Victor House
History
Built in the early 60s, the house was the home of WWII Veteran, Victor Kraszewski. Victor had the distinction of being Flushing’s oldest resident until his passing in March 2021 at the age of 104.
Victor served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II with the rank of Master Sergeant. He met his wife, Olive, while stationed in England, and the two were married for 72 years.
Victor lived through events many of us have only read about in history books. One event that had a lasting impact on him was the Flint/Beecher tornado of 1953. The F5 tornado tore through the Beecher community and left 116 people dead and 844 injured. Over 300 homes were destroyed. It is to date the worst natural disaster in Michigan history.
Always an outside-of-the-box thinker, Victor designed and constructed his home to be tornado proof with exterior walls made from concrete. This construction is what gives the house it’s signature (and hard to paint) look.
Current
Right now, renovations are happening inside and out. When we took possession of the home in June, it was a bit like walking into a 1960s time capsule. So far, we’ve removed carpet to reveal amazing wood floors. We’ve refinished those floors and re-carpeted one bedroom. The entire interior has been repainted, and the exterior will be completed shortly.
Future
Our plan for the Victor House has three phases.
Phase 1
- Paint Interior (completed)
- Refinish interior wood floors (completed)
- Recarpet bedroom (completed)
- Paint exterior (completed)
- Repair driveway & parking (completed)
- Partner with local college occupational therapy (OT) students to provide a hands-on accessible home education case studies (ongoing)
Phase 2
- Install home access equipment including ramp, stairlift, grab bars and more per OT student recommendations (ongoing)
- Product showroom by appointment
- Relocation of COR Freedom staff offices (completed)
Phase 3
- Open home as a “Living Showroom” to the public.
