"Play with us. Forever. And Ever. And Ever."


Quzah.

I didn't know Mayor Quimby could afford such a house...

Quinby was getting kickbacks from another "house".:D

I found this newspaper story about the house.
Entering the McKnight area of Springfield is like stepping into another era. The huge, elegant mansions that housed prosperous families at the turn of the 19th century seem to have escaped the ravages of time.
That's an illusion. Much hard work has gone into restoring these grand homes. The new urban pioneers of the 1980s took a chance on this once-decaying neighborhood and transformed it into the work of art it is today.
Dee's picture album on the history of the house shows the enormous structure tipping as it is raised onto wheels for transportation. It's an amazing sight.
At that point it was a mess, its facade shorn of the front porch. A week of rain at its new location made things worse. Even the neighbors thought Tom and Dee were crazy.
But these two people love to rehabilitate things, and they are remarkably handy. In fact, they used to work in furniture restoration. Today Dee sells vintage clothing online. www.davenportandco.com
Add to that their passion for Victoriana and their family histories, which trace back to the Mayflower, and they were just the people to nurse the house back to its former splendor.
"We think of it as our big art project," says Dee.
Tom built a two-story front porch identical to the original one, and the couple scraped down the whole exterior by hand. Today the house is resplendent in authentic "hunting-lodge" colors of the period, gray and dark green with red trim.
Inside, the combination of architecture and decor dazzle. The foyer has a fireplace, a wall-to-wall window seat, a red velvet couch and oak wainscoting.
And heaven forbid that a guest in 1895 should walk straight into the foyer. It's preceded by a small "vestibule," complete with chandelier, carpet, and a portrait of Dee's great-grandmother.
In the living room is a baby grand piano that once belonged to Tom's grandmother. It's covered with a pink long-fringed "piano scarf" and topped with framed antique photos. A photo on the wall shows Dee's great-grandmother holding a parasol. Dee whips out of the room and returns a moment later carrying that very parasol.
The dining room has original latticed windows and, like the other rooms, a "plate rail" over the wainscoting that bears all manner of interesting curiosities. Off to the side of the dining is a solarium with a piano.
Tom's father, Bob Howe, built the couple an old-fashioned slate sink for the kitchen. The wood of the cabinet on which it stands matches the wainscoting. Two pantries are divided by a wall with a small sliding window that allowed the cook to hand food to the butler.
There are treasures at every turn: a marble tabletop, a stained glass window, a little doll's-trunk inscribed with the day Dee's great-aunt received it: Dec. 25, 1891.
Some of the treasures are from family, but others are from tag sales, flea markets and the side of the road. Dee spotted the green "fainting couch" in a farmer's field. She and Tom recognize beauty, she says, even under layers of age. And they have a gift for coaxing it out.
They bought their house in 1986. "It was such a great old house," says Dee, "and it was in such horrible shape that we just had to rescue it.

Boring old fart that I am, I was back 1895 on Christmas Eve again this year. :)

This is a new room for me. :biggrin:

Imagine hand scrapeing multi layers of lead paint from that woodwork. :greenface

This year I got pictures of the little alcove off the dining room before anybody parked their butt in it. ;)

About midnight I was out in the backyard having a smoke. Full moon and very cold but no snow. I glanced over at the cellar window and staring back at me were 2 racoons, 1 plain and 1 albino, which startled me. Of course in the cellar (not Cellar.org) is the Urban Widlife Rescue that Dee runs. They had 4 'coons, a skunk and a prarie dog someone had dumped in a snowbank the week before Christmas. :(
I met another couple, for the first time, that have a wildlife habitat. nice people with good intentions but rabid tree huggers. :)
I also met a woman named Nancy Skowyra, who is one of Dee's volunteers and a (fe)mailman. She's a bright, funny person with the gift of gab and an infectious smile. She had me laughing out loud...a lot. :angel:

Oh, I almost forgot bowls of homemade chocolate truffles. Some rolled in cocoa, some in confectioners sugar, some in nuts and some plain. :yum:

I think I need to come with you for Christmas next year, bruce.

Oh, and what's the detail on the reflector (is that what they are called?) in the fireplace ... is that a harvest fruit, wheat sheaves and vegetable motif, or something else?

I don't remember what the design was on the spark screen. If it was something very unusual I'd probably remember it and have photographed it.

And you can come with me anytime. :biggrin:

Wonderful. I finally see a real Christmas.

Not really, Billy. That house is not normal. The furnishings are very old, many of them, and the Christmas decorations, are in the syle of 100 years ago.
If you look at the whadjaget thread, Jinx posted a picture of her kids opening presents. That's closer to modern Christmases. :)

Nice looking house, Bruce. I wouldn't want to do the dusting though. :eek:

Is one of those stocking hung by the chimney with care yours?

Me too! I'll ask Marci to bake one of her cheesecakes. The ironwork in the fireplace does look unusual.

BTW, does anyone play the piano? It wouldn't be an old-timey Christmas without singing around the piano. :violin: