Historic House Blog

When I received my latest e-newsletter from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, I was pleased to find an interesting interview with Charles Drayton, which  made me recall my own visit to historic Drayton Hall in 2007.   [Click here to read that National Trust article].
If you’ve never been, Drayton Hall is a stunning, circa 1742 plantation house outside Charleston, [...]

In America, the Greek Revival style was sometimes called the “National Style” because it was so dominant and widespread through all parts of the nation. Archaeological discoveries in Rome and Greece fueled renewed interest in Classical architecture initially during the Federal Period.
This interest peaked because of 4 factors during the 1820s: 1) The War of [...]

The long-awaited restoration of Flushing’s historic Bowne House could be completed by 2012 after the city acquired the property last week, making it the 23rd home of its kind to join the city’s Historic House Trust.  Described as “the best-preserved example of Anglo-Dutch vernacular residential architecture in the country,” the house still sits on its [...]

(Almost) every week on this blog, we highlight a historic property that captures our attention. Each Listing of the Week is currently offered for sale and listed on our sponsor website, www.HistoricHomesMarketplace.com. We hope that you will not only enjoy a look at a beautiful antique property, but you might even pick up some marketing [...]

I photographed this house several years ago, but unfortunately, I cannot claim the above as one as my own photos.  A few days after my visit, I was contacted by the owner who sent me her own photos of her house.  The above photograph is one of hers, and it is one of my favorite old house pictures, for [...]

As I painted a den today for a family member, I got to thinking about paint colors & historic houses.  (Not that the house I was painting was historic . . . In fact, I was painting a 1968 Ranch style house with dark, faux panel walls (see right) . . . but still, I needed something to think about, right?).  [...]

“Dentil” moldings are very common.  You can spot them on many historic houses, as well as newer homes with a classical look.  However, dentil moldings are also one of the most commonly misspelled architecture elements (especially in real estate descriptions) — and it is easy to understand why.  After all, dentil is pronounced the same as “dental.”  [...]

This 1890s 22×26 log home was taken apart in Noble, Wisconsin, and moved to Marietta, Georgia, where craftsman Louis Michael (Mike) Jones restored and reassembled it. There is a newer timber frame addition off the back, which makes for 1404 total square feet of living space. With the restoration work finished, the log home is now for ready for [...]

I snapped the above photo of The Hamilton-Turner Inn (ca. 1873) in December 2007.  It is one of my favorite photos from my trip to Savanah.  I am very much enamoured with this historic house– an infatuation that goes well beyond my usual admiration for Second Empire mansions.  I generally do not like excessive, over-the-top ornamentation on historic [...]

Some of the earliest Victorian-era houses were part of an architectural movement called “Gothic Revival.”  Gothic houses in the United States were built primarily from 1840 to 1860, and are also referred to as “Carpenter Gothic,” “Rural Gothic,” and even more informally, “Gingerbread houses” – due to frilly ornamentation that is common to the style.  Andrew [...]