Indholdsfortegnelse for Jun-18 i Old House Journal

In great swaths of the USA, “old houses” are those built in the 1920s through 1950. The between-wars and postwar booms left us with an important stock of solid but often undistinguished vintage (not yet antique) houses, in leafy close-in suburbs that may be still affordable. These neighborhoods are desirable. But how to restore such houses? With little current information available about 20th-century houses, some owners have resorted to turning them into Arts & Crafts Bungalows. Sometimes that’s an adaptable look for a plain, ordinary house… but there’s so much more to draw from! In every house, the builder’s intention and a whiff of the times remain in certain leitmotifs—arched doorways, troweled plaster, sun parlors and French doors, Colonial Revival mantels. These must be understood so that they are appreciated…

1. TINY PARASOLS From the time of Queen Victoria to King Edward, pressed glass holdbacks kept drapery gracefully under control. These measure 4 1/8" dia. with a 4" projection. In red, pink, green, clear, milky white, and purple. $37.95/pair. The Kings Bay, (800) 910-3497, thekingsbay.com 2. KEY AND SHELL Designed by Bradbury & Bradbury’s Steve Bauer, the Grecian lace panel interprets the company’s Neo-Grec wallpaper. In 100% Scottish cotton, the ivory panels come in lengths from 54" to 90" in three different widths. $49 to $225. Cooper Lace, (866) 447-8055, cooperlace.com 3. MADE IN THE SHADE A pair of sturdy spring-roller shades in ecru have been stenciled with an Arts & Crafts “Three Leaf” design, then accented with a Craftsman pull. Shades are $62 to $167; stencils add $35 to…

HAPPY WITH their 1912 bungalow in Santa Barbara, Patricia Chidlaw and Robert Sponsel weren’t really looking—until, on a walk through Rocky Nook Park above the city, they came upon an attractive house for sale. Unlike their more urban home, this vaguely French Norman cottage, built just after the major earthquake of 1925 that shaped modern Santa Barbara, was in a sylvan setting of century-old oaks and tumbled boulders. The house was remarkably intact, with original stucco and a stone garage, and the original layout of rooms inside. Before they knew it, the couple had embarked on their second restoration. The romance of the house was perfect: steep roof and prominent chimney, double eight-light casement windows with builtin seats, a candlestick-phone niche tucked into hall plaster. Big projects to bring it…

These modern kitchens were about convenience and an invasion of color. The cozy breakfast nooks of the bungalow era remained in evidence, often with built-ins set in an alcove. But the style was no longer Arts & Crafts: dainty ash and veneered chairs were used with painted tables in the nook. “Is your preference seagull gray, Chinese red, canary yellow, kingfisher blue or pheasant green?” asks a period advertisement. A Hoosier cabinet that kept food preparation supplies in the kitchen, not in the pantry, was often a focal point, painted in a pastel green and ivory combination. Decalcomania (decals) and stencils decorated kitchen furniture and glass lighting shades with flower baskets and parrots. Even the kitchen utensils took on a cheerful note, famously painted green or red with ivory pin…

In 1844, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow planted a small formal garden “in the shape of a lyre” in the northeast corner of his Cambridge property, complete with plans. He later enlarged it after a design he had seen in Italy. Daughter Alice added a sundial at the garden’s center in 1903, along with a latticed pergola, and in 1904 hired Martha Brooke Hutcheson to revive the 1844 plan. After Alice died in 1928, the garden reverted to weeds and overgrowth. • In 2003, the National Park Service, which manages the property, began a re-creation of Alice’s Colonial Revival garden. The 1904 design followed Longfellow’s original invention, which was intended to mimic the pattern of a Persian carpet. At the center is a circular walk around four paisley-shaped planting beds. The…

Environmental noise is more than an annoyance. Continued exposure to excessive noise can interrupt sleep patterns, with impacts on overall health. Additionally, studies show that 90 percent of noise comes through windows, not walls. Anyone who has ever installed double-glazed or storm windows knows that adding that second layer of glass makes a room quieter. The sound of traffic, airplane noise, or a neighbor’s leaf blower suddenly becomes less noticeable. It’s not the extra glass that blocks sound as much as the air between the layers, which distorts and reduces sound as it travels from one barrier to the next. That’s why residential double-glazed windows with an airtight seal lessen the impact of exterior noise. The air pockets in most are 5/8" to ¾" thick, moderating heat exchange, of course,…

WRONG WAY AVOID NAILING TO DECKING Don’t apply shingles directly to decking or sheathing covered with heavy roofing felt or, worse, ice and water shield. Without airflow to dry out the shingles, they and the roof will have a short lifespan. Even the use of breather membranes (image a Scotch-Brite pad) between sheathing and shingles has become controversial: air circulation through the membrane is minimal at best. RIGHT WAY ALLOW FOR DRYING Apply wood shingles so that air can circulate under them. For outbuildings, shingles usually are applied to open lath on the rafters. More energy-efficient construction in a residence usually requires that a solid (plywood) deck be applied under the roofing. Shingles should be applied to lath nailed horizontally across the decking or sheathing, so that an air space…

During the 1890s, the neighborhood surrounding the Sheriffs’ house was marketed as Ogontz Park, a planned suburb developed by builder William T.B. Roberts on the Reading Railways main line. At the time, the larger area now known as Elkins Park in Cheltenham Township was changing from a landscape of bustling mills into a series of estates designed by prominent architects for business tycoons. Ogontz Park was one of the first relatively affordable neighborhoods along the new commuter train lines. “Ogontz Park represents all that is possible in the making of a high-class, exclusive residential suburb,” gushes a period advertisement. Ogontz Park was fertile ground for the region’s classically trained architects, who designed homes in late Victorian, Shingle, Tudor Revival, Dutch Colonial, neo-colonial, and historical Spanish and French styles. Many of…

SCOTTIE COTTAGE p. 25 MANTEL LAMP wrought iron Revival Antiques, Pasadena: revivalantiques.com p. 26 DECO WALL SCONCES Michelle’s Antiques, Pasadena: michellesantiques.net p. 27 CANTEEN FISHBOWL authentic reproduction Vintage Fish Bowls vintagefishbowls.com p. 28 PAINT COLORS ext. body ‘White Opulence’; ext. trim ‘Black Forest Green’ Benjamin Moore benjaminmoore.com p. 29 PORCH LIGHT Steven Handelman Studios stevenhandelmanstudios.com p. 30 DINNERWARE late 1930s vintage Franciscan ‘Coronado’ design, Gladding McBean & Co.: see replacements.com, etsy.com Company today is Johnson Brothers/Franciscan, Wedgwood Group gmcb.com/franciscan p. 31 FRIEZE ‘Eventide’ from Arts & Crafts II, Bradbury & Bradbury bradbury.com CHAIRS leather and oak, vintage Revival Antiques, Pasadena: revivalantiques.com Related Resources 1920S WALLPAPER New ‘1920s Vintage’ collection, faithful reproductions of wallpapers collected by Bradbury & Bradbury. bradbury.com/vintage_twenties.html • Still growing, a new ‘Twenties Home’ collection from J.R. Burrows burrows.com/newwall.html…

This transitional 1926 Colonial Revival house had a remarkably intact interior, but some of its hardscape details had been lost. The owners would never have known that, had they not inherited five photographs of the house and grounds taken by a professional photographer in 1935. The owners used the archival photos to re-create the trellised arbor over the front gate, matching details clearly shown in the photo. Other photos of the backyard revealed an unusual waterfall—a sloping slide of rocks that directs rainwater into a small pool. Turns out the rock waterfall was still there underneath the foliage, as were an original garage and the path that leads to its double-bay doors.…

EDENTON, NC / $114,000 This 1½-storey Folk Victorian with spandrels at porch posts was built by local builder Hannibal Badham around 1882. Details in the fully restored cottage include high ceilings, two period mantels, original woodwork, and a transom over a French door in the living room. HARRODSBURG, KY / $90,000 By noted builder Daniel Curry, this 1857 National Register property is a textbook example of Carpenter Gothic. It needs restoration, but gingerbread bargeboards, four sets of paired columns framing the doorway with a sidelight, and interior woodwork all are intact. SYLVANIA, GA / $108,900 Delicate fretwork graces the wraparound porch of this ca. 1900 Folk Victorian, its yard enclosed by a picket fence. Inside find an effusion of fretwork, with original door and window trim, mantels, ceiling medallions, and…

Forbo Marmoleum is offered in 10" square tiles in many colors, including Pine Forest and Chartreuse. About $5–6 per sq.ft. (add floor prep and installation). The company’s Marmoleum Click Cinch LOC flooring system has 12" squares. forboflooring.com Wilmette Hardware manufactures high-quality reproduction icebox hardware in solid brass using CNC machines and hand finishing. Latch $560, hinge $490. Al Bar Wilmette Platers restores antique hardware, too. iceboxhinges.com; albarwilmette.com Fanimation’s ‘Beckwith’ 23" ceiling fan with an integrated drum light and remote-control operation has an industrial, Art Deco sense in keeping with this service room. Offered in brushed nickel (shown) and oil-rubbed bronze finishes, now $550. Through online retailers and lighting stores, or see fanimation.com…

Evidence can be found just about anywhere—particularly in truly old landscapes. But that doesn’t mean there are no hidden features ready to be revived in the backyard of a house built just 75 years ago. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE Start by reading the landscape. Remnants of a stone wall, a row of bricks turned up by a rotor tiller, or an old outbuilding foundation half buried under leaves all may be indicators of historic walks, garden edging, or even the backyard privy. Don’t overlook the presence of stumps or vines; these may be clues to an original garden layout and some of the plant species within it. Plot any evidence you find on a rough site plan and see if it begins to make sense. Those old bricks may have been part…

An overgrown rock garden was all that was left of an extensive hardscape at this 1799 farm when the Andrea and Randy Brock bought it more than 30 years ago. Aided by aerial photography and pictures taken in the mid-20th century, the owners set about restoring hardscape that included a large pond and gazebo, and reviving the now lush gardens. Among their discoveries on the land was half of an old millstone, once used as the first step in a walkway; they mounted it vertically on a stone block, converting it to an art piece honoring the history of the farm. Rebuilding the rock garden and adding terraces was an organic process. No need to look for rocks, says Andrea: “They came with the place.”…

WEATHERED STEEL One of several standing-seam options, 1" Tru Snap metal roofing panels use a concealed fastener that helps protect the roof. The finish is Truten A606 weathering steel, lending a timeworn appearance. Pricing varies by project. Bridger Steel, (877) 783-3568, bridgersteel.com SHINGLE SYSTEM Tahoe shingle panels in clear vertical-grain cedar come in 8'-long panels and have a built-in rain-screen system. The blind-nailed panels produce a 7" exposure with ½"-thick butts. $6 per square foot. Shakertown, (360) 785-3501, shakertown.com PATINA REVIVER Green Patina Finishing Solution allows you to refresh, restore, or create a green patina on copper, brass, and bronze. It’s especially effective on previously oxidized surfaces. Sizes range up to 55 gallons. 2 ounces: $6.95. Jax Chemical, (914) 668-1818, jaxchemical.com MIRROR FINISH Recent work from this custom metalwork shop…

“‘Stop whatever you’re doing!’ shouted the neighbor. His own rail had just fallen to the floor.” I was helping the new owner of a small twin house; we were replacing the wall-side stair rail. Once the damaged rail was off, all that remained were two stubs of threaded rod protruding about 1 ½". They would not pull out, as they seemed to be mortared in place. They would turn, however, as if screwed into some kind of interior hardware. Within minutes, the twin neighbor was at the door. THE FIX When I unscrewed the threaded rod that had held the rail to the wall, I apparently unscrewed the nut that held the bracket for the railing next door as well. I’d grown up in a Philadelphia twin and I’ve worked…

Q:We own a Lustron home and need to replace a couple of closet-door rollers. Where might we find such an item? I am a long-time hard-copy subscriber and love the magazine! —Lois Karasek, via email A: Luckily, OHJ’s former editor Gordon Bock is something of a Lustron aficionado. So here you go: One of the advertised advantages of Lustron Houses—those experimental, enamel-on-steel-panel prefabs of the 1948–50 postwar era—was ease of maintenance. Need a freshen-up? Just hose your house down like a car. Want to hang a picture? Simply stick one up with a magnet. However, need to fix some door hardware more than a half-century later? Not so simple. Interior doors in Lustrons are space-saving pocket doors that roll on a track, and a top complaint is that they get…

Dignified and self-contained, the type was suited to smaller lots, prefab parts, and the housing boom of the first quarter of the 20th century. Defined by its massing, the Foursquare was built in many style iterations popular at the time. Epitomizing the “comfortable house” of the post-Victorian era, Foursquares seemed to spring up almost overnight. There were none in 1890. By 1910, thousands had been built. The form remained popular through the 1920s. • Despite variations in materials and details—artistic, colonial, vernacular—it is easy to date these houses to their generation. At the time, builders advertised them as “truly American… the square-type of modern home,” “massive” and “conservative.” The American Foursquare got recognition and a national name in 1982, in an Old-House Journal article by Clem Labine and Patricia Poore.…

“IN 2000, when our children were still little, the house my grandparents built on Lake Oswego was not for sale,” says Kasey Holwerda. While they waited for it, she and husband Steve and their three kids were living in a Roscoe Hemenway 1929 Tudor-style house in Portland, Oregon. Then the Mulder–Lake House, also lakeside, caught Kasey’s eye. At the time, the 1927 house was identified as a landmark home by Richard Sundeleaf. “OK, we can go look at it,” Steve warned, “but we’re not going to buy it!” Oh but the house was so attractive, with its original stonework, casement windows, steep rooflines, and cottagey shingles. “This is our home!” shouted Kasey, the minute she walked in the door. If they bought the house, the children could attend the Lake…

THE 1893 SHINGLE STYLE HOUSE, nicely renovated and expanded, was lovely—but Larry McCaffrey bought Wildmuir for its gardens. Even without the perennials that had waned during a series of short-term owners, the 3 ¼-acre landscape revealed its brilliant design and hardscape. The house at Wildmuir was built by Candace Wheeler, co-founder of the Onteora Club, a 1300-acre preserve in the Catskills, which was conceived as a mountain getaway for urban artists and literati. “Onteora” comes from a Native American word meaning “hills of the sky.” If Wheeler’s name rings a bell, it’s because she was a founder of the Society of Decorative Arts in New York City, and partner with Louis Comfort Tiffany in the renowned interior design firm. An early feminist who championed paid work for women, Wheeler designed…

“A guard house, with a prison attached.”—Dorene B. Mcmahon THE ABOMINABLE GARAGE It’s just what it looks like: a recent, industrial-feeling addition to an old stone outbuilding that sits right next to a venerable Pennsylvania stone house of about 1820. But there’s more to the story. Apparently, the property was bought by a contractor who likes to dabble in modern architecture. First he restructured the stone pigpen-turned-garage, adding a workshop and storage over an automobile bay. But then he also built a new house behind the garage, using the remodeling’s design vocabulary. The stone house has, unfortunately, been substantially altered inside in a conversion to three apartments. Had the property been acquired by a preservation-minded owner, the cascade of changes wouldn’t have happened. “Many today find the old, eastern Pennsylvania…

1. BATHING BEAUTY “Diving Girl” depicts a diver garbed in 1920s swimwear, complete with her daisy-accented rubber cap. The image is printed directly onto a wood panel that measures 47" wide x 12" high. $150. Charleston Gardens, (866) 469-0118 charlestongardens.com 2. BARKCLOTH STYLE The Akaka floral print in sage and Banana Leaf in slate are spot-on replicas of 1940s-era barkcloth. Akaka is printed on 100% cotton Kahala cloth, while Banana Leaf is all-cotton bark crepe. $19.95 per yard. Many other designs available. Diamondhead Fabrics, (847) 644-7659, diamondheadfabrics.com 3. GEOMETRIC THREADS The stylized pendant in this lightweight jacquard weave is an abstract geometric design found in period embroidery, wallpaper borders, jewelry, and book covers of the 1920s and ’30s. A cotton, polyester, and rayon blend, the fabric is 56" wide. $125…

We were living in an old house in Baltimore but wound up selling it when the neighborhood changed. In our search for the “forever home,” we heard about a Victorian house in Glyndon and went to see it. As soon as we came into Glyndon, we loved its small-town feel (though it’s in Baltimore County), the shops and restaurants all in walking distance, and this community of people who were helpful from day one. The house, however, was a mess, and I wasn’t sure we could take it on with three children. The house had been vacant for close to 10 years; it was classified as under “demolition by neglect,” meaning the previous owner had been fined for not keeping up the house. With a hole in the roof and…

Interrupted by the Great Depression, several housing booms ca. 1918–1945 brought us comfortable, modern houses that are decidedly not Arts & Crafts Bungalows. If the house has an obvious style genre, cues for decorating start there. The house may seem to call for an English, French, Spanish, or Colonial scheme. “Houses in the 1920s reflect a return to historical revivals,” historian John Burrows says, “and the rooms inside them exhibit the same eclecticism as the era’s neighborhoods.” Some common motifs marked the interiors, however. First is a return of traditional elements such as columns, brick hearths, and classical trim. A “historical chic” was popular—decorating schemes inspired by 18th-century Italy or the reign of Louis XVI. The nostalgic “Old Colonies” style, a hybrid of English Art Movement and just-stirring Colonial Revival…

“The kitchen is a Fifties nightmare, a horror show,” whispered the broker: It still had its turquoise cabinets, purple Formica, and scalloped trim—all part of a high-end remodel in this 1920s Storybook Tudor. But prospective owner Janna Ritz thought differently. An improbable survivor of another era, “the kitchen was the thing worth keeping,” she says. Today, vintage Frankoma fondue pots sit happily on the vintage, deep-purple Formica countertop. The pale turquoise, 40" Caloric Ultramatic range (not seen) still works perfectly. The Lucite and chrome cabinet pulls are original. The owners say you have to respect good design when you find it, regardless of the era. “People who ruin old kitchens are invariably people who don’t cook,” Janna adds. 1. COLOR NAILS IT Some eras are all but defined by their…

This transitional 1926 Colonial Revival house had a remarkably intact interior, but some of its hardscape details had been lost. The owners would never have known that, had they not inherited five photographs of the house and grounds taken by a professional photographer in 1935. The owners used the archival photos to re-create the trellised arbor over the front gate, matching details clearly shown in the photo. Other photos of the backyard revealed an unusual waterfall—a sloping slide of rocks that directs rainwater into a small pool. Turns out the rock waterfall was still there underneath the foliage, as were an original garage and the path that leads to its double-bay doors.…

HOUR Touch-up Trim Paint Especially around entries, trim takes a beating, becoming dinged and dirty. In just an hour you can clean it up. First wash trim areas with a ½ teaspoon of dish soap mixed in 2 cups water; wring the sponge or rag well, so you don’t saturate the area. Wipe and let dry. Prep the area with a dropcloth and painter’s tape as needed. For chips and rough edges, use a 320-grit sanding block or sandpaper to feather the edges. Vacuum clean. After feathering edges, fill dings and gouges with wood filler. With a 2" putty knife, remove excess until flush. Let dry and sand smooth. Prime patches and feathered edges to prevent blotchiness. Lightly sand the primed spots with 220-grit sandpaper, taking care not to remove…

In the quest to simplify maintenance of the extensive gardens at Wildmuir, landscape architect Jamie Purinton recommended underplanting shrubbery with living groundcovers. The naturalized effect is in keeping with Arts & Crafts tenets—and it avoids mulch. Mulching is a costly and time-intensive practice that alters the site’s natural soil conditions. Spreading groundcovers fill space among larger plants and discourage weeds from taking root. When Purinton installed the hedge of dwarf river birch at Wildmuir, she carpeted beneath the shrubs with an even mixture of Labrador violet (Viola labradorica), barren strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides), blue speedwell (Veronica ‘Waterperry Blue’), and sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum). “The result is a lively tapestry of bloom and foliage,” says Purinton. Vinca and pachysandra were already on site. No mulch needed. Planted about six inches apart, the…

An overgrown rock garden was all that was left of an extensive hardscape at this 1799 farm when the Andrea and Randy Brock bought it more than 30 years ago. Aided by aerial photography and pictures taken in the mid-20th century, the owners set about restoring hardscape that included a large pond and gazebo, and reviving the now lush gardens. Among their discoveries on the land was half of an old millstone, once used as the first step in a walkway; they mounted it vertically on a stone block, converting it to an art piece honoring the history of the farm. Rebuilding the rock garden and adding terraces was an organic process. No need to look for rocks, says Andrea: “They came with the place.”…

In 1844, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow planted a small formal garden “in the shape of a lyre” in the northeast corner of his Cambridge property, complete with plans. He later enlarged it after a design he had seen in Italy. Daughter Alice added a sundial at the garden’s center in 1903, along with a latticed pergola, and in 1904 hired Martha Brooke Hutcheson to revive the 1844 plan. After Alice died in 1928, the garden reverted to weeds and overgrowth. • In 2003, the National Park Service, which manages the property, began a re-creation of Alice’s Colonial Revival garden. The 1904 design followed Longfellow’s original invention, which was intended to mimic the pattern of a Persian carpet. At the center is a circular walk around four paisley-shaped planting beds. The…