Endangered Houses: 1308 Sixth Avenue
Before WWII, it was common for people to walk along Main Street, and peer in the many enticing window displays. They either walked to Main Street from their house a few blocks away, or got on their horse (in the early days), or drove their car. After WWII, people no longer wanted to walk while…
Continue ReadingFavorite Houses: 625 Union
For a long time I have lusted after this home. It is a block north from the Cross House, and was built, I believe, in the 1870s. What is particularly remarkable about the house is that its two intricate wood porches are largely intact. After almost 150 years? This is extraordinary. And what porches they…
Continue ReadingThe Astounding Restoration of an Astounding House
Waaaaaay back when I was a young pup, in my early twenties, I first discovered the Armour-Stiner House, in Irvington, New York. The house is a famous octagon-shaped structure, and was built in 1860. By the 1970s the house was a wreck, and the huge domed roof was literally crushing the house, and would have…
Continue ReadingFavorite Houses: 831 Constitution
At the corner of Ninth and Constitution, in Emporia, is a remarkable house: the Keebler House. One cannot drive by without craning a neck to admire. The house has a dollhouse-like appearance. It is charming to an extreme, and looks like something a giant would eat in a children’s fairy tale — a delicious cookie….
Continue ReadingEndangered Houses: 725 Exchange
I have a terrible affliction. I want to save every old, endangered house I come across. The affliction is powerful and debilitating. When I was in high school, I was riding my bike along Central Avenue in St. Petersburg, Florida, and stopped dead in my tracks in front of a lovely 1920s bungalow. It looked…
Continue ReadingThe House Which Lost its Face
Across the street from the Cross House, at 517 Union, is a house. It is painted blue. So, I always think of it as the Blue House. A glance reveals that the house has been much altered over the years. Windows have been changed, porches enclosed, and the whole re-sided. Still, the house looked to…
Continue ReadingA Cool Thing in Portland
I would love to know why I find the following so very cool but have no explanation. Simply, the following makes me excited. So, if you ever plan to visit Portland, OR, I would suggest that you check out this. Way way way cool.
Continue ReadingThe Cat Who Gave a Gift.
I am writing a book titled Many Meows, about my life with a lot of felines over the decades. What follows is an excerpt. CAVEAT: It is a bittersweet story. The intruder came to my attention while I was washing the dishes. One early morning while scrubbing some blackened pot I heard a faint…
Continue ReadingA Man. A Castle. A Miracle.
There are a lot of insane people out there restoring great old houses. God love each and every one. But perhaps the restoration which stuns me the most is one undertaken by Dr. David Johnston. You see, Johnston decided to restore a castle. Yes, a castle. A castle which was abandoned fifty years ago and…
Continue ReadingWhen Size Matters
A blog which I tremendously enjoy is Big Old Houses, which is owned by John. John is a world-class nut. And I mean that in a good way. John has had a life-long passion for really big old houses. So big that they make the Cross House look like a child’s toy house. BIG is what…
Continue ReadingThe Glory of the Glass
When I purchased the Cross House it had but a single window fully restored, a wonderful small round window in the four-story servant’s stair tower. This left 6,987 more windows to go. Well, maybe not that many, but it does feel like it. In addition to the standard windows, all in deplorable (but restorable) condition, the…
Continue ReadingThe Mystery of the Missing House
When I first considered buying the Cross House in March of 2013, I stood on the sidewalk and looked just to the south, to 524 Union Street. This house was very close to the Cross House, and it was also, oddly, set WAY back on the lot. I also knew that the 524 lot had…
Continue ReadingEnjoyable Dreams
My favorite blog is about, not surprisingly, old house. The blog is a feast of gorgeous old houses. And all for sale! Old House Dreams is owned by Kelly, and she works hard at making her blog incredibly user-friendly, and rich with great posts and great comments from her users. Daily, I look at Old…
Continue ReadingSmall City; Large Impact — William Allen White
It is a common belief that if one does not live in a major urban center like New York City, or Los Angles, that one, well, really does not exist. William Allen White (1868 – 1944) would have disagreed.White was the owner of the Emporia Gazette, as well as a politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement. White was…
Continue ReadingA Mouse in the House
In 1929 Scott Mouse, Sr., purchased the Cross House. It is a good thing that he did. When the house was built in 1894 the neighborhood was highly desirable; indeed, it was the neighborhood. By about 1910 however, its proximity to downtown — originally an asset — had caused the neighborhood to begin a steep…
Continue ReadingThe Importance of the Small Bits
In 2014, It is something of a miracle that the porch remains at all. Almost all late 19th-century porches were wholly replaced at some point in the 20th-century. That the 120-year-old Cross House porch remains, albeit battered, is something I am deeply grateful for. Still, with so many bits missing, it is…
Continue ReadingA Question of Color
Today, we often think of Victorian-era houses as having many many colors, and all quite bright. However, this is the after-effect of the Painted Ladies craze which began in San Francisco in the 1970s. Wild & crazy hippies took old, unloved houses and painted them in exciting, bold colors, the more the better. Images of…
Continue ReadingBob’s Story
NOTE: In 1999, Deborah (Debbi) and Robert (Bob) Rodak purchased the Cross House. It had been boarded up. This was the low point of the house, and it was dangerously close to being condemned and demolished. This is their story, as told by Bob: When we found out the Cross House was for sale…
Continue ReadingResurrection
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” — Socrates An inner psychology drives each one of us. Yet how many of us actually understand our own behaviors and motivations? One thing has been a constant my whole life: resurrection. I am deeply drawn to resurrection, yet have no idea why. My income is derived…
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