Historic House Blog

In an upscale neighborhood in Atlanta, a man named Ruben Jones recently purchased the “Henry B. Tompkins House” (asking price $2 million) and among the renovations, he painted his 1922 Georgian Revival home.  No problem, right?  Except that he painted it ORANGE . . . a far cry from the original GRAY stucco, which, for 88 years, [...]

Sandra Bullock has joined a growing list of celebs who have purchased historic homes, as she begins her new life after Jesse James by purchasing a Gothic Victorian in the “Garden District” of New Orleans. 
The mansion, known as the “Koch-Mays House,” was reportedly built in the 1860s and has 6,615 square feet of living space (!), five bedrooms, [...]

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 [...]