A DISCOVERY! In the 1960s it seems that the Toms family, which owned the Cross House from 1950 to 1992, added an exterior door to the original Dining Room so they could have a private entrance (as the house was being used at times as a motel, boarding house, fraternity, and sorority). The doorway was…

    Ms. Davis let me know that she would like to stay incognito during her visit (“fans can be SUCH a bother!”) so she asked me to call her Krystal. And, what Ms. Davis wants Ms. Davis gets! After arriving, I gave “Krystal” a quick tour and then we went to lunch at Radius where…

      I chose the stencil for numerous reasons: What I REALLY like about the stencil is the fact that I can do an asymmetrical pattern. This will be a ton easier, will prevent the pattern from awkwardly bashing into the mantel or trim (because I can place the pattern wherever it looks best), and I…

        I think I should be able to get all this painted this week, and boy what a difference that will make! AND, the diamond-paned pantry windows will reappear!!!!!!!! So, stay tuned to this channel!    

OK. Something VERY interesting and VERY weird is soon to happen at the Cross House. There are two people I have never met, two people who also do not know each other, who contacted me and said they wanted to travel across vast distances to visit the Cross House.   Ms. Davis The first person,…

Previously, I have written about my hunt for little chairs on little wheels. Pretty much every such chair I find pre-dates the 1894 Cross House. While the house may well have been originally furnished with pieces already owned by Susan and Harrison Cross I am inclined to think that because the house was architecturally sophisticated…

The 1894 Cross House originally had a dumbwaiter serving the kitchen and laundry room in the basement. This fabulous feature was removed, I think, in 1929 when the house was converted into apartments. The change allowed a new hall, so a person to go directly from the kitchen to the family entrance on the south…

This post isn’t JUST about the Cross House. This post is, ah, also about a heretofore unrealized and very weird neurosis that I, Ross, might suffer from. This dramatic outing is explained…       After the railing was removed I experienced a wholly unexpected sensation: The lack of a railing made me feel terribly…exposed. This…

In 2015 the Cross House was awarded a Kansas Heritage Trust grant of $90,000. This grant was used to reline all the built-in gutters, restore about 80% of the 42 stained-glass windows, restore some clear-glass windows, replace missing exterior siding, shingle all the secondary roofs, and replace the rotted sill and water-table. Last November I…

I have been a bit quiet of late, blog-wise. In January I sold a ton of lighting (I restore vintage lighting for a living) and have been frantically getting all these fixtures restored and packed and shipped. Whew! Yesterday, I had a VERY important meeting and am breathless about the results. Please stand by, Because…

              While in Ottawa, I stopped in an antique store. Looking around I saw a little chair on little wheels. It was sweet. But no pair. As I turned to walk away I saw its mate a few feet away. I froze. Before me were two little Victorian-era chairs…