The Cross House

In Part 1, I detailed the adventure revealing the, well, not quite lost, but, ah, overlooked gas sconces in the 1894 Cross House. They had been there since 1894 but I just never really registered them before. This was not too surprising as some were buried behind later plaster while others were just small nipples…

When the Cross House was built in 1894, it was state-of-the-art. It had new-fangled radiators, a telephone closet, a built-in ice chest, speaking tubes, and ELECTRIC LIGHTING! Yes, ELECTRIC LIGHTING! This would have seemed a wonder to visitors. In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the first commercially practical incandescent light bulb, and in 1882 Edison created, in…

    A problem with getting a pretty color on the walls of the parlor, which I have been DYING to do, is that the walls are not really ready. They LOOK ready, but a raking light reveals a disturbing reality. Raking light is a bitch. In normal light the walls look pristine, and just…

Since buying the Cross House it has been the best of times, and the worst of times. Well, not THE worst. But year #2 was kinda grim.   2014: THE BEST OF TIMES Work on the Cross House began on March 1st, 2014. I always knew that 2014 would be the honeymoon period. For two…

    By a wonderful coincidence, the image also highlighted an issue I was writing a post about. See the walls? See the papered frieze at the top of the walls? See the picture rail just below the frieze? This was a strip of molding common to houses for many decades, and was used to…

I have done numerous posts about the steady erosion of the Home Depot kitchen in the carriage house, and the process of revealing the many layers of history regarding kitchens long lost. There were fragments and whispers of the original 1921 kitchen. There were bits and pieces of the circa-1950 kitchen. And there was the…EEEEEEK!!!!!!!…Home…

WARNING #1 This is not a post about delicious stained-glass, luscious woodwork, fabulous mantles, stunning architectural detailing, amazing vintage wallpaper, or anything of even the slightest aesthetic pleasure. Nope, this post is about particle board, pressure-treated lumber, concrete block, and spray-foam. So, for those with delicate visual sensibilities? It is strongly recommend that you skip…

      Justin and Scott graciously helped with the tall tree-o-lights! Thanks guys! We strung the lights this morning, and then I took us out to lunch at Radius. When it got dark, I was DYING to see the tree all brilliant with its zillion bits of bejeweled colors, but I was at my…

When built in 1894, the Cross House had lighting fixtures which were a combination of gas and electric. None remain. Much to my vexation. Nor do I have tantalizing interior archival images to offer an idea of what was. More vexation! I assume the fixtures were removed when the house was turned into the Palace…

I love politics. Indeed, it could be argued that I am a bit obsessed with politics. My friends will all read the above and think: A bit? OK. Well, I had this nutty idea (I do not suffer from a lack of nutty ideas) that it would be cool to have Debate Nights at the…

Today, I received an email: “All work is okay to proceed under the HTF grant, the state tax credit program, and the state preservation law.” I know, huh? Huh? But this in M O N U M E N T A L news. Huge. Big. Exciting. Thrilling. A make-my-eyes-tear-up kinda news. You see, waaaaaaaaay back…

            This year the Cross House was awarded a substantial grant, in part to restore the 40 stained-glass windows in the Cross House. The damage above is a testament to the need of such work. Had the window not been so terribly fragile, it would not have been affected by…

    There is a lot of information encoded in the above image. In the above terrifying image. To the RIGHT are plastic pinky tiles from a 1950 motel bathroom. The bathroom was created in what once a kitchen. The kitchen was created in what was originally thin air. Confusing, I know! 1894: The staircase stepped…

A few months back I did three posts about how to create a new kitchen for an old house. No original fittings remain in the kitchen of the Cross House, although the room is architecturally intact. The butler’s pantry, and main pantry, are also mostly intact and will be fully restored. The other day I…

Truly, I am breathless. A while back I did a post about finding some 1970s peacock wallpaper, and the powerful memories it invoked. If you have not read the post, I think you will enjoy it. This great find though was but a single roll. Enough to do one wall in the first-floor bathroom. The…

Anybody walking by the Cross House last year could not help but notice a LOT happening. Here is what the house looked like when I purchased it:       But this year it appears, appears, that nothing is happening. At least from the exterior. Inside though is another story. In 2015 the living room…

Today I receive an email from Bo Sullivan. Bo is way cool. He know ALL about old houses and old lighting and old wallpaper and old toilets and, well, just about everything old. During my great search to discover information about the original 1894 stairhall wallpaper in the Cross House, of which I discovered but…