Historic House Blog

In 2005, in West Cape May, NJ, a developer demolished the historic Moffitt House, a circa 1770, pre-Revolution Colonial — despite outrage and preservationists’ active plans to save the house by moving it.  A report by Jack Fichter of the Cape May County Herald notes that the demolition of the former B&B proceeded with “most of its original wood floors, mantles and doors in place,” which were just “crushed and hauled away.”  Ugh.  (Photo above by Gary Novak). Read more…

We usually stick to historic houses here on HHB, but I had to make an exception to write about something disturbing that’s happening today about an hour from where I live.  In Tiffin, Ohio, a county courthouse that was built in 1884 (and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places) is being torn down, starting today.   This is the first National Register courthouse to ever be razed in the state of Ohio, and it is the first destruction of such a building in over 40 years in this state.   The courthouse was designed by Elijah E. Meyers, who also designed state capital buildings in Michigan, Texas, and Colorado (I toured the Colorado capital building this summer, and it’s stunning). Read more…

I’ve driven by this house a couple of times, filled full of envy, so I had to do a quick feature on this one after I noticed it was for sale on another blog, Hooked on Houses.  Renee Zellweger’s historic property in Pomfret, Connecticut has hit the market with an asking price of $1.5M.  It’s a beautiful, Federal-style farmhouse sitting on almost 40 acres.  Being well-acquainted with the historic house market in that area, I think the asking price for this historic estate seems very reasonable, even without the “movie-star-association-factor,” which certainly bolsters its desirability.  I can’t imagine it will last long. Read more…

Historic houses and the Christmas season seem very compatible.  They just go together.  Both, in their own way, seem to embody tradition, nostalgia, the bonds of family, and c0ntinuity over time.  Perhaps this is why there are few things that strike me as more classical than a beautiful historic home decked out in traditional Christmas decor.  It just looks “right,” and it warms the heart to behold a colonial house graced by Christmas wreaths, red bows, garland, white candles in every window, and — of course — the Christmas tree in the front window.  Timeless, it seems. Read more…

“Preservation Nation,” the blog of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recently featured a remarkable property for sale in Germantown (Philadelphia), PA.  Though it’s dubbed “The Clarkson-Watson House,” the property at 5275 Germantown Avenue has a couple of even higher-profile names attached . . . Jefferson & Washington. Read more…

So, it’s Halloween . . . and with Halloween comes ghosts.  And where are the ghosts?  Well, usually, they’re in historic homes!  Why is that?  The answer, in some ways, seems obvious.  Historic houses have been around for at least a couple of generations, if not several centuries.  Certainly, they are much more likely to have witnessed death or tragedy or turmoil.  And since old houses have lots of creaks, groans, and nail pops as their old wooden boards settle and shift, they are more likely to “sound” haunted.  Further, the architecture of days-gone-by may just look more creepy and mysterious to contemporary sensibilities (in my opinion, Gothic style or Second Empire houses almost beg to be haunted).  So, put it all together, and you’ve got fertile ground for goosebumps.  Read more…

Can a crazy neighbor, bored building inspectors, and a complacent city government halt a homeowner’s dedicated preservation efforts— and result in criminal noncompliance charges?  Apparently so, according to the owner of an old house in Lakewood, OH, a suburb of Cleveland.  In a recent posting on her blog, “1914 Foursquare,” the owner, “Nina,” shares the two-year-long saga of her work to restore a 1914 Craftsman-styled Foursquare while dealing with an intolerant neighbor and a local bureaucracy that seems as inept as it is callous.  She reportedly enjoys the support the local historical society, the Cleveland Restoration Society, and all of her other neighbors, yet the owner has received sporadic notices and citations and has made several trips to court  Read more…

In East Hampton, NY, located at 223 Main Street, is a remarkable property offered for sale by owner.  This unique house, which at first glance could be mistaken for a more recent, Shingle-style vacation home, was likely built in 1718 and has thus witnessed nearly three centuries of history in East Hampton village.  The house was long ago dubbed “Third House” by Aymar Embury, a prominent architect and former owner who purchased the property in 1928.  There were plenty of reasons for his quirky “Third House” moniker, but a grandson & current owner, Edward Embury, Jr., shares at least three reasons:  Read more…

I had not realized just how much of a market had developed for historic log cabins.  Old log houses.  Antique log buildings.  Pioneer log homes.  Whatever you want to call them.

I’ve been fascinated with pioneers’ cabins since I was a kid.  When I was in 4th grade, my dad rented an old farmhouse near Deer Creek State Park in Ohio.  The farmhouse itself was unremarkable, but I was awestruck when Dad showed me a rear “addition” on the house that was actually an old pioneer’s cabin.  Read more…

It’s Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown, New York!  Yes, and every baseball fan knows what that means:  a few of baseball’s best players ever will be forever enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, with their bronze plaques added to the hallowed “Gallery” honoring the game’s greatest like Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, & Nolan Ryan.  This year’s honorees include pitcher Bert Blyleven and 2nd basemen Roberto Alomar.

I’ve been a baseball fan since 3rd grade and I’ve loved Cooperstown since my first visit in 4th grade.  It’s the “mecca” for baseball fans.  But for me, the thrill is not only baseball-related.  Cooperstown has history, culture, & it is absolutely beautiful.  Located on the shores of stunning Otsego Lake, the village of Cooperstown features early-19th century homes, Victorians, a quaint downtown, ancient shade trees, & lush landscaping (this photo on Flickr is an example of what I mean).  And there’s lots of cool stuff to do.  Right there in town is the famous Fennimore Art Museum, the Farmer’s Museum (an historic village), the Leatherstocking Golf Course, the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, and just a few miles outside of town, the famous Glimmerglass Opera, the Ommegang Brewery (yummy Belgian-style ales!), the architectural gem Hyde Hall (ca. 1817), and even the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta.  But every time I visit, I am probably most enamored with the great old houses there.  The village is full of beautiful historic houses.  Perhaps my favorite house to fantasize about owning is The Inn at Cooperstown (pictured at upper left, but not for sale!). Read more…