Laurie Tigges – Big Blue Bed and Breakfast
Overnight Accommodations at Big Blue Bed and Breakfast
Laurie Tigges – Big Blue Bed and Breakfast
On the corner of 9th and Greene in the small town of Adel, Iowa sits a big, blue house.
This iconic home has been a landmark in Adel since 1890, housing several families over the past 128 years who each preserved the historic architecture as best they could.
Known locally as “Big Blue”, the Queen Anne Victorian home was recently purchased by Laurie and Mike Tigges of JT Homes.
At first, the couple planned to renovate the house for resale, but after devoting their blood, sweat, and tears, have fallen in love with the home, choosing instead to make Big Blue into a modern Bed and Breakfast to share with all.
“We didn’t intend to turn it into a Bed and Breakfast at first. We intended to fix it up and sell it. It became this thing of, I don’t think I could sell it to someone else and watch something change or watch it be broken up or turned into offices.
I also didn’t want it to be just one family that got to enjoy Big Blue; its such a big part of Adel history. Everyone knows Big Blue.
After talking with Deb Bengston at the Adel Partners Chamber of Commerce about the feasibility- they wanted something near the bike path for people to stay- that changed our course of design, what we were doing. We decided to turn her into a bed and breakfast.”
The couple purchased Big Blue in November, 2017 and began the monumental task of restoring the home. While the house had many great features, it also came with several problems ranging from termites to sinking foundations.
It took 9 months of long hours, diligent work, financing from Lincoln Savings Bank, and hiring local contractors, before Big Blue Bed and Breakfast could open her doors to the public in July 2018.
In the following months Mike and Laurie will complete the restoration of two porches and small restorations that don’t affect the ability to have guests stay and enjoy the beauty and charm of this historic home.
There are 4 rental spaces available at Big Blue Bed and Breakfast, named for previous owners of the house. The Kester and The McCann rooms featuring single queen beds, the Simcoke Suite- two connected rooms with private entrances and sleeping for 4, and the third floor Penthouse.
Each includes a smart TV, connected to DirecTV and private wi-fi so guests may access their own streaming accounts. It is especially important to note that each has its own bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower tub, a rarity for most Bed and Breakfast houses.
The first floor features the formal sitting room, dining room, kitchen, casual den, and the Innkeeper’s suite.
It is the first floor that harkens to the historically eclectic nature of Big Blue, with furniture and antiques spanning more than 100 years.
Guests will find casual leather couches next to wing-backed Victorian chairs, a pink marble side table, and preserved sideboards. Many of the items were donated by local residents who wanted to see their antiques loved by those who visit.
Laurie’s parents, Charlotte and Greg Johnson, recently moved to Adel from Kansas to be with Laurie, Mike, and their 5 children. The couples acts as Innkeepers, something Charlotte has always dreamt of doing.
She is especially excited to care for Big Blue and her guests by tending to the garden and landscaping. As is tradition, and outlined for insurance purposes, guests are not allowed to cook in the kitchen or their rooms.
Breakfast is prepared by the Innkeepers, additional meals are negotiated at booking, and guests may opt to bring in licensed caterers.
Laurie previously owned a bakery in Marshalltown and is known for her delicious comfort foods such as biscuits and gravy, french crepes, and caramel rolls. The Tigges family is accommodating, and with notice, is able to adjust the breakfast menu for those with dietary restrictions.
The kitchen is Laurie’s creation where modern, commercial, high-end tastes combine with savvy deals. Laurie salvaged pieces from Craigslist and online groups to fulfill her dream kitchen, including her coveted kitchen sink made of hand-carved Italian marble, and purchased for an incredible bargain.
On the second floor is a maze of hallways connecting the Kester, McCann, and Simcoke Suite. At the time Big Blue was built by Adel’s pharmacist and local hero, J.L. Simcoke, bacteria and germ science was new.
It was theorized that stuffy houses with stagnant air were making illnesses like consumption and tuberculosis worse. To combat these issues, homeowners like Simcoke created breezeways.
With a sleeping porch to the East, no larger than a twin bed and used exactly as the name implies, and a seasonal porch to the West with plenty of windows, homeowners could open up and air out the house.
On the third floor, guests find the Penthouse, aptly named with its privacy and charm. Tall, angled ceilings, cozy living room, and nestle-away sleeping nooks allow for groups of up to 11 people to share the loft with space to spare.
The walls are made of cedar, giving the former attic a charming, cabin-like feel with its soft, hanging lights and lamps throughout.
The Penthouse includes 3 full beds, one twin, one queen and king bed. Two of the full beds are built into the loft, or former widows walk, creating a treehouse effect kids love.
There are leather couches and a TV in the living room area, and around the corner is a cozy nook where the twin and full bed can be found with their own TV. The modern bathroom in the Penthouse includes a walk-in shower, vanity, toilet, and luxurious soaker tub- something hard to find in overnight accommodations.
Privacy and comfort are the focus points for the JT Homes crew, who want guests to enjoy their stay without fear of being disturbed, or disturbing others. They decided to use a mixture of fiberglass and denim insulation in the rooms and pressed tin ceilings downstairs to reduce noise, coded entry pads instead of swipe cards, and renovated the house so that no interior wall is shared with another bedroom.
Big Blue Bed and Breakfast has central heating and cooling, with a separate unit in the Penthouse so guests can sleep comfortably all year long.
Mike and Laurie love the features of Big Blue and are thrilled to share her charm and stories with visitors from across the country.
Guests have included wedding parties in town to celebrate grand events, in-laws that needed their own space but wanted to be close to family, weary travelers unfamiliar with the area who found the Bed and Breakfast searching for local options, and community members interested in seeing the renovations first hand.
“The City of Adel has been fantastic- getting us pictures of what it looked like originally, or giving us insight into what it had been. We found out the porches were wooden originally, not brick.
The original pictures show what was called “potbellied” or pregnant balusters. We looked everywhere but couldn’t find a local company to make them, and we needed about 250 of them. So we talked to the school, and it became an Industrial Tech project at ADM.
We supplied the wood and equipment needed. It taught them about woodworking and gave us an opportunity to have the community involved. These kids will be able to know, 20 years from now, ‘I built that!'”
Mike, Laurie, and their family are honored to call Big Blue home and look forward to sharing this beautifully restored piece of Adel history with guests for many years to come.
Big Blue Bed and Breakfast
318 S 9th St
Adel, Iowa 50003
Ph: (515) 745-3969
Website: BigBlueBedAndBreakfast.com
Facebook:BigBlueRestoration
