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Greystone Gables
404 Highland Avenue
New Albany, IN 47150
Sheriff Sale




Listing Description:

Col. E.V. Knight was originally from Knightstown, Indiana. He arrived in New Albany around 1901 and was involved with the formation of the Indiana Veneer & Panel Company, which was the first furniture veneering (plywood) company in the nation. As the popularity of veneered furniture grew, Knight left I. V. & P. Co. and in 1907 formed the New Albany Veneering Co. at East 13th and McBeth streets. Initially he employed only about one hundred men, but with a contract from a Chicago company in 1926 to supply all the plywood for their Majestic radio cabinets, employment grew to almost 1200: the New Albany Veneering Co. had become the largest producer of furniture plywood in the world.

Col. Knight married Katherine DePauw, granddaughter of local industrialist and philanthropist Washington C. DePauw, in 1907. The couple built a very large, American foursquare-style home at 1217 East Main Street in 1912 and lived there until their Silver Hills estate was finished in 1929. Silver Hills was one of New Albany’s earliest and most prestigious suburbs, developed primarily after streetcar service was extended to the area in 1890. Greystone Gables – the name is carved into the limestone pillars at the entry gates – was designed by New Albany architect and Silver Hills resident, William C. Findt, Sr., and built by local contractor Earle Embrey.

By 1934, Col. Knight had lost most of his financial holdings due to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Depression that followed. By the following year, the Knight family had left New Albany and relocated to Alabama. There E.V. formed yet another veneering company in a town that he named Navco, after the New Albany Veneering Co.

In April 1937, Katherine Knight (E.V. had deeded the property to his wife in December 1930) sold the property to Karl and Margaret (Marquet) Moser. This began a fifty-eight year occupancy of the home by the Moser family. Karl’s family was involved with the Moser Tannery in New Albany, while Margaret’s family owned the New Albany Box and Basket Company. The New Albany Tribune noted the purchase, and described the property: “Surrounded by several acres of beautifully landscaped garden, Greystone Gables, as it was named by the Knights, has been an outstanding showplace in this part of the state, commanding a striking view of the cities of New Albany and Louisville with the Ohio River in between.”

At the close of the Mosers’ tenure, the house was sold at an auction in 1995 that drew more than a thousand onlookers. In 2005, John and Debbie Lopp purchased the property and began an extensive renovation to the historic property, taking it to the pristine condition as it once was when Col. E.V. Knight reigned over his corporate dynasty.

Greystone Gables features 8078 square feet of living area, including seven bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms. The exterior of the home is virtually unchanged from its historic appearance. It features a clay tile roof, and a limestone exterior accented by half-timbering. The roofline is marked by massive stone chimneys topped with decorative clay chimney pots, as well as the numerous cross-gables that inspired the name of the home. Original copper gutters, downspouts and light fixtures provide additional ornament to the exterior, and the Knight family crest is carved into a panel inset into one gable. The home retains its original wooden casement windows with metal muntins. The front entrance, which faces the circular drive, is lit by an original copper fixture and features a carved limestone surround and a Tudor-arched opening.

The original, paneled front door opens into a large foyer with a barrel-vaulted ceiling, which then opens into an elegant stairhall. Tile flooring and rough-textured plaster walls give a Mediterranean feel to the entry, while the use of paneling, a walnut beamed ceiling and Tudor arches is more typical of the Tudor Revival style. At the end of the stairhall, a paneled wall topped by turned spindles defines the “telephone room”, where calls could be made or received in private.

An iron gate separates the stairhall from the parlor, which features walnut paneling with inlaid mahogany and walnut designs. The ceiling is ornamented with a quatrefoil design, reportedly completed by plaster artisans from Morocco. A functional fireplace, currently adapted for gas logs, is located at one end of the room and also features inlays on the wooden mantelpiece.

A solarium is located off the parlor, and here the windows that ring the room include built-in roll-down screens.

The 24’-long dining room includes walnut paneling and built-in china cabinets, as well as another ornate plaster ceiling in a slightly different design. The original plans – which will stay with the house – were utilized to help locate the electric lines to minimize any plaster damage when new, period-appropriate light fixtures were installed.

The spacious kitchen is state-of-the-art but maintains its period feel, with glass-front cabinets and built-ins remaining. A separate breakfast room provides a bright, cozy space for morning meals or smaller gatherings.

Two staircases – a winding one with cast iron balusters in the main stairhall, and a simpler, back staircase – lead upstairs. Original eight-panel doors, original woodwork, and wide hardwood floors are found throughout this level.

A beamed ceiling, built-in shelves and dark woodwork give a lodge atmosphere to the large den/library. Three original light fixtures have been hung in this room, which also features a fireplace with a paneled overmantel and a limestone surround.

The master bedroom, also located on the second level, includes an attached sitting room, as well as two huge walk-in closets with built-ins.

Two additional bedrooms both have window seats and walk-in closets, and both have attached full bathrooms. A childrens’ bedroom has an attached playroom, four walk-in closets and an attached bathroom with a basket-weave tile floor and loads of vintage character. The large landing atop the main staircase provides a spacious seating area, made more intimate by a beamed, wooden ceiling.

The third floor includes two more sizeable bedrooms, each with a walk-in closet.

Another large room with hardwood flooring and lots of natural light could be finished as an additional bedroom, or would make a wonderful dance or art studio. A walk-in cedar closet, a full bathroom with a clawfoot tub, and another room that could be used for storage or a play area are also found on this level.

The home sits on a full basement, which offers another 2000 square feet of living or storage space, divided into multiple rooms. The laundry facilities and boiler are located here, as well as a slate shower and half bathroom.

Outside, the landscaped grounds – approximately three acres – are lit by original lamps and include an inground pool with a patio, a barn, an outdoor fireplace with a stone patio, and two rose gardens.

Adjacent to the gardens, a charming stone potting shed has been constructed in the style of the house. In the winter, the home has a lovely view of the Sherman Minton Bridge and the Louisville skyline below.

The property’s judgment number is 22D03-1508-MF-001146.  With this number you can visit the Clerk’s Office in the City-County building and enter it into their computers to find the judgment owed on the property. This is public record.




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To be sold at Sheriff’s Sale Thursday, 8 February 2018 at 10:00 AM in the Office of the Sheriff of Floyd County (first floor of the City-County Building, 311 Hauss Square, New Albany). Judgment number: 22DO3-1508-MF-001146.


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