This Old Crack House Formal Living room

Just beautiful and lovely to look at. I wouldn’t mind visiting your home it is so relaxing.

Diane

-- http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/DMarcella/

Dusty A great Living room. What is the term piano windows refer to?

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Karson,

In the truest sense it came from early bungalow homes where there were small windows on either side of an fireplace.

There is some historical disagreement as to why they termed these windows “piano”.

One such explanation was it provided light with out distraction for the person practicing on an piano.

Admittedly I use the word and term for my windows in the formal living room of This Old Crack House with our regard for the truest sence of the meaning of piano windows.

-- Dusty

I can remember a window on either side of the fireplace in my 1905 Arts & Craft home in St Louis. I didn’t know what Art’s and Craft was while I was living there. I wish I had.

The house next door to ours still had the original Mission stain on all of the woodwork. Ours had all been painted.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Karson,

Can you say kinching!

Those home are very sought after in todays housing market.

They have a storied history and are very amenable to rehab and restoration.

It is not uncommon in our market her in Minneapolis and St Paul area to see multiple offers often bringing considerable more money than the original asking price.

I have had the fortune ( or misfortune ) of rehabbing a number of these homes including This Old Crack House. If you recall the former owners had painted and destroyed most of the mission wood trim in my home.

To this day I have no idea how some one could paint beautiful wood work.

-- Dusty

The story on these homes were that the builder got the lumber from the pavilions that were being torn down after the 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair and he built these houses.

The houses on the south side of the street had live in maids. Bedroom on the third floor and bathroom in the basement. The stairs from the second to the first floor had a landing half way down, with stairs to the Living Room and to the kitchen. The maid was not allowed to use the living room side. She went in there to clean, but that was not her travel path.

The houses on the north side of the street didn’t have a 3rd floor and they had street car maids. They showed up each day to work by riding to work.

The first floor was about 4’ above the ground level, and with 3 floors it took a 40’ ladder to reach the peak on the front of the house. The roof was flat slate layed in a diamond pattern. The basement walls on the outside were stucco, and the second floor was stucco. The first floor was lap siding.

We bought it from a Seminary, they were using it as a faculty house. But, they were getting out of the business of providing housing.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †