grandchildren could comfortably spend time together.
All of those positives awaited at the O’Daniels’ next residence. Tucked into an inner corner in the Johnson Place neighborhood, their home exudes European charm and is a testament to functionality and elegance. There’s less land than their former three-acre property in McCutchanville, but it has all the room the couple needs for themselves, their extended family, and their scruffy, eight-year-old Goldendoodle, Tank.
“We wanted something more compact,” explains Mike, whose father, D. Patrick O’Daniel, founded auto dealership D-Patrick Inc. in 1972. Mike has served as the company’s co-president since 1998. “We weren’t ready to go to a condo, but we were ready for not having three acres.” Adds Missy, “It was kind of quiet out there. It’s sort of lonely when your kids aren’t there.”
Loneliness isn’t much of a problem for the O’Daniels these days, even though their three kids — Margot, Molly, and Peter — all are married, settled, and working. All three, with their spouses and young children, live locally, and, as Mike notes, he and Missy are friends with several families only a short walk away. Mike’s father also lives nearby.
The O’Daniels’ home showcases French Provincial architecture at its finest, with its four-sided gambrel-style hip roof, light brick with quoined corners and window edges, and an arched front door with neo-classical influences. Large indoor and outdoor living spaces blend beautifully. The wide-open feel permeates the ground floor, where the O’Daniels revamped and enlarged the kitchen and sitting area to allow for leisurely gatherings. Just off the pool deck is another comfortable sitting area, this one with a turntable.
“We entertain every Sunday that we’re in town with our kids and grandkids, and then they come and use the house even when we’re not here sometimes,” Mike says. “They’ve had parties here and used the pool and have people over.”
About that pool: It’s part of a picturesque backyard plaza suitable for all seasons.
A show-stopping highlight of the property — one the O’Daniels are proud of — is the stone-covered terrace, perfect for a large gathering or private relaxation. There’s a rocky water feature, spots for enjoying full sun or shade, and a lounge with a dining table and TV. Towering cypress trees — again alluding to European living — line the backyard in all directions and offer privacy. “Those were there when we moved in,” Mike says, adding, “They were about half as tall as they are now.”
The O’Daniels’ work on the ground floor extended beyond the kitchen renovated by Fehrenbacher Cabinets. They removed walls and embraced an open, free-flowing concept, noting that it now offers ample space for active grandchildren, not to mention Tank. Perched on the living room hardwood floor is a Steinway piano originally purchased by Missy’s great-grandmother. Neither she nor Mike plays, but the couple have had guests tickle the ivories.
Missy describes the house’s style as “traditional, with an updated flair.” She says Evaline Karges Interiors owner Tay Ruthenburg provided design insight mixing elegant features with the modern, colorful decor: bronze accents around a marble fireplace, azure blue cushions brightening the patio furniture, vintage blue-and-white porcelain lamps alongside a tan leather couch.
An abstract piece of art featuring colorful bursts of the word “Blah” was bought at Stella’s Finishing Touches in Newburgh, Indiana, and hung in the relaxed sitting room off the open kitchen. Missy says the work spoke to her because “it’s in a room where there’s always conversation going.” Two meaningful pieces of charcoal art were created by Missy’s late friend from Ohio, Avis Andrew: One shows Missy at age 18, and the other depicts the O’Daniels’ three children.
The house has three full bathroom suites and three half-bathrooms, with the primary suite on the first level. Guest bedrooms are on the sprawling upper floor, which takes the place of an attic and serves as a hangout for the O’Daniels’ children and seven grandchildren.
“Our kids have come here and lived at different times, like when they’re changing houses or they’re refinishing their floors and they can’t be in their own house,” Mike says. “Or maybe they’ve lost their (electricity) and need to come over here to stay. They can have this upstairs pretty much for themselves.”
Another upper floor feature is a balcony overlooking the pool deck. It can get hot
up there, Mike says, but it’s a nice spot for reading or listening to music when the sun’s not beating down.
In addition to Ruthenburg and Fehrenbacher Cabinets, the O’Daniels partnered with Elpers Bros. Construction and Heinlin Concrete Construction for work on their house. Elpers handled much of the interior renovations and balcony, and the company also played a role in exterior work, which was mostly done by Heinlin. Second Nature Landscape Management of Newburgh brings sparkle to the property’s outdoors. All of this work, the O’Daniels say, greatly enhances a home that dates to 1984.
The O’Daniels say they made the right move in 2015, finding a home where Mike’s work is close by and friends and family are abundant. “It’s a neat place to live,” Mike says.
Missy wholeheartedly agrees, saying the East Side property is a magnificent place for simply being together. “I love the backyard and then that front room that we redid,” she says. “It really brightened it up and added a space where we could all be. … It has everything.”
