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 original site, and will undergo a $2.3 million restoration. For more info, visit: [NY Post] [Bowne House Historical Society] [Queens Courier]
It may seem like the economy is worse than we thought when $1.00 is too much for buyers to spend on a historic house!
In the desirable town of Barrington, Illinois, that is exactly what has happened. Three old houses were slated for demolition unless a buyer (or buyers) saved them from the wrecking ball by promising to pay just $1. However, there WAS a catch . . . the buyer would also have to pay to move the house(s) to another location, which could cost $50-$100K per house. Apparently, no one thought the total cost was worth it to save the old houses from demolition.
The “historic-ness” of the houses– or lack thereof– may be a bit of an issue for some potential buyers. The house on Main Street (left) is clearly the 
oldest & largest of the three. The other two, both located on West Station Street, are small 1920s Crafstman houses — one more quaint & attractive than the other (right). So perhaps the architecture or history associated with the houses just wasn’t appealing enough to rally support. All of that said, it does seem surprising that no one thus far has taken the town up on its offer. It raises the same question we discussed recently in the post about when to save, and when to demo.
However, there is still hope: town officials have delayed plans for demolition, and are going to give the houses more time to sell before making a final decision. And Barrington— a suburb of Chicago— has a median home value of $385,000 and median income of $85,000. Surely, someone must have the means, sense of mission, or investment impulse to save these old houses?
For more info, visit this article and the town website.
(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 ideas for selling your historic listing. Today, we feature “SawMill”- an 18th Century Pennsylvania Stone House.
This one caught my eye right away . . . what curb appeal! If you love the charm, character and mystique of the 18th century, but still want all the upscale amenities and convenience of a modern lifestyle, then 3314 Saw Mill will not disappoint!
The owner/contractor of this stunning home has painstakingly preserved the “Old World “craftsmanship of the original 18th century farmhouse and seamlessly blended in the updated designer touches that today’s buyers crave and expect. The farmhouse and its “Wrap Around” addition feature over 4500 (A) square feet of living space. The main floor features an “Open Floor” plan with a seamless flow between the “Grand” kitchen, cozy living room, dining room and the light filled five sided breakfast nook. The upper floor features 4 bedrooms plus an oversized “Master Suite” complete with a walk-in tumbled marble shower and an 
exceptionally large walk-in closet. The finished lower level contains a granite topped bar, wine cellar, game room and media area.
At $849,900, 3314 Sawmill is one of the best values in Newtown Square today. This property is listed by Dan Krzywicki of Fox & Roach Realtors. To see more photos of this unique property, get links to a virtual tour of this home, to contact Dan Krzywicki, or just to browse other historic homes for sale, please visit this property listing on our sponsor website, www.HistoricHomesMarketplace.com.
A FREE workshop on historic house research is to be held at the Birmingham Public Library on Saturday, July 18th. Sponsored by the Jefferson County Historical Commission & the Birmingham Historical Society, the event will feature 3 speakers and 2 authors who will be signing books. The event starts at 9:30am, at the Central Library (in Arrington Auditorium). Seems like a great chance for historic homeowners or Realtors who list historic properties to find out how to discover the history of their properties. For more, check out the article at [The Birmingham Times].
A 142-year-old, Italianate-turned-Victorian historic house was just demolished in Smithland, Kentucky this week. The Dunn-Cherry House, built in 1867, was razed by town officials to make way for a new office building & library on the site.
As usual in cases such as these, local preservationists protested the loss of a one-of-a-kind historic property, with its links to prominant figures from the town’s history (including a U.S. Congressman). The town, on the other hand, claims 30 years of abandonment had driven the old house into a state of disrepair that made it structurally unsound, and too expensive to restore with taxpayer money.
As the house came crashing down, a local resident (who may have been in the minority among the sad spectators) agreed with the town’s decision: “Old buildings are nothing but expense. You can’t live in them and there’s no way to develop them— aint no way to do it,” added Elbert Thomason.
This raises the old question debated so often between preservationists & “progressives,” and even real estate developers/agents/remodelers who demolish or renovate historic properties: When is an old house not worth saving? When does historic preservation not make sense? And even when it seems too costly or impractical to save a historic property today, might the demolition seem a mistake in the future, after it is too late?
Today, while on my Twitter account, I thought it would be fun to see if people were “tweeting” at all about historic houses. The answer, of course, is “yes!” — people are using Twitter to talk about everything.
For those who aren’t yet familiar with Twitter, it is all the rage. It is basically a free social networking site, where users post short messages (updates called “tweets”) to share information & to let their followers know what they are doing. The trick is, you can’t use more than 140 characters in your updates, so Twitter messages are very short– which is part of the fun. For more info, check out the Wikipedia article about Twitter here, and this interesting Time article about how Twitter is changing the way we communicate.
So anyway, it seems like kind of an odd juxtoposition, if you think about it– People using this cutting-edge, electronic, ephemeral communication medium to discuss (”tweet”!) about historic houses, which could be considered the epitome of massive construction, enduring construction, old-fashioned ideas, hands-on hard work, and simple strength. But sure enough, the two come together everyday on Twitter!
Following are some messages from Twitter that contained the words “historic house.” As you’ll see, there are some pretty odd posts (there are lots of odd posts on Twitter), some zany posts that just incidentally involve historic homes– (like the guy who hurt himself inside one, then cursed about it), but many of the tweets would be relevant to someone interested in marketing or preserving historic homes (like posts from the National Turst for Historic Preservation and Preserve Virginia). I have presented the tweets in screenshots right from my Twitter account:
More twitter posts after the jump (click below)…..
As we roll into summer, lots of great historic house & garden tours are drawing admiring crowds of old house lovers.
This coming Saturday, the historical society in Mathews County, Virginia, is holding its 4th “Mathews Historic House Tour.” The tour is one of the most important fundraisers for the organization, and requires over 200 volunteers to organize and operate. This year, 5 historic houses will be featured, all new to the tour:
* Fitchett’s Wharf: Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Whitten, this home was the center of commercial activity for the Moon area from 1845 to the early 20th century, serving as a major port of call for vessels traversing the Chesapeake Bay. The house was modernized in the late 1990s and its property includes old trees and a variety of gardens with views of Stutts Creek.
* Inn at Tabbs Creek (photo, right): This home, owned by Greg and Lori 
Dusenberry, has long been associated with the Capt. William Billups family of Port Haywood. Renovations on the home began early this year and are ongoing to transform the home’s historic aspects into an inn with modern-day conveniences.
* King’s Gift: Owned by Mr. and Mrs. William “Roney” Leitner, this property is a work in progress with a strong history. Every effort has been taken to maintain this Hallieford area home as was intended…for the average man. Its kitchen fireplace includes bricks that were salvaged from a 20th century restoration project of the old Jefferson Hotel in Richmond.
* The Cottage: This Hallieford home, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Eaton and their son James, is a cross-gables waterman’s cottage. It still has its original heart-of-pine floors, foundation and tin roof of the original structure. The cottage currently serves as a guest house for family and friends to watch waterfowl and enjoy summer breezes coming off Queens Creek.
* Ivison Hall: Located on a cove of Winter Harbor, this home, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Everette Holland “Sonny” Revere, enjoys breathtaking sunrises and moonlit evenings from its two-story wraparound porch. It has original pine floors in several of its rooms.
The cost of the tour is $25, and it is scheduled for 10am to 4pm, rain or shine. For more info about the tour, click here for a local newspaper article.
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 ideas for selling your historic listing. Today, we feature the Dr. Henry Dimock Home- an 1848 Greek Revival in the town of Limington, Maine.
Stately and welcoming, this elegantly restored Greek Revival was built around 1848 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It sits in the Limington Village Historic District in Southern Maine, surrounded by 23 other homes and buildings that contribute to the historic area. The house is located close to area shops, restaurants, lakes, and rivers (including the famous and impressive Limington Rapids on the Saco River). The Dimock House has many original features intact, including original doors and hardware, moldings, pine floors, lighting fixtures, and the main stairway.
The house offers 3650 square feet of living space, 4 bedrooms and 1.5 baths 0n 2.5 beautiful acres. A new Buderus 5-zone furnace was installed in 2004 and the kitchen and baths have also been recently remodelled. All rooms have had plaster repaired and finished off, and have been newly painted. Flowers by a master gardener are planted in perennial gardens everywhere around the property, and stone walls add a delightful New England country accent and historic feel as well.
The spacious, high-ceilinged rooms make this is a beautiful home for those who love to entertain. The large first and second floor porches are the signature features of the house, and add wonderful spaces for relaxing or entertaining. Pride of ownership does indeed show throughout this home. With the distinctive porches, the delightful garden landscaping, and the recent updates, the Henry Dimock House is one you’ll be proud to own, too ! The Dimock House is listed by Linda Griffin of Pleasant River Properties, and more details are available at the listing page at Historic Homes Marketplace.
For more photos for this unique property, or to browse other historic homes for sale, please visit our sponsor website, www.HistoricHomesMarketplace.com.
Joe Yocius, “Low Country Joe,” a long-time Re/Max Realtor on Daufuskie Island in South Carolina has been Keeper of the Bloody Point Light for the last ten years. He has decided to pass along the Lighthouse and its 126-year legacy along to a new generation. The light house and the surrounding 2.7 acres are up for sale for $875,000. Joe hopes, in his words, that the new owners will ”live its history, be embodied by its spirit, be amazed at its fine post and beam craftsmanship and walk its wood pegged heart of pine floors.”
The combination lighthouse/keeper’s house was built in 1883, and designed to provide mariners with a starboard reference on their way into the channel to the Savannah River. The lighthouse does not exactly look the part. No tall tower with a rotating beacon- just a front dormer with a large window in which was hung a powerful red kerosene lantern. The builder of the light, Mt. Vernon Ohio native John Doyle, also became the light’s first keeper (earning $660 a year salary). There were four keepers for the light, including Robert Augustus Sisson (pictured at right with his wife, Martha). The house was moved inland about a half mile in 1899 due to erosion. The house continued to serve as the keeper’s cottage, but the light was put atop a steel tower closer to the coast. The lights were extinguished for good and the station shut down in1922.
The lighthouse passed through a number of owners, including one who used a part of the property to run the Silver Dew Winery in the 1950s. Many of the Scuppernong grape vines and pear trees whose fruit he used are still growing near the lighthouse. Low Country Joe has started a hobby making pear wine from those same trees. The lighthouse/keeper’s house has been completely restored, painted its original white color, and today offers 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and 1435 square feet of living space. It also has a panoramic view of the adjacent Bloody Point Golf Course. Read more…
It is almost that time of year again, as Goodrich & Company rolls out the schedule for their 2nd annual “New England Historic Home Show” in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on April 17th, 18th, and 19th (Friday - Sunday). We at the Historic House Blog attended the inaugural show last year, and found it to be an enjoyable & informative weekend, with lots of interesting exhibitors, workshops, and lots of old house enthusiasts in attendance.
This year, the show will feature over 80 exhibitors, with many repeat exhibitors as well as some new displays, including architectual salvage, fine art restoration, millwork and mouldings, windows, porches and landscaping, restorationists, historic home reproduction companies, and many more specialists from various fields.
Visitors to the event can also attend several interesting (and free!) workshops that may interest any old house lover, including “Paint Practices for Historic Structures,” “The Well-Dressed Bed: From blankets to bed hangings, bolsters to bed skirts, explore the possibilities,” “Designing a Kitchen for the Historic Home,” “Creating a Rufus Porter Scene” (folk art for walls & floorcloths), “Architectural Styles in New England: Colonial Period through Mid-19th Century” (featuring Ed Hood from Old Sturbridge Village), and more! Also, Ann Eckert Brown, author of books about pre-1840 wall stenciling and painted floors, will be on hand to sign books.
If you are interested in attending, Connor Homes (beautiful reproduction antique homes) has free admission passes they’ll generously give to the first 25 people who contact them! Call Jenni at 802-382-9082 x.100 to grab up one of the free tickets!
Th show is held at the Sturbridge Host Hotel & kicks off Friday, April 17th at 6pm. See you there! (Below are some more photographs we took at last year’s New England Historic Home Show. )
 |
Subscribe to RSS Feed |
