Brother and sister Ambrose (“Buck”) and Diane Lewis are the latest recipients of the Rena K. Terrell award.

City of Washington community development planner Emily Rebert and Century 21 realtor Scott Campbell presented an engraved pewter cup to the Lewises on Tuesday, recognizing them for the work they’ve done both preserving and renovating their historic East Second Street home in Washington.

The Terrell Award, named for one of Washington’s most influential historic preservationists, is awarded in four categories: residential, commercial, stewardship and a “good neighbor.” On May 16, Dr. Frank and Alice Stallings, former owners of Elmwood on West Main Street, were given the “good stewardship” award for their 50 years of care for one of Washington’s most historically significant properties.

Many might remember the East Second Street property, formerly a bed and breakfast notable for its tropical-exterior color scheme. When the Lewises purchased the property in 2014, they first had the task of turning a bed and breakfast back into a home — one that would give them both plenty of room for their own living spaces.

It was retirement that brought them to Washington, as well as a family connection.

Diane Lewis had retired and her brother was closing in on his own retirement when the two began thinking of moving south.

“I didn’t want to live in the hustle and bustle of Washington, D.C.,” Buck Lewis said.

A visit to their brother in the Beaufort Pointe neighborhood on the south side of the Pamlico River prompted them to start looking nearby. They saw many properties, but it was the historic district that really appealed to both.

“We liked the idea of being able to walk to the waterfront,” Buck Lewis said.

“This is really an ideal location,” Diane Lewis added.

After purchasing the property on East Second Street, they immediately got to work, hiring Frank McLawhorn to do some much-needed renovations, the landscaping firm Garden Keepers and architectural landscaper John Gill to design a plan for the expansive back yard.

“We’re not following it exactly, but we’re using it as a road map,” Buck Lewis said.

Built around 1890, it’s thought that the original home consisted of the front two rooms only — other rooms and an upper story were added later, with outer buildings absorbed into the structure and making for a sprawling, uneven house.

“It was very ugly,” Buck Lewis said.

The Lewises started by petitioning the City of Washington to allow them to take off the back of the house and rebuild, creating two master suites on opposite sides of a long hall. At the hall’s end is a comfortable living area with a view of the backyard and landscaping that will fill out in the coming years.

“We wanted a room in the house where people could congregate,” Buck Lewis said.

While the foundation in the front of the house — which includes ships’ ballast rocks — was on one level, the rooms added on over the years were not. Rebuilding the back of the house put everything back on the same plane. In the process, the floors got a makeover, as did the kitchen.

“We do have the best of both worlds: modern living in an old house,” Buck Lewis said.

As for settling into their new community, the Lewis siblings are enjoying their new home and retirement.

“It’s a really nice place to live. I’ve really enjoyed walking the dog around here and meeting people,” Diane Lewis said. “To me, Washington has a big, generous heart.”

“We still have work to do,” Buck Lewis said.