Homeowners Adam and Gina Carr walk their dogs, Piper and Kona, in front of their historic cottage in Old Towne Orange. The couple planted hibiscus and plumeria in front to pay homage to the Hawaiian Islands where they got married.
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One morning last October, the doorbell rang unexpectantly at Adam and Gina Carr’s historic cottage on South Grand in Old Towne. The surprise visitor turned out to be a woman named Joyce whose father had grown up in the house during the 1940s-1950s and recently passed away. She was traveling from North Carolina with her husband, and stopped by Orange to see the area her dad had always spoken so fondly about.
“We gave her a tour of the house and she was ecstatic,” says Adam. “She recalled that throughout his entire life, he told stories of living here and the community that he grew up in. We gave her one of the vintage wallpaper scraps we discovered under the old wall paneling. She was tearful and could feel the connection.”
Fast-forward to February 2025 when Joyce returned to Old Towne with three of her sisters (Kimberly, Catherine and Joanne) to make an official family pilgrimage in honor of their father, Tommy Meadows. The Carrs welcomed the sisters to the home for an extended visit, connecting the dots about the home’s history, including that Tommy’s father worked in Old Towne in the citrus industry. The historical research the Carrs had begun at the Orange Library came into clearer focus.
“Joyce told us that her family put homemade pies in the windowsills for the neighbors,” says Adam. “Most of our windows are large enough to hold a pie, but we assume it’s the window that our dog looks out of every day. We found several news articles about pinocle and canasta parties held here. The families that lived here clearly liked to entertain. The legacy of entertaining continues to this day, because Gina and I love to host parties and gatherings.”
The front room is where Adam and Gina start each day with their morning coffee. Favorite pieces on display include framed scraps of the original wallpaper from circa-1917 when the house was built. There’s also an antique ladder they purchased in 2015 that came from an abandoned farmhouse in Texas.
Adam and Gina like to have friends gather around the firepit in their front yard for cocktails. On Halloween, neighbors join them passing out candy while hanging out around the firepit.
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Built in 1917, the hip-roof cottage features a front porch supported by wood posts. The entry is flanked on either side by original double-hung windows. According to historical records, it’s one of the few properties in town where the original owner was a woman. Her name was Allie Winslow, and her family was scattered throughout Old Towne.
Having previously lived in Anaheim Hills in a 3,000-square-foot home, the Carrs had long wanted to move to Old Towne and were ready to downsize. They searched for five years but never found the right place. When the cottage on South Grand near Hart Park came on the market in 2022, they knew it was the perfect fit. Now totaling 1,853 square feet, the three-bedroom home was added onto in the 1950s and again in the 1990s.
“The house looks small from the front yard, but once you walk inside, it’s much more spacious because of the additions,” says Adam. “Each addition extends lengthwise toward the back, which gives the house a really nice flow from front to back.”
When they first moved in, everything was sporadically dated, says Gina, who recounted how each room had different floors, be it wood, linoleum or carpet. The couple also removed the dated paneling on the walls and painted the interior white.
The Carr’s dog Piper peers through the front window where in the 1950s, the Meadows family placed homemade pies in the windowsill for neighbors to enjoy.
The dining room opens into the kitchen and living room beyond. Potted plants impart pops of color throughout the home, which is outfitted in a mix of classic and modern décor.
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“We found two layers of wallpaper under the paneling; one was probably from the 1950s and the other looks like the home’s original wallpaper,” says Gina. “The quality was amazing, like a sturdy canvas, with depictions of horsedrawn carriages and Victorian-style houses. We kept portions of it framed inside the wall to pay homage.”
A financial advisor with his own firm, Modern Wealth Design, Adam works in Old Towne just a half mile from the house. They loved the area so much that Adam moved his business into the downtown district four years ago, first on South Glassell, and now on South Olive Street. Active in the business community, he is the incoming chair of the Orange Chamber of Commerce.
Gina is the longtime director of sales for Patina Restaurant Group, organizing major hospitality events for the PGA Championships, Ryder’s Cup, SAG-AFTRA Awards, and the upcoming NFL Draft 2025, to name a few.
The couple got married on Maui. The tropical plants in their yard reflect the Hawaiian Islands, such as the flowering plumeria trees and the red banana leaves that grow along the fence as a privacy screen. The backyard includes a pizza oven, as well as a pergola that Adam built from scratch. In the front yard, the couple often gathers around the fire pit with friends.
The enormous fireplace in the living room was built in the 1950s by hometown hero Reuben Meadows. Reuben’s son, Tommy, grew up in the house and is pictured (inset) in a 1946 photo taken in front of the original wallpaper.
Adam and Gina sit below their gallery wall in the front room.
Pictured above (from left) are four of Tommy Meadows’ daughters, Joyce, Kimberly, Catherine and Joanne. Tommy lived in the house in the 1940s-1950s. After his recent passing, they came to visit the home he fondly remembered and spoke about.
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Inside, the décor combines classic and Midcentury Modern influences. In the kitchen, the couple replaced the old cabinets with classic Shaker cabinets and added a replica vintage oven. Adam built and installed custom panels on the fridge and dishwasher. Their favorite room of the house, the front room is filled with natural light. As it turns out, the massive fireplace in the adjacent living room was built in the 1950s by Reuben Meadows.
“Reuben was our dad’s dad,” says Kimberly Jones, daughter of Tommy Meadows who grew up in the house. “He was well-known in Old Towne for saving the life of a child who was trapped in a drainage portal at Hart Park. Our dad was the ballboy for the championship Lionette’s girls’ softball team at Hart Park. The star of the team was Bertha Ragan Tickey, a famous athlete of the era.
“Dad told us he delivered newspapers on his bike and liked to climb a big, beautiful tree in Hart Park. Now that I’ve seen Old Towne, it’s like Americana and apple pie. He died of Alzheimer’s and mostly remembered four things at end of his life: Mom, the Navy, God and Old Towne.”
As for the Carrs, they cherish living in Old Towne surrounded by neighbors young and old they meet when walking their two dogs, Piper and Kona.
“The best part of being in Old Towne is our close relationship with our neighbors,” says Gina. “We’ll sit on the porch and chat with neighbors, or walk to the Plaza for dinner or drinks and meet up with friends. We just love promoting and patronizing local businesses. It’s so much fun to build community when you live in a place as wonderful as Old Towne.”
