By Lizabeth Jenkins-Dale
Riverside Drive provides many beautiful views, and the home at 4870 is an excellent example of that beauty surrounded in nature with striking artisan work. You are greeted by a formidable row of pine trees to the left of the elongated driveway and a flagpole standing alone in the expansive front yard. The natural landscape of hills, rocks, and trees makes one feel as if arriving at an isolated cabin retreat. Looking upward to the home is a visual delight as the exterior stonework with several arches created by local Stonemason John Malport comes into view.
Built in 1988, Bobbie and Barry Levine purchased the home in 2004. The house holds many family heirlooms, which are scattered throughout like a treasure hunt. The kitchen hutch displays Bobbie’s mother’s china, which was purchased at the beginning of WWII. It arrived in installments. Some of it is labeled “Bavaria,” while later installments are labeled “Germany,” as world events influenced such finite details as china origins! Also in the kitchen are Bobbie’s great-grandmother’s crystal bowl and her grandmother’s collection of detailed silver spoons as well as her great-aunt’s crystal.
Peering through the kitchen’s sliding glass doors, be sure to view the circular brick patio designed by Landscaper Steve Gregory. Also notice the upward rolling terrain just beyond the backyard, where a meadow resides on the Levine’s 2.5 acres.
The lower level of the house boasts a huge den, complete with a fireplace, guest room, laundry room, and bathroom. In the hallway, note the photos and newspaper article of the Levine’s son, who played football with the University of Wisconsin. He also played in the 1994 Rose Bowl, too! Near the sliding glass doors and in the corner, there is a horse and cowboy statue. It was a gift for Barry just before leaving his pastoral internship in Kansas. Also near the sliding doors is a display of pictures and other memorabilia from when the Levines sang and traveled through England, Holland, and Wales. To this day, both Bobbie and Barry are actively involved with choir and The Soo Theatre activities.
The Levine’s house has many additional unique features such as the vaulted ceiling, porthole windows, a wrap-around second-story deck, which provides a “tree house” feel, and a deluxe black-tiled bathroom complete with a large soaking tub.
Ascending the stone-lined stairs, you’ll be absorbed with the view, the openness of the upper level, and the massive stone wall containing the large fireplace. Additional family heirlooms are in this room such as the antique cobbler’s table, at least that is what the Levine’s have been told it is, and Bobbie’s grandfather’s shaving stand. His name, S. Haggerty, is on the shaving mug. Notice the print of Iroquois Point Lighthouse by Pat Norton over the fireplace. It was a gift from Faith Lutheran Church, where Barry is Pastor, for the Levine’s first Christmas in Sault Sainte Marie.
As you venture forth from the Levine’s lovely home, you leave a peaceful retreat; just perfect for a pastor to contemplate sermon topics and an actress to rehearse her lines.
