Historic House Blog

Before-and-After pictures of restorations at neat old houses always warm my heart.  This one in particular caught my eye while perusing MyOldHouseOnline.  User PStewart posted an amazing pair of interior pics of his beautiful, Gothic-influenced Queen Anne Victorian in Oswego, New York (in north-central New York, on Lake Ontario).  The “Swits-Churchill-Conde House,” circa 1889, had fallen into the hands of college kids & had become a fraternity house . . . until PStewart purchased the house with a mission to rescue it and restore its grandeur.  Check out this cool before-and-after transformation of the entryway… Read more…

A classified-style listing (for sale by owner) on eBay offers the former home of Governor John J. Crittenden (1787-1863).  Crittenden was not just a prominent figure in Kentucky; he was also a nationally-known politician during the antebellum era.  In addition to being Kentucky’s 17th governor, John Crittenden represented Kentucky in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as United States Attorney General (under William Henry Harrison and Millard Fillmore), and was “frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for the U.S. presidency,” though he never did choose to run for the office.  The house now listed for sale is located in Russellville, Kentucky and was the Crittenden’s family home from 1811 to 1818.

Offered at $239,000, the yellow Federal style home flashes nice curb appeal on the outside, and 3,500 sqft of elegant-looking living space on the inside.  It has unique construction, having been built half timber frame (1809 portion) and half brick (1820 portion) — the latter apparently “post-Crittenden.”  The owner’s eBay listing explains Read more…

Looking for a one-of-a-kind, super-cool historic property with ties to legendary American history?  This property, sometimes called “The Christian Byers Farm & Civil War Hospital,” is located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania–  the site of the famous “turning point”  battle of the U.S. Civil War.  And as you can tell from the name, the farm actually played a role in the historic battle.   (And if you’re into the supernatural . . . well, talk about a reason to look for ghosts!)  Apparently used as a field hospital for at least 100 men at one time, Read more…

Georgian architecture was the dominant style of 18th century America.  This style is called Georgian because it was dominant from approximately the reign of King George I who ascended the throne in 1711, until the end of the American Revolution (King George III).  By the early 1700s, English colonies in America were a bit more prosperous, and the wealthier people wanted to “upgrade” to a larger & fancier style to set themselves apart and emulate the English. They began to import the “Georgian” style – first in the larger towns & cities, as well as river valleys, then gradually to the countryside. This style departed from medieval influences and reflected the Roman Classicism popularized in the Italian Renaissance (by Andrea Palladio).  This style was made more accessible through printed books on architecture from England called “pattern books.” The Georgian style was fairly homogeneous from Maine through the southern states.

What to look for:
One prominent feature of Georgian architecture is symmetry & a box-like (rectangular) form (quite a departure from post-medieval homes.   Many Georgian houses were 2 rooms deep (four rooms over four rooms), though some farmhouses were still just one room deep on each side. Georgian houses usually featured a paneled front door, centered on the facade of the house, and often topped with a decorative crown or pediment; but again, “country” versions (farmhouses) did not necessarily have any elaborate ornamentation (SEE BELOW).   Read more…

When making an offer on a house, would you want to know that it was located in a designated historic district?  Especially if that district contained rules governing future alterations of your historic home?  Of course you would.  And the City Council in Mobile, Alabama thinks sellers of historic homes — in these designated districts– should be required to disclose that information to potential buyers.  It makes sense to me.  But apparently not to many Realtors in Mobile, who are resisting the proposed ordinance requiring disclosure.  Claiming the ordinance increases the liability of both sellers & their real estate agents, the Realtors believe the proposed rule is an attempt by the Council to transfer liability from the city to the property owners.   So what?   Should the city be required to disclose leaky roofs for the sellers, as well?  As a real estate agent, myself, I am embarrassed for these Realtors who should welcome any effort to make real estate transactions more smooth & transparent for all parties.

[For full article in the Press-Register (by Robert McClendon) click here]

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UPDATE: The Mobile city council has dropped the proposed ordinance, “for now.”

Another colonial-era property seems to be “doomed” despite willing buyers who would restore the property, according to an article in the Observer-Tribune.  The “Madelyn Post House,” named for a woman who lived in the house for 101 years, was built in 1740 and is located on Main Street in Brookside, New Jersey — about 40 miles west of New York City.  (For what it’s worth, Mendham Township is apparently the hometown of both singer Whitney Houston and Abner Doubleday, the legendary “inventor” of baseball).  The house appears to be a “3/4 Colonial” (with 2 window bays on one side of the door, but only one window to the right) and apparently has original features, including the hearth.  However, due to administrative snags & neighbor complaints, at least one plan to save the house was stalled.  The new purchaser plans to raze the house.  According to the article, this house will join at least 2 other 18th century homes that have been recently lost in this community.  [Full article here]

(Click Here for Index of 100+ articles here at Historic House Blog!!)

Many-a-time on our road trips between Connecticut and Ohio, we would exit I-80 to stop for gas near a small city named Sharon, just after crossing the border from Ohio into Pennsylvania.   Yet we never really drove into town, feeling we didn’t have time to casually “explore” on such a long trip.  But had I known about this Richardsonian mansion on the hill downtown, perhaps I would have taken a few minutes to check it out.  Richardsonian architecture was often reserved for public buildings, such as town halls, churches, or libraries.  So most houses designed in that style are grand, indeed, often looking like castles.  Read more…

Historic homes with interesting stories attached to them can elicit excitement & emotional attachment with potential buyers.  Historic homes with stories linking them to Revolutionary War heroes actually get press coverage.  This eight-room, circa 1790  Gambrel style home in Portsmouth, RI, (Aquidneck Island) is reputed to have once been a hiding place for General Lafayette during the American Revolution, as reported by Yankee Magazine.  Read more…

“This Old House” magazine has declared its best historic house neighborhoods for 2011, releasing an extensive report featuring 64 neighborhoods from all over North America.  So as to not leave out anyone, 1 neighborhood was chosen for each U.S. state and 1 for each Canadian province.

The magazine editors say that  these “best” historic neighborhoods are often found in “long- or formally forgotten cities, towns, and ‘burbs that are worth a fresh look.”   It also promises that these neighborhoods feature some of the “most architecturally eye-popping older houses on the continent.”  Read more…

In Eutaw, Alabama, a magnificent & restored Greek Revival plantation home (circa 1852) is now for sale.

The antebellum estate — called “Everhope” — was long known as “Twin Oaks” until the actual twin oaks suffered their demise due to unlucky acts of nature.  The property is also known as the Captain Nathan Carpenter House  and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  As Patrick Rupinski writes, “For$6 you can get a guided tour of Everhope . . . For $695,000, you can own it.”  Read more…