EXPRESS
Courtesy photo
A Dream come True
The river home where Leslie Lewis-Sheets and Tommy Sheets reside in Rose Hill
BY JANICE CARTER LEVITCH | PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN WATSON
LESLIE LEWIS-SHEETS and her husband
Tommy Sheets always dreamt of living on the
river. Leslie shared the dream with her mother,
Patty McManus, and her husband, Don McManus.
Together, the four were able to purchase a special
piece of property overlooking the Ohio River that
had been an empty lot since the 1970s.
Originally zoned for multi-family purposes,
they were able to have it re-zoned for single-family
homes. This enabled the property to be split, and
each of the two couples purchased their own
lots to design and create their homes. With the
idea of two homes sharing a common courtyard
30 EXTOL : JUNE/JULY 2019
between them in the historic Rose Hill district in
Jeffersonville, their dream soon became a reality.
“We created our own plans for the exterior
and interior. Then, we acted as our own general
contractors and all of us played a very active role,”
Leslie explained. “Don took our project from
dirt to the drywall stage. I handled it from that
point to completion. Patty acted as our (Chief
Financial Officer) and Tommy now acts as our
(Chief of Facilities).”
When the quartet purchased the lot, “the Big
Four Pedestrian Bridge had just begun its fabulous
renovation, and we feel so fortunate to be where
we are. We absolutely love it,” Leslie said.
LL&A Interior Design is Leslie’s interior design
business, and to add more magic to her personal
fairy tale, it is only one block away — located at
247 Spring St.
“This is the fifth property we have owned and
renovated within downtown Jeffersonville area,”
Leslie stated.
The breathtaking view of the river has been the
focus of the design intent from the beginning of
the project. Season to season and sun up to sun
down, the ever-changing view is captivating and