On the Mile Magazine

BEAUTIFULon the mile
East Cleveland St. House Inspires Neighbors to Improve Neighborhood
14 | on the MILE | NOVEMBER 2011-JANUARY 2012 NOVEMBER 2011-JANUARY 2012 | on the MILE | 15
By Gene Beley
Some people buy a
house because it has
granite counters in
the kitchen. Others
buy because the
house of their dreams has
wooden floors. Carol Goucher
bought the 1920-built corner
bungalow at 47 East Cleveland
St. in 2001 because triangular
shaped, supporting corbels
under the eaves won her heart.
Otherwise, the house was in
“awful condition” and had only
two other selling features: “central
air and a roof,” she laughs.
She and her significant other, Greg
Drovoid, worked a full month to gut the
inside, throwing out curtains, blinds,
and other items left behind. Nineteen
truckloads of “stuff ” later, they were
able to move into the quaint, 1,000 sq.
ft. house she now describes as a “very
warm, comfortable craftsman bungalow
home.”
They made updates slowly, but surely.
For instance, they admittedly showered
in rusty water before getting new
plumbing. New bathroom fixtures replaced
the ancient ones, but she kept the
1918 American Standard sink. Other
changes included dual pane, energy efficient
windows that are duplicates of the
Carol Goucher and her dog Rowdy love living in the craftsman, bungalow home just east of the Miracle Mile. Carol bought the
1920 vintage house in 2001 and did a major facelift to the home.
originals. The old fence was removed
and replaced with wrought iron fencing,
while interior and exterior paint drastically
changed the appearance inside and
out. The minimalist kitchen also benefitted
from a new stainless steel refrigerator
and range.
These efforts have been rewarded with
two excellence awards in 2008 from
Stockton Beautiful and the Cultural
Heritage Society. Goucher grew up in
Stockton and, despite a lot of nationwide
negative publicity the city has
received lately, she quickly volunteers,
“I can’t tell you how much I love living
in Stockton. It’s exactly where I want to
be.”
Goucher feels she has helped turn
around the entire neighborhood by
encouraging others to improve their
homes. She has worked diligently with
the city to get mediums installed in the
street and adopted the Cleveland Island
“park” that extends on El Dorado from
Pine to East Cleveland. Her current
campaign with the city is removing a
large tree removed alongside her home
to replace it with a more suitable one.
Sometimes the political elements go
painfully slow, she confided. However,
Goucher is a patient neighborhood advocate
that knows positive change is a
process.
“I take great pride in being a community
volunteer. Little things such as
picking up trash and cleaning up graffiti
make a huge positive impact as to
how our city is perceived. There is a
strong sense of pride in our homes and
community by those of us who reside
near the Miracle Mile. As the century
mark rapidly approaches many of our
homes, it gives me hope that our community
will still be beautiful and strong
100 years from now. I have no regrets
in moving here,” Goucher says. on the mile
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“On the Mile” magazine along with
Stockton Beautiful selects one homeowner
each quarter that’s featured in “Beautiful
on the Mile.” The Miracle Mile District
residents highlighted exemplifies pride of
ownership and embraces the uniqness of
this historic community.
About Stockton Beautiful: Stockton
Beautiful was established in 1993 by
Gerry Dunlap and Charles Lester. Their
mission is to promote the appreciation of
Stockton’s unique location, the wonderous
diversity of our citizenry, and their contribution
which provides our greatest community
opportunities.
For more information on Stockton Beautiful,
visit them online at www.stocktonbeautiful.org
or call (209) 948-8335.