[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This article was originally published in 2020.
Here’s a little peek inside the home of a former Hollywood legend. Ginger Rogers, the actress, dancer, and singer who could do everything her dancing partner Fred Astaire did, but backward and in high heels, lived here.
Ginger was born in 1911 in Independence, where her childhood home and birthplace still stands. This year, it went on the market and quickly sold. The two-bedroom and one-and-a-half bath home was built in 1906 and features the original woodwork, clawfoot tub, and bathroom sink. In addition to those items, there are numerous antique decor pieces scattered throughout the house, such as the 1910 telephone that hangs on the kitchen wall, a coffee grinder, dressers, lamps, a sewing machine, and a radio. The house came fully furnished and full of life for the lucky buyers. Many of the items, like the kitchen appliances, are new but are 1940s-style decor to complement the entire feel of the historic home.
Before it went on the market, the house was used as a museum honoring the late star and her mother, Lela Rogers, who was a journalist, film producer, and screenwriter. Three Trails Cottages LLC purchased the home in 2016 and completely restored the property before turning it into the museum. Marge Padgitt, president of Three Tails Cottages, is currently seeking the donation of a building in Jackson County that could become a museum dedicated to local celebrities.
The more than 260 items that had been showcased in the home could be featured. The restoration work of the home included rebuilding and repairing the stone foundation, replacing floor joists, adding new flooring and electrical, rebuilding the chimney that was a part of the original home, and more.
“Basically, we tried to keep that house as original as possible,” Marge says. Since Three Trails Cottages also restores chimneys, they knew that was a feature they wanted to add back in.
“We went by a 1942 Life magazine article with a photo of the house, which also had Ginger Rogers sitting on the porch, and there was a picture of the chimney,” Marge says.
In 1994, the home was designated a Historic Landmark property by the City of Independence, and it continues to draw Ginger Rogers fans and Missouri history-lovers alike to its doorsteps.
“It’s been nice to be able to save a piece of history,” Marge says. “It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to do that, and the fact that Ginger Rogers was born here is extra special.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_gallery el_id=”gallery-162025″ medias=”90772,90766,90769,90773,90903,90904″ gutter_size=”3″ screen_lg=”1000″ screen_md=”600″ screen_sm=”480″ single_overlay_opacity=”50″ single_padding=”2″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
