Our
House
Our house is
an Eastlake Victorian house built in 1875.
This style was named after a
British writer - Charles Lock Eastlake - who wrote Hints on
Household Taste in Furniture, Upholstery and Other Details , in
1868, which became immediately influential to U.S. furniture makers
and architects. Furniture, hardware and metalwork was characterized
by the use of basic geometric designs, parallel groove carving,
"spoon" carving (looks like leaves carved out of a flat surface by a
sharpened spoon), and burled veneer
highlights.
The
exterior of the house has not changed much since the house was
originally built. Here is a picture of the front of the house
taken this past Fall.








Here is a
picture of the top of the house taken from outer space... (sorry, I
just had to throw that in...)
The Interior

This is my
attempt at a floor plan for the 1st floor. (Okay, so I need to
take some mechanical drawing classes) Keep in mind that the
Vestibule is the front of the house.
The First Floor
The Vestibule: 4 X
9 This is one untouched little room that shows craftsmanship
at it's finest. I'm looking very forward to restoring this
room. It won't take much and it will look great.
The Reception Hall: 30 X 9 This is
more of a room than a hall. Without a doubt, this room sets
the tone for the rest of the house. The first time I walked
into this house, this was the first room that I saw and it was love
at first sight. The hall has a heavy oak chair rail with deep
recessed panels that wraps the room. Double sets of 8 foot oak
doors invite you to the various room that branch off of it.
Some of the original architectural details are a rather grand carved
marble fireplace, archway with ornate plaster corbels, large cove
moldings, and a pair of arched doors with etched glass leading to
the vestibule.
The Side Hall: 14 X 5 This hall is an
extension of the Reception Hall. It holds the main staircase
(Heavy carved English oak) a large closet, an entrance to the
Basement, a side entrance to the house and a powder room (which was
once the Servant's passageway to the Parlor.
The Parlor: 16 X 14
This room
was once the most formal and probably the most beautiful room in the
house. This room is where visitors were once seated by the
Butler and would wait to be received by the Master and his Wife.
There was even a servant's passage way to this room so the servant's
could bring guests food and drinks without having to pass through
the rest of the house. The room has heavy crown moldings, a
large ceiling medallion, a carved marble fireplace and an arch way
with plaster corbels that frame a large oak encased bay window.
The
Living Room: 30 X 14 This spacious room once boasted
heavy crown moldings and twin ceiling medallions. These
details are no longer present, but will be replaced when the room is
renovated later this year. The room does still have four sets
of tall double windows with 9-foot oak encasements. The room
had a carved polished black slate fireplace that was unfortunately
beyond restoration, but has since been replaced with a faithful
Victorian mahogany mantle with original Victorian tile.
The Dining Room:
17 X 13 The Dining room still has most of it's original
architectural details still intact. Original hardwood floors, heavy
plaster crown moldings, a ceiling medallion, twin built-in china
closets, and a 19th century black crystal chandelier. The room
has a chair rail and wainscoting, but we believe that the
wainscoting is not original. Mainly, because it is covering a
fireplace (fireplace #5) that once existed in the room. (yes,
we plan to put the fireplace back)
The Kitchen: 21 X
14 The kitchen is quite large as it is actually a combination
of two rooms, the kitchen and the former Butler's Pantry.
While we love anything original, I think we love the big kitchen
even better. This is one modification we can live with!
There is a very large fireplace that used to house the wood burning
stove that the servant's used for cooking. Today it
appropriately holds our gas stove. There is also a Servant's
staircase leading to the second floor. The appliances are
modern which is a good thing. We plan to renovate the kitchen
in a couple years when the rest of the interior is up to speed.
The
Second Floor

Bedroom #1:
15 X 14 Wide plank wood floors, crown moldings, original
picture rails, twin closets. We recently discovered a
fireplace (fireplace #6) that had been covered over. We will
be restoring that when we renovate the room. There is also a
passageway to the adjacent bedroom. We believe that this was
once the Nursery. We plan to make it a dressing room, as part
of a master suite.
Bedroom #2: 13 X
9 Wide plank wood floors, very nice crown moldings, original
picture rails, alcove
Bedroom #3: 14 X
13 Wide plank wood floors, crown moldings, original picture
rails, deep closet
Bedroom #4: 13 X
13 Wide plank wood floors, crown moldings, very nice crown
moldings, large, deep closet
Bedroom #5: 17 X
12 Wide plank wood floors, crown moldings, original picture
rails, closet that passes through to adjacent bedroom and another
recently discovered fireplace (fireplace #7) that had been covered
over. This will also be restored when the room gets renovated.
Bedroom #6: 14 X
13 Wide plank wood floors, crown moldings, original picture
rails, closet, and yet another recently discovered fireplace
(fireplace #8) that had been covered over. This will also be
restored when the room gets renovated.
Bath: Needs total
renovation, but functional for now.
The Third Floor

Bedroom #7: 17 X
12 Simple bedroom with a closet
Bedroom #8: 16 X
12 Simple bedroom, no closet
Cedar Storage Room: 17
X 15 This room is made of solid cedar, including the ceiling.
This was used to store clothing, as moths are repelled by the smell
of cedar.
Storage Area:
This is the "Attic" area. Simply HUGE! Amazing layout.
We hope to add a bathroom up here and make it into a very grand
Master Suite.

If
you have any questions please e-mail us at:
AtLeastImStillFunny@gmail.com
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