Historic Sioux City home recalls glory days of the past

The Tom and Cyndi Tener residence, 4103 Perry Way, is shown in June. The all brick craftsman-style home was built in 1927 and has its original floors, woodwork and landscaping features.

The Tom and Cyndi Tener residence, 4103 Perry Way, is shown in June. The all brick craftsman-style home was built in 1927 and has its original floors, woodwork and landscaping features.

SIOUX CITY — A brochure from the 1920s touts Country Club Place as "Sioux City's exclusive colony of homes of high character."

A brick craftsman-style home with a green tile roof at 4103 Perry Way sits on nearly 1 1/2 acres of land in that north side development. Tom and Cyndi Tener bought the historic home in 2020.

When the couple first laid their eyes on the property, they thought it was "heaven on earth," according to Tom.

"We've been buying furniture all our married life for this house and didn't even know it. We love old things," Tom said over the sounds of birds chirping and water flowing from a garden fountain.

The gardens and fountain are original to the property. In fact, the plans for the garden, as well as blueprints for the seven-bed, four-bath house hang framed in a hallway off of the kitchen.

Every nook and cranny of the 5,200-square-foot home seems to have a story to tell, and, soon, new owners will be hearing it. The house is on the market, as the Teners are moving to Hannibal, Missouri for Cyndi's job. She works in health care.

"We're sorry we're going to have to leave it. We would've loved to have stayed forever," Tom said.

The Tom and Cyndi Tener residence, 4103 Perry Way, is shown in June in Sioux City. The all-brick, craftsman-style home was built in 1927 and h…

Tom Tener holds a copy of the plans for his residence's gardens at 4103 Perry Way.

Tom Tener holds a copy of the plans for his residence's gardens at an original fountain at 4103 Perry Way.

A lower level bedroom is shown at the Tom and Cyndi Tener residence.

'Built like a fort'

Tom said the neon house numbers, which are constantly illuminated above the porch, were manufactured on May 29, 1938.

He said the porch, which was originally open, was likely enclosed sometime after that year.

"One of the things that really attracted us to this is all the owners took care of it. They didn't try to make it something it's not. It's a 1927 house that is built like a fort," he said.

The porch was a three-season room when the Teners purchased the house. Cyndi transformed it into an inviting sitting area, which can be used year-round. An oversized armchair, potted plants and shadow box end tables, which display bandage scissors and other vintage first aid pieces, round out the space.

Even when it's 10 degrees outside, Tom said temperatures hover in the 60s on the porch.

Vintage items are shown on top of a cabinet in a lower level living room at the Tom and Cyndi Tener residence. The Teners are avid collectors …

A wine cellar is shown at the Tom and Cyndi Tener residence, 4103 Perry Way. The all-brick, craftsman-style home has its original floors, wood…

A lower-level living room space is shown at the Tom and Cyndi Tener residence.

An original bathtub and fixtures are shown at the Tom and Cyndi Tener residence. The all brick craftsman-style home has its original floors, w…

Original pieces abound

The gas fireplace is the focal point of the living room. But, back in the day, Tom believes it burned coal, since there is an area for coal in the basement.

The floors in the living room, as well as in the formal dining room, office, hallways and homeowner's suite, are oak, while the doors are made of three different types of wood -- cypress, maple and walnut.

"It's a joy to have floors like this," Tom remarked.

The crown molding in the living room looks like wood, but Tom said it's actually plaster.

"The way you know it's not wood is that there are no seams," he said. "I've never seen a house like that."

A formal dining room and another eating nook are just off the living room. The informal eating space features original terrazzo floors and a unique curve where the wall and ceiling meet.

"I'm told one of the reasons they did that was because they used wet wood that hadn't dried out. If they put wet wood up as a ceiling or as crown molding, as it dried, it would shrink," Tom said. "I don't know if that's true or not. But it's the only room in the house that's like that."

A "Hoosier cabinet" or "Kitchen Queen" serves as a conversation piece in the space. The Teners acquired the self-contained work and storage cabinet, which was once gifted as a wedding present in 1908.

"They were virtually all made in Indiana," Tom said. "It was in many kitchens. It was the only thing the cook had other than the stove and their iceboxes."

All of the light fixtures in the home are original. Tom said he found some of the sconces, which now hang in the dining room, downstairs covered in inches of dirt.

"Some of them were missing when we moved in. They had been taken down and covered with artwork," he said. "I cleaned them up and called an electrician to come in. He put them up, and the darn things work."

Tom Tener looks at framed blueprints of his home at 4103 Perry Way.

Tom Tener stands in the kitchen of his home at 4103 Perry Way. The kitchen remains in its original space and is the same size as it has always…

Tom Tener gestures toward marketing materials for what was then the Country Club Realty Company. Country Club Place, where Tener's home was bu…

An original chandelier is shown in the dining room at the Tom and Cyndi Tener residence. The all-brick, craftsman-style home has its original …

Updated kitchen

The kitchen remains in its original space and is the same size as it has always been, but, today, it has modern features.

The countertops are a mix of granite and quartz, while the cabinets are cherry wood. There is a wine refrigerator, dishwasher and double oven.

Tom opened a cupboard and pulled out a piece of light-green Frankoma Pottery. John Frank founded Frank Potteries, Oklahoma's first commercial pottery enterprise, in Norman in 1933 during the Great Depression. He renamed his company Frankoma Pottery in 1934.

Tom fondly recalled touring the place where Frankoma Pottery was made, when he was a sixth-grade student in Tulsa. He picked up a salt and pepper shaker in the gift shop, which he took home to his parents.

"Dad, the next Christmas, went out and bought a whole bunch of this," he said with a chuckle. "We've got whole bunches of that up there."

Tom Tener stands in the dining room of his residence.

Tom Tener stands in a small eating area off of his home's dining room. The space features original terrazzo floors and an antique kitchen work…

The main floor living room is shown at the Tom and Cyndi Tener residence, 4103 Perry Way. The all-brick, craftsman-style home has its original…

Tom Tener gestures toward original plaster crown molding in the front living room of his Sioux City home.

Summer house

The summer house at the end of the property was in rough shape when the Teners moved in three years ago, so they restored it. The previous owners used it for storage.

"I think the little old ladies went out there in their long dresses and long sleeves and had tea. It's shown on the drawings, and they call it a summer house," Tom said. "There's wicker furniture in it and we use it to have our cocktails in the evening after it gets a little cooler."

Tom said they painted the summer house to match the main house, put new screens in it and added electricity.

"We engaged a local company and they came out and buried a line. We have electricity and a ceiling fan. So, once the sun goes down or gets close to going down, it's pleasant," he said.

Restored neon house numbers are shown at the Tom and Cyndi Tener residence. Tom Tener said the house numbers were manufactured on May 29, 1938.

The Tom and Cindi Tener residence, 4103 Perry Way, is shown in June. The all brick craftsman-style home was built in 1927 and has its original…

An original fountain is shown in a garden at Tom and Cyndi Tener's home.

A view from inside the "summer house" is shown at the Tom and Cyndi Tener residence, 4103 Perry Way. The Teners restored the unique structure …

Tranquil gardens

On the south side of the property, water bubbled from the home's original fountain above a koi pond. The pond is flanked by purple coneflowers, irises, meadow sage, red twig dogwood bushes and other plants.

Just east of the fountain, a walkway to the house leads under a brick archway, which is topped with a green tile roof. Tom said the archway is also original to the property, but he said he doesn't know what it was ever used for.

"We find people in there if they get caught in the rain," he said. "And, then, we'll find people sitting around the koi pond in the gardens there. People we don't know."

Tom said children will venture into the garden and pick a flower.

"We've told all of them coming by here, 'Go pick a flower, as long as you don't take the whole plant,'" he said with a chuckle.

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