Some houses give you square footage. Some give you convenience. And then there are houses like 1496 Court St NE in Salem, where you get a whole lot more than walls, windows, and a place to park. This historic Craftsman Foursquare, known as the Emma Holmes House, was built by M. Harding and sold to Emma Holmes, a Salem photographer. It is part of the Court Chemeketa Historic District and is recognized as a contributing home. The home offers 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 2,293 square feet. There is also a 900-square-foot dry basement with a media room, which is exactly the kind of extra space everyone says they want but rarely finds in older Salem homes. Movie night, game day, music room, storage, or a quiet place for someone to escape the noise upstairs, it has options. The attached 20x24 garage adds even more flexibility. It is divided into a parking bay and a year-round room that could work beautifully as a hobby space, project room, shop, gear zone, or creative hideout. Not everything in a home needs to be formal and polished. Sometimes the most useful spaces are the ones where you can make a mess, fix something, build something, or finally organize the camping gear. Inside, the home has the character people hope for in a historic property: raised ceilings, wood floors, built-ins, and rooms that feel like they were designed for actual living instead of just furniture placement. The kitchen has been updated, and the home has seen a thoughtful list of improvements, including a 25-year roof installed in 2018, A/C installed in 2021, furnace installed in 2022, visible plumbing and electrical rewire (2011), a new sewer line, an updated upstairs bathroom in 2024, window and front door replacement (2009), new water line (2008), newer appliances, custom blinds, and recent paint and finish work. You can walk to Word of Mouth Bistro, which, let’s be honest, often has a line for a reason. Patty’s Off Center Cafe and Sassy Onion are nearby too, giving you another favorite breakfast option without needing to turn the morning into a driving expedition.You are also close to downtown Salem, the Saturday Market, Willamette University, Salem Hospital, and the state buildings. So whether your day involves work, school, errands, coffee, appointments, dinner out, or wandering through the market with no real plan, this address makes Salem feel wonderfully accessible.