Historic Homes (115)First, we visit Little Rock, Ark. where Bob and Sharon Blair have restored a late 19th Century home, Hornibrook Mansion. Turned into apartments, the home was still filled with original hardware and required few changes in the ways of modernization, since Mr. Hornibrook had installed a boiler, wine cellar, laundry room and intercom system. Decorated only to capture the spirit of a Victorian, Sharon Blair has toned down some of the use of patterns and colors she and her husband found overwhelming.
Jack and Nancy Curtis' home in Hays, Kan. is based on an 18th Century home-turned-museum that they visited and decided would be perfect for their collection of 18th Century furniture. But they didn't just get the exact floor plan of their dream home; they also built the home using 18th Century wood beams and carved the crown moldings with 18th Century knives.
Next, meet Keith Johnson and Glenn Sank, whose 17th Century, pre-Revolutionary Philadelphia home is virtually unchanged since the time it was built. Aside from a modern kitchen and bathroom, the home maintains its original style in the moldings, trim and other details. Johnson, an antique dealer, shares how he has found a balance between maintaining the antiquity of the home while still bringing his own style into it.
Finally, take a look at this pre-Civil War home in Natchez, Miss. Renovated by Spike and Ginger Newman, the home is a historic treasure restored over a two-year period, from a stairway moved back to its original placement to new plaster, insulation, plumbing and wiring.
Hornibrook Mansion Facts:
- The mansion is considered the best example of ornate, Victorian architecture in Arkansas, and the most important, existing example of gothic queen Anne design.
- Building the Hornibrook Mansion cost $20,000 in 1888, during that time homes averaged $2,500 to $3,500.
- Bold colors were very Victorian and were believed to enhance a room's importance.
- Five or six native woods were used for the floors, including oak, cherry, walnut, mahogany, cypress and yellow pine.
Resources:
Victorian Exterior Decorations: How to Paint Your Nineteenth-Century American House Historically, by Roger W. Moss and Gail Caskey Winkler
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805023135
Victorian Style: Classic Homes of North America, by Cheri Y. Gay
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0762413123/
Victorian Chic, by Anita Louise Crane
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0806974958/
18th Century Architecture Facts:
- An original George I walnut veneered and oak chest can cost around $25,000 (c. 1720).
- 18th Century Georgian architecture is from the reign of King George I to the American Revolution.
- Architectural salvage warehouses are a great resource for hardware from older homes. The warehouses are mostly found on the east coast, and they may also be found on the internet.
- Milk, buttermilk, lime and earth pigments were used to make paint colors in the 1700s.
Resources:
Salvage Style: 45 Home & Garden Projects Using Reclaimed Architectural Details, by Joe Rhatigan, Dana Irwin
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1579903142/
Georgian House Style: An Architectural and Interior Design Source Book, by Ingrid Cranfield
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/071531226X/
Georgian Architecture, by James Curl
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0715302272/
Pre-Revolutionary Home Facts:
- Five-plate stoves, often located in adjoining rooms, backed up to open hearths—the open hearth used the heat for cooking; the stove used the heat to warm the other room.
- The jigsaw puzzle began as maps adhered to wood and then hand cut into pieces (circa 1760s).
- 18th Century herb gardens provided everything from foodstuff to medical treatments, including flavoring stews, aiding sick hogs and cows and freshening the air in the home.
Resources:
Herb Society of America
www.herbsociety.org
The Book of Masonry Stoves: Rediscovering an Old Way of Warming, by David Lyle
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890132098/
Pre-Civil War Home Facts:
- Natchez, Miss. represents the largest collection of pre-Civil War homes in the United States.
- Pre-Civil War homes included French, English, Spanish and West Indian design elements.
- Pre-Civil War bricks can be bought for 70 cents to $1 per brick.
- Chimneys built before 1950 do not have liners, so they should be lined with tile or metal.
Resources:
British Chimney Sweeps: Five Centuries of Chimney Sweeping, by Benita Cullingford, G. D. M. Frizelle
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1566633451/
Masonry Institute of America
www.masonryinstitute.org
Bricks and Brickmaking: A Handbook for Historical Archaeology, by Karl Gurcke
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0893011185/
