Historic House Blog

I decided today to look at some statistics.  Not always fun, but what the statistics tell us can be both interesting & useful.  I took a look at real estate sales of historic properties vs. modern properties — I was curious how historic properties do in competition with more modern houses in today’s market.  The following information is [...]

There are many reasons that buyers choose to buy a historic home. It may be for the character and ambiance of a time long past, for the sturdier construction of an earlier century, or for the prestige and prominence that comes along with owning and living in a local landmark. One reason frequently mentioned, though, is that [...]

Wanna out-history your neighbor’s historic house?  How about purchasing this 11th century manor house from Yorkshire, England, listed on eBay through March 5th?  The owner claims that there is “a rich history of characters who owned and lived at the Manor, back to the times of the Norman Conquest.”  The owner has apparenty done extensive [...]

One of the hottest trends in new construction today is “building green.”  Builders and their real estate agents all across the country are gearing their marketing to tap into a growing environmental awareness and energy consciousness. Builders advertise that their windows, doors, and appliances are Energy Star compliant. Developers plan their house sites to be sure that [...]

Unfortunately, I do not have enough extra money in my change jar to buy this property for my wife, but maybe some of you are looking for a nice Valentine’s Day gift for your special somebody!  This incredible looking B&B– a former mill site– is located in Asheville, NC, and is currently offered for sale at [...]

I thought that since it is Valentine’s Day, it was a good excuse to feature this unique historic house & promote the non-profits that operate this property as a museum.
Blacksmith Isaac Valentine built this four-level fieldstone farmhouse in 1758 near the Boston Post Road. His property included a blacksmith shop, outhouses, farmland, and a number of slaves. [...]

Every great architect is - necessarily - a great poet. He must be a great original interpreter of his time, his day, his age.
                           -Frank Lloyd Wright 
 
Frank Lloyd Wright has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects as the “greatest American architect of all time.” He was the founder of the Prairie School [...]

So . . . what do you call those structures on top of some historic houses & buildings?  Well, the answer is both simple and complex at the same time.  The fact is, most people simply call all of them “cupolas” (pronounced CUE-puh-lah).  However, most of these structures are probably not cupolas.  Instead, many of them are [...]

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, which makes tomorrow his 200th birthday. Historic organizations in Washington, DC, his home state of Illinois, his birth state of Kentucky, and across the country are preparing celebrations for this bicentennial. You can check out the complete events calendar, along with all of the Lincoln info and [...]

How many types, or styles, of roofs can you name?   (And how many times can you say “roofs” without thinking it is a really weird word?  Maybe it’s just me.).  Anyway, there are a lot of combinations of roof styles, shapes, & sizes, but there are not many basic roof shapes if you want to learn [...]