New home planned for Fort Grounds

COEUR d'ALENE - Demolition began Monday at a 105-year-old home across from City Park in the historic and eclectic Fort Grounds neighborhood.

John and Jessica Pulsipher, who own the property at 205 N. Park Drive, have plans for a new home there with 7,500 square feet of living space. A four-car garage adds another 1,400 square feet to the total building area.

The home spreads across two lots.

Documents from the city of Coeur d'Alene's building department said the contractor for the new home is Northwest Legacy Homes Inc., of Post Falls. The designer is Eric Hedlund Design LLC, of Coeur d'Alene.

John Pulsipher, a dentist at Riverstone Dental Care, was contacted Monday and asked about his plans.

"There are several homes under construction in the Fort Grounds," Pulsipher said in an email. "Why the interest specifically with our project?"

Rick Gunther, a real estate agent who has lived in three houses in the Fort Grounds neighborhood and built townhouses there on the lakefront, said he is happy to hear the Pulsiphers are having a craftsman-style home built.

That matches the design characteristics of the neighborhood, Gunther said.

"I think the flavor is going to fit in very nicely with the Fort Grounds," he said.

The loss of historic homes is always sad, said Coeur d'Alene City Councilman Dan Gookin, who lives in the neighborhood.

But the design of the new house looks like it will fit well, he said.

There is one problem, however, he said.

"The size is really big," he said. "The height concerns me."

The home tops the 32-foot height restriction. It's allowed to be higher in this case because of an exception for rooftop equipment, Gookin said.