Renovated
For
Rejuvenation

     The year is 1897. The house on 319 E. Elizabeth is booming with life as the Kowalski family prepares for one of its lavish parties.

     The smell of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice fills the evening air as Corinne Kowalski laces the surrounding trees with Japanese Lanterns.

     Benjamin Kowalski drives the family stagecoach down the street. He pulls into his home and disappears inside the carriage house.

     This would have been a typical scenario at one of Brownsville 's oldest homes – the Kowalski-Fernandez estate.

     According to David Zimmerman, local historian and part owner of the Kowalski estate, the date shown on the historical home's deed is 1890. However, it is possible the house was built before then.

     Zimmerman said that Benjamin Kowalski built the home and became its first owner. The Polish Jew also served as a Brownsville mayor in the late 19 th century. His family used the carriage house as both a storage room for their carriage and as a stable for horses and other animals.

     The Kowalski's owned a dry goods store and were well known for their extravagant parties, Zimmerman added.

     In 1918, they sold their property to Corinne's niece, Rosalie, and her husband Miguel Fernandez. The Fernandez family owned a hide yard and kept the tradition of throwing lavish parties.

     Neighbors were often invited for plentiful dinners prepared by the Fernandez's chef, a Chinese cook. Over the years, passerby became accustomed to the sounds of music as Rosalie gave piano lessons to her 18 children. The property remained within the family until the last Kowalski-Fernandez family member died in 1997. Around 2002, Zimmerman and Sandy Stillman bought the property in an effort to preserve the valuable buildings.

     Today, the carriage house has been transformed into an oasis for relaxation.

     On a recent Friday afternoon, the sound of laughter could be heard from inside The Carriage House Day Spa. The French door swung open as three women emerged.

     With manicured nails, they walked across the courtyard, their Italian pumps making a ‘click-click' sound on the 19 th century brick patio.

     Inside the spa, the scene is similar. With massage beds filling old storage rooms, Moroccan style throw rugs on the floor, and Tiffany lamps leaning against historic walls, the Carriage House is a blend of Old World style and modern day luxuries.

     "Did you enjoy your massage?” Carriage House Owner Teri Rendon asked a customer who was now getting a manicure.

     "Oh yes. It was great,” she said.

     Rendon's spa is located inside the original carriage shed of the 19 th century estate. Adjacent to the business is the former home, which now houses a lawyer's office. On the other side of the house is a smaller vacant building.

     "I was looking for a place to put my business,” said Rendon. "From when I first saw this place, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I could the women and smell the perfume.”

     Creating the business was not easy. After convincing owners David Zimmerman and Sandy Stillman to let her rent the facility, Rendon was faced with the task of making repairs.

     "When I first saw this place it was just a garage and a shed,” she said, as she pointed to photographs of a pre-remodeled carriage house.

     The photos reveal a dilapidated shed with overgrown shrubbery.

     Rendon spent eight months transforming the old carriage house into a day spa.

     Rendon and her husband Luis scrubbed the dingy walls and repainted them with a soft eggshell finish. Rendon also furnished the building with much of her own furniture, including Victorian style chairs, colorful sofas, throw rugs, and a large chandelier.

     "It was a lot of work,” she said.

     According to Zimmerman, "As long as we keep it (the property) nice, then it will be here later,” Zimmerman said.

     Meanwhile, individuals like Teri Rendon will make use of the historic building.

     Her transformation of two storage rooms into massage parlors, an old caretaker room into a posh receiving area and a stable into a pedicure room will help give Brownsville residents a "chance to appreciate Brownsville 's history,” she said. "I breathed new life into something old,” she said.

     The Carriage House Day Spa is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.