While based in Boston at a software sales job he didn’t like and growing tired of the cold, Rob Meehan dreamed about an adventure in another culture, perhaps one related to his longstanding love of old houses.
Things changed quickly in 2008, when, using his travels for the job as Latin American sales rep as a steppingstone, he made an uncharacteristically quick decision to buy a large, unique old house in the Mexicaltzingo neighborhood of downtown Guadalajara, just three blocks west of the Teatro Diana. The transaction was completed in two weeks and his extensive restoration in two years.
Then, just two weeks ago, on February 20, a surprising plaudit capped Meehan’s whirlwind experience and he was showered with press attention, speeches in Guadalajara’s Palacio Municipal, a countdown among 26 nominees to rival the Oscar ceremony and a cash prize of 80,000 pesos — all courtesy of a 12-year-old, annual house restoration contest in which a worker in the city’s Urban Commission had entered him. (The contest is called Premio Anual a la Conservación y Restauración de Fincas de Valor Patrimonial de Guadalajara, or Annual Prize for Conservation and Restoration of Estates of Historical Value.)
Tired and giddy after driving into Guadalajara the night before from Puerto Vallarta, where he owns another property, Meehan managed a gracious speech in Spanish to the crowd of 300 at the award ceremony, even dropping a hint that City Hall make a few improvements to the Mexicaltzingo neighborhood in order to turn his single restored house into a trend.
“The people at the Urban Commission mentioned that mine was the first house ever entered from Mexicaltzingo,” Meehan said, speculating that a desire to spur changes in the neighborhood, as well as the fact that his restoration did not involve gutting the interior, could have loomed large in the judges’ minds and snagged him the first-place prize.
“This is not a chic area, like Chapultepec. It’s blue-collar, with a lot of repair shops.” Meehan noted that since he is from a blue-collar background, he feels comfortable and safe there.
“There are a lot of homes in need of restoration. There must have been a lot of money here once. Some houses need painting or they’re abandoned. My home was not falling apart, though. It’s a well built house. It’s been standing there since 1890, despite minor earthquakes. So I was able to put all my resources on the interior.” He explained that he simply painted the exterior in shades of grey and eventually replaced windows and doors.
“Now we’re slowly starting to see some necessary changes in the neighborhood,” he added happily.
Meehan underscored that he sees the house as a unique opportunity. “I thought it was fairly priced. You couldn’t afford a house like this in Mexico City. Guadalajara offers an opportunity to find something unique that you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere in world.”
Meehan said he first thought of the house as a good place for a bed and breakfast, partly due to the example of Lars Bolthouse and Cristobal Anders, owners of the local B&B La Perla, who advised him on purchase and restoration. But later, after realizing the work involved in running a B&B, Meehan decided just to rent the house occasionally to large groups, often Mexican-Americans visiting relatives in the area.
Even his entry into the restoration contest was serendipitous. “I think the Urban Commission found my house on Facebook. They approached me, came over and took photos. My architects, Pepe and Daniel Villaseñor, did some paperwork for the contest explaining their vision.”
Expanding on the economics of restoring the house, Meehan said, “At first, I was working and putting most of my earnings back into the house. Now I’m retired and the house rental just provides a little help in offsetting expenses.
“People always ask me, ‘Why Mexico?’” he went on. “They see the U.S. as the land of opportunity.”
The answer to that question hinges at least partly on intangibles. Meehan noted that even though at first his Spanish was terrible, the vibe was right. “I’ve always gravitated toward real estate and old buildings. I haven’t seen anything like this anywhere else. The style is called eclectic. Cristobal and Lars said they’d never seen anything like it in Mexico. It helps me imagine what the city must have looked like in its glory days.”
See www.palacetegdl.com; Facebook: Palacete gdl.