Vesper-Walker house follows the blueprint for generational growth

For Kelsey and Scott Walker, a “forever home” was never far away.

Built by Kelsey’s grandfather in 1948, the Upper Arlington residence on Kensington Drive passed to her father, Richard Vesper, after his mother’s death, and was eventually sold to the couple in 2020.

Kelsey and Scott Walker

Six years later, the home still shelters the same family it was originally built for, with some structural updates and modern amenities helping Kelsey and Scott feel truly at home. Kelsey says if the walls could talk, they’d be happy.

“I enjoy the legacy that this house has, and I think that’s really special,” Kelsey says. “It’s not, you know, very frequent that only one family has lived in a house from the time it was built, and I think (they) would be pleased with the changes that have been made because the home was built for the family, and every change we’ve made has been with our family in mind.”

Upon moving in with their two children, the couple’s first goal was to distinguish the property’s past from its present.

“We put a coat of paint in the kitchen, like on the cabinets and stuff, just to give it a new feel, so that it didn’t feel like the house that we visited all the time when we came over for holidays with my parents,” Kelsey says.

Once smaller tweaks were made, attention turned to the upstairs area. The pair’s son and daughter shared a single bathroom that acted like a “Jack and Jill,” but growing pains made the existing layout unsustainable.

By implementing a new floor plan and converting one restroom into two, the Walkers found a functional solution to the siblings’ increasing desire for privacy.

“It’s changed the way the kids live, for sure, because our daughter has her own space, and our son’s not waiting for her to get out so he can use the bathroom,” Scott says.

Considering the residence is nearly 80 years old, climate control proved to be an additional challenge.

This past summer, the Walkers worked with Atlas Butler – a home service business with over 100 years of local history – to install a precise mini-split HVAC system, giving them more control over the temperature(s) in each room.

“Instead of doing double zones with two furnaces, where you have one upstairs and one downstairs, we have the front half of the house and the back half of the house,” Scott says.

Though Kelsey and Scott have hired roughly six developers for various renovation projects, they say Atlas Butler stands out for its personal connection to the family. Both Kelsey and her father are veterinarians, so while the Walkers trust Atlas Butler with their house, the company has trusted the duo with their pets.

“Out of all the contractors we’ve had, they have certainly taken some ownership over this home,” Scott says.

Of course, there are many small details that have gone purposefully untouched to preserve the property’s nostalgic flair, from the flowers Kelsey’s mother planted outside to a gas-assisted, wood-burning fireplace that always combats the cold.

Kelsey and Scott Walker

“That’s my favorite thing to do in the winter, is just to be together in the family room and have fires,” Kelsey says.

The Walkers also replicated and framed a blueprint of the home, which was discovered when Kelsey’s father, Richard, moved out. A second copy was gifted to Richard, who cared for his late wife and son – Kelsey’s mother and brother – while living in the house.

Scott says the blueprint serves as a poignant reminder that, even in the face of profound loss, the Vesper-Walker house changes and endures.

“It served its purpose, being a place for those people who needed a place,” Scott says. “But then, it has been refreshed and revived since we got here. That was something that was going to need to happen, whoever took it over next, and I think we’re proud to be the ones who got to do that.”

Kelsey agrees, saying that honoring her family’s memories while making the home her own has been deeply meaningful. Still, some traditions are just too good to lose.

“When we bought it from my dad, one of the things he said was, ‘Can we still have Christmas here?’” Kelsey Walker says.