Southern Iowa Living Spring 2022 | Page 5

Gerhard Spillmann and Kyle Shiroma are breathing new life into Centerville ’ s historic Bradley home .

Rebranded as Drake Hall , Spillmann and Shiroma often refer to the Anglo Japanese mansion as if it were a living thing . They say the house spoke to them before they ever stepped foot inside the front door .
“ The house was calling to us ,” Spillmann said . “ We just couldn ’ t ignore it .”
The couple answered their call to transform Drake Hall into the beating heart of the community .
A search for new beginnings
Spillmann and Shiroma first came across the Bradley home in May 2021 on Old House Dreams , a website consisting of “ specially selected historic real estate for old house enthusiasts .” The house went on the market that month after the closure of The Shoppes at Bradley Hall due to economic challenges created by COVID-19 .
However , the Bradley home wasn ’ t the couple ’ s first choice .
Spillmann , a seasoned architect and project manager , was working in Nashville at Fifth + Broadway in the food and beverage construction management industry when the pandemic hit local restaurants and boutiques in the area .
“ COVID really hurt the smaller , locally-owned restaurants . I was always a liaison with the mom and pop stores and the smaller boutique stores . The larger chains could survive , but locally-owned businesses could not … Like everybody else , we had to reassess .”
Shiroma , producer of the Los Angeles Pottery Show , had to postpone the event two years in a row because of the pandemic .
Spillmann and Shiroma decided to return to their 1920s Tudor home in Orlando . They began remodeling the home during lockdown but soon decided they didn ’ t want to be in the big city and Florida heat forever .
“ Florida heat will kill you ,” Spillmann said . “ And , after COVID , Florida had a large influx of people … Orlando lost its friendliness . People started becoming more isolated and not talking to each other … That ’ s when we decided to move and restore an old house .”
The couple also yearned for connection and the
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