I moved from San Francisco to Rhode Island last year and purchased this italianate house, (my second love!) Its many original features are what attracted me to it. It sits on about 1 acre and has 15 rooms and 8 fireplaces. There are 3 parlors, a formal dining room, library, office, 5 family bedrooms and 3 maids rooms. The 5 family bedrooms each have what are confirmed to be original marble topped sinks in them, (quite modern for 1869 when the house was built). A large gilt overmantel mirror can be seen in the pic of the south parlor which is original to the house. A conservatory can be seen in the early photo and drawing but it was taken down in the 1950's, (I plan to restore this within the next few years.) The place needs quite alot of work starting with a more appropriate multi-colored paint job.
Here's the link to the pics: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=jlq033b.63nd9utz&Uy=w3a9m4&Ux=0
I like this section of the forum, I hope more people add to it!
My Italianate House
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Victorian Homes & Buildings thread on victorianforum.com · started February 14, 2008 by jre2100 · 9 posts, 5 image attachments · discussion in 2008.
I moved from San Francisco to Rhode Island last year and purchased this italianate house, (my second love!) Its many original features are what attracted me to it. It sits on about 1 acre and has 15 rooms and 8 fireplaces. There are 3 parlors, a formal dining room, library,…
Looks great! Ain't old houses fun? ;D
- Jason
- Jason
Thanks for sharing! Gorgeous! Looks like the ceilings are high so you can buy some monumentally tall pieces. Ralph has a 10 foot clock for you.
Wow! Beautiful and magnificent! Thanks for sharing! Charles.
Incredible! I could look at the woodwork for days.
Do you think the rosette is original paint scheme? or is that something that occurred later Victorian? The reason I ask is that I have located the signatures and dates of our paint decorators and it seems like the over use of color would have come in the 1880's versus the more subtle use of color in the 1860's.
Also a question about your interior shutters, or blinds. Are they louvered? and faux grained? It is nice that your woodwork hasn't been painted like ours. It is so hard to get the paint off when there are more than two passes.
Your gilt mirror: Is it original? our mirror is, and is flaking and showing some melting of the gold with the size leaking out to tarnish the finish. Seems like yours is a much more polished finish, and with less carving, hence I question the age. Maybe just had better care and a less traumatic life than ours?
Very nice, how are your light fixtures?
Also a question about your interior shutters, or blinds. Are they louvered? and faux grained? It is nice that your woodwork hasn't been painted like ours. It is so hard to get the paint off when there are more than two passes.
Your gilt mirror: Is it original? our mirror is, and is flaking and showing some melting of the gold with the size leaking out to tarnish the finish. Seems like yours is a much more polished finish, and with less carving, hence I question the age. Maybe just had better care and a less traumatic life than ours?
Very nice, how are your light fixtures?
Beautiful house, and what a grand prospect terraced up above all that expanse of granite wall.
I'd itch, too, to recreate the conservatory.
Good luck.
I'd itch, too, to recreate the conservatory.
Good luck.
I think the dining room ceiling rosette maintains a very old paint scheme but I'm not sure if its original from 1869-1870. I purchased the house from a family who bought it in 1949. They were told by the 1880-1949 owners that the rosette paint is original to the house. I think they did some redecorating in the 1880's so perhaps the paint is from that period. One suspicious aspect of the paint is that it is not dirty with soot which would quickly accumulate from gas lighting, (gas lights used coal gas rather than today's natural gas.) I've learned that ceiling rosettes were not used just for decoration but also to contain coal gas soot which without the rosette would spread across the ceiling. This is why most rosettes have so many layers of paint on them.
The interior shutters do have working louvers and are all solid walnut rather than grain-painted. I suspect they were added to the house again by the second owner in the 1880's. I've come to this conclusion since there aren't wall cavities to conceal them when opened and they also perfectly match the interior window screens that have small gilt plaques on them with an 1880's patent date.
The main parlor mantel mirror is another item that the second owners, (1881-1949) said is original to the house (original to them could mean 1881 when their father bought the place rather than the 1869-1870 construction date.) It does have some highly polished areas of gilding but also many unpolished areas. I think the lack of carving is due to its more architectural renaissance revival style unlike the earlier rococo designs. I doubt if it has been taken down off the mantel more than twice since the 1880's. The current wallpaper in the room has been there since 1950 and I know the mirror has not been moved since then, (I can't imagine how many people it'll take to lift it off the mantel.)
Unfortunately the house has lost nearly all of its original lighting. The only exceptions may be the side hall hanging fixture and the newel post gas light which is missing its shade.
I think the second owners made quite a few changes to the house in the 1880's. I mentioned the patent dates on the interior screens above.
I believe the heating radiators were also added around that time, (they have an 1878 patent date.) All of my fireplaces have ancient duct work going to them and were a part of an early gravity heating system. Perhaps it didn't work very well. I did find a piece of victorian wool carpeting inside one of the fireplaces. It was being used to block the old heat duct. Its colors perfectly match the crown molding in the same room.
I also have some original keys to the house. I've attached pics of these items.
The interior shutters do have working louvers and are all solid walnut rather than grain-painted. I suspect they were added to the house again by the second owner in the 1880's. I've come to this conclusion since there aren't wall cavities to conceal them when opened and they also perfectly match the interior window screens that have small gilt plaques on them with an 1880's patent date.
The main parlor mantel mirror is another item that the second owners, (1881-1949) said is original to the house (original to them could mean 1881 when their father bought the place rather than the 1869-1870 construction date.) It does have some highly polished areas of gilding but also many unpolished areas. I think the lack of carving is due to its more architectural renaissance revival style unlike the earlier rococo designs. I doubt if it has been taken down off the mantel more than twice since the 1880's. The current wallpaper in the room has been there since 1950 and I know the mirror has not been moved since then, (I can't imagine how many people it'll take to lift it off the mantel.)
Unfortunately the house has lost nearly all of its original lighting. The only exceptions may be the side hall hanging fixture and the newel post gas light which is missing its shade.
I think the second owners made quite a few changes to the house in the 1880's. I mentioned the patent dates on the interior screens above.
I believe the heating radiators were also added around that time, (they have an 1878 patent date.) All of my fireplaces have ancient duct work going to them and were a part of an early gravity heating system. Perhaps it didn't work very well. I did find a piece of victorian wool carpeting inside one of the fireplaces. It was being used to block the old heat duct. Its colors perfectly match the crown molding in the same room.
I also have some original keys to the house. I've attached pics of these items.
Hi and Thanks,
This is very helpful to me, as I am replacing the missing items from our house slowly. We have had 11 owners! Some were there for only five years! So many changes, and also, was used as a boarding house for a while, so some added walls and doors.
Most of our doorknobs and locks are gone. Looks like they were changed in the 1920's-1930's to glass knobs with art deco plates. Also some changes in lighting with only two antique fixtures surviving, the newel post lamp and the gasolier in the parlor. Also the ugliest radiators must have been put in the 50's as in-laws were still using coal in the late 40's. I have a whole basement full of coal if anyone wants it, and a pile of soot to match if you need to add authenticity!
The carpet is extremely helpful, as I am researching options for flooring in the grand parlor where the ceiling is so ornate I don't want to draw attention to the floor which is soft wood pine and probably was wall to wall Axminster or Brussels when house was carpeted. I have found the sheriff sale from 1871 and so have a general list of furnishings, books and prints that were for sale.
Also have the lumber order, but have been unable to identify where certain species of wood were used because of colonialized paint scheme on all woodwork.
Found some interior shutters in attic nailed to the floor! But all exterior shutters were scrapped by my MIL when she purchased in 1948. So my house has had a hard life, and is just getting back some of it's color after a long decline.
I also have antique soot in every cornice and medallion, and wondering if the paint scrapings can be sold because they have the gold leaf attached on the underside!
You should go forward with your plans, you have very little interior damage that needs repair. Have fun, thanks for the research aids.
This is very helpful to me, as I am replacing the missing items from our house slowly. We have had 11 owners! Some were there for only five years! So many changes, and also, was used as a boarding house for a while, so some added walls and doors.
Most of our doorknobs and locks are gone. Looks like they were changed in the 1920's-1930's to glass knobs with art deco plates. Also some changes in lighting with only two antique fixtures surviving, the newel post lamp and the gasolier in the parlor. Also the ugliest radiators must have been put in the 50's as in-laws were still using coal in the late 40's. I have a whole basement full of coal if anyone wants it, and a pile of soot to match if you need to add authenticity!
The carpet is extremely helpful, as I am researching options for flooring in the grand parlor where the ceiling is so ornate I don't want to draw attention to the floor which is soft wood pine and probably was wall to wall Axminster or Brussels when house was carpeted. I have found the sheriff sale from 1871 and so have a general list of furnishings, books and prints that were for sale.
Also have the lumber order, but have been unable to identify where certain species of wood were used because of colonialized paint scheme on all woodwork.
Found some interior shutters in attic nailed to the floor! But all exterior shutters were scrapped by my MIL when she purchased in 1948. So my house has had a hard life, and is just getting back some of it's color after a long decline.
I also have antique soot in every cornice and medallion, and wondering if the paint scrapings can be sold because they have the gold leaf attached on the underside!
You should go forward with your plans, you have very little interior damage that needs repair. Have fun, thanks for the research aids.