The Cross House

    Kelly created and operates my favorite blog, Old House Dreams, and in previous posts about the Great Drapery Search (here and here and here and here), Kelly stated that she had, by some miracle, found four drapery panels. I responded that while I believed her, I doubted that the online order at Walmart…

I have been lying to all of you. Well, not lying really, but…holding back the full truth. In a previous post I exalted about the Cross House being awarded a $90,000 Kansas Heritage Grant. Whoee! WHOEE! But…but…in the fine print of the grant, page 476, subsection Q, line 48, there was a clause. The clause…

In a room with curtains drawn, and candles lighted, I sit before a crystal ball. And I see things. I see wondrous things. I see things which will amaze people…   BUT FIRST, THE PAST In 1894, The Cross House was built in the best neighborhood in Emporia. The neighborhood was very close to downtown,…

Today I received a long letter from Peter, introducing himself. Peter is young, and admits to a terrible affliction: he is besotted with big old houses. In reply, I extended my sympathies. At the end of his letter, Peter asked several questions. It occurred to me that perhaps others have the same questions, so it…

Brian and Bailey are a young couple. And I mean young. It scares me to realize that I am old enough to be a grandfather to them. These cute young kids are moving to Emporia to attend ESU. Brian wanted to buy a house to live in during his college years. And not just any…

It is now obvious that GOD is conspiring against me. Well, maybe not me (I hope!) but against curtains for the library of the Cross House. In my two previous posts, I detailed the great adventure in finding curtains. In the first post, all was lost. In the second post, all was saved. Whoee!!!!!!! But…

In my previous post I lamented, lamented, the great trial I was undergoing. Thwarted by curtains! Oh the horror! The horror! So, Kelly, who runs my very favorite blog, read my post, and then contacted me. She had been doing a store-by-store search for the curtains I could not obtain! While I could only find…

I am working to complete the library in the Cross House, and have been holding back images to do a dramatic Before/After reveal. (Or perhaps I have been kidnapped by aliens and they made me write the above.) I am dedicated to meticulously restoring the house, and look forward to its being returned as close…

I am very afraid. I keep walking, ever more nervously, into the library of the Cross House, and to my shock an inexplicable and obviously surreal event — one no doubt of an extraterrestrial nature — is manifesting itself. Oh, the horror! While I am no scientist, it seems (I am almost afraid to put this in…

I have been busy of late in the library, and will have a LONG post…soon. In the meantime, I have this small post, about a small move. The Cross House has four entry doors, one in each direction of the compass. The south entry was the principal family entrance, and it opens onto the porte-cochère. I…

I have owned the Cross House for fourteen month. And finally had a party! My first! The event (May 1st) was to celebrate the Cross House receiving a Heritage Grant, and the guest list was composed primarily of individuals I wanted to thank for making the grant a reality. I also invited those who have…

The first floor of the Cross House is blessed with a lot…a lot…of Lincrusta. Old house nuts afficinadoes across the land know that Lincrusta is a linoleum-like product embossed with patterns. But the general public has no idea what Lincrusta is. Thus, on numerous occasions when I have given tours to people, I hear: “You…

The Cross House continues to amaze and startle me. In the spacious foyer and stair hall is a niche:     To the right of the niche is a door to a vestibule (the north entrance). There are three stained-glass arched windows. To the left is a door to the telephone closet. Yes, a telephone…

The Cross House has eight fireplaces. All were originally coal-burning (but I am not sure why they were ever used as the house had a new-fangled radiator system). Each opening is surrounded by an artful array of figurative tiles by the American Encaustic Tiling Company. A few have gone missing over the years. So, here is…

This Friday I am having a party at the Cross House. A party! It is my very first in the house! The party is to celebrate the house receiving a Heritage Trust grant. However, it will be quite surreal having a gala in rooms which look like bombs have gone off. There is missing plaster, dangling…

In a previous post I detailed the surreal history of the carriage house to the Cross House. In short: 1) Built in 1894. It had a 2-story main section, and a 1-story north wing. The structure sat right against the alley. It likely had no flooring on the main level, just dirt (it was used…

The Cross House has two pantries: 1) A butler’s panty. 2) A main pantry. Cool. I love these classic old house features. Here is the original drawing of the butler’s pantry:         At some point in, it seems, the 1950s, the pantry was modified: 1) The two upper drawers were removed. 2)…

The Cross House is a monumental project. And in my fourteen months of ownership a great deal has been done. Steel beams have been inserted, windows have been restored, a new structural wall prevented collapse, original paint colors were determined and reapplied to the exterior, the boilers have been repaired, and all the radiators now…

    When I woke up this morning I had NO idea what a 1932 Studebaker looked like. Nor have I ever once thought about a 1932 Studebaker. But this evening I am possessed by 1932 Studebaker thoughts. POSSESSED! I love when life throws out such curve balls. My idea: Somewhere out there there, somewhere,…