Every home has a story. This house was built by an heiress and carries with it an air of mystery about why she stayed in it for such a brief period and then sold it, along with most of her belongings still in it.

The Enterprise Boulevard home of Robert and Caroline Guilott was built for Helen Weber McGehee in 1953. Helen was the only daughter of W.P. and Mayme Siling Weber, a rich and prominent Lake Charles family with holdings in the lumber, wholesale goods, oil, banking and rail industries.

Architect was Joe Partridge, a Tulane-educated Lake Charles native who only practiced a short time in Lake Charles before moving to California, according to local architect Pat Gallaugher.

Helen Weber McGehee built a few houses, according to A.C. Boudier, a local preservation advocate and Calcasieu Historical Preservation Society member.

“I don’t think she stayed in any of them very long,” Boudier said.

“She only lived in the house for a couple of years before moving,” writes Sarah Guilott in the online retro renovation story about her mother and father’s kitchen remodel. “She left everything. She took her clothes and a few personal mementos and left everything else!”

Sarah Guilott has published information about her parent’s kitchen remodel and about her Spindel round house online.

Some of Helen Weber McGehee’s things can still be found in the house after 60 years and several changes in ownership. She left the matching foyer console tables with the rococo mirrors. The foyer chandelier is original to the house and is a Paavo Tynell design. One of the most interesting leave-behinds is the large statue of the Solari Italian marble “teaching Buddha” in the courtyard.

The Guilotts collected vintage and retro furnishings and decor before they moved into the home. Some of the pieces are associated with big-name designers. But the Guilotts love the hunt and frequent estate sales. During the tour they pointed out two great looking pieces that cost only a few dollars.

The most personal touch, however, to the home is the art collection, put together over time.

The Guilotts saw the house for the first time when they attended a Christmas party there. Larry Turner and Ricky Chapman were owners.

“We were fawning over the details of the house,” Sarah Guilott said, “and happened to mention if they ever decided to sell to contact us.”

Three months later, Larry Turner contacted the Guilotts to ask them if there were serious. They were. Robert and Caroline Guilott purchased the house in 2013.

The concrete foundation of the house exceeds standard requirements by far. McGehee may not have intended to stay in the house, but the house was built to stay put.

“It is one of the best built houses in Lake Charles,” Patrick Webb said.

He and wife, Virginia, lived in the house for a while.

“My father was a civil engineer and he inspected it for us before we bought it. He was amazed that there were no cracks in the brick veneer. The house was about 50 years old at that time. Looking at the blueprints revealed that the foundation was tremendously overbuilt, and it could probably support a multistory structure. It is just a cool place.”

The outside of the blonde brick house with white crosshead dentil molding belies the spaciousness and coolness – in color and vibe – of the interior. A neighbor’s children said the house looked like a library.

Weber was a few years ahead of her time with her mid-century courtyard home with clean lines and larger-than-average room size, on-suite baths, a maid’s room and bath, a silver closet and roomy closets.

“It has over a thousand square feet of halls and closets; I measured,” said Patrick Webb.

“The garage is as big as it is,” said Larry Turner, “because McGehee needed the room to accommodate her limo.”

Courtyard home designs were prized because of the natural light, the incorporation of the outdoors and efficient use of lot size. Houses were often placed in a way that meant little yard maintenance. The Guilott’s front yard is treeless. Guilott said McGehee thought trees were for making money, not for landscaping.

The kitchen, originally black and white, has been totally refreshed. Cabinets are a calming light blue green color and were painted by auto paint experts. However, they vowed never to take on such a project again, according to Sarah Guilott. The floor is new and the Sputnik chandelier is period perfect.

The original kitchen was characterized as St. Charles by Guilott who publishes, blogs, decorates and dresses retro.

The St. Charles Manufacturing Company began in St. Charles, Illinois and enjoys the distinction of being the longest running steel cabinetmaker. After the war, this company’s metal cabinets became popular. Continuous run countertops or fitted kitchens became the norm.

This type of metal cabinet became popular after World War II ended