The marble on the fireplace in the dining room is possibly Nubian marble, which was also used in the Gresham Bishop's Palace and the George Sealy Open Gates house, which Clayton supervised construction after McKim Mead and White designed it. Stain on wood will oxidize over the decades, so sanding a little or removing a doorknob might show the original choice. Looking A+++ improved after just one year of renovations! Amazing that the chimney stacks outside were decorative rather than functional.
I wish I could transfer all the knowledge from your brain to mine. I may have to borrow some of your books on Clayton if I ever have time to read again. There is a place where a door know was stolen and the original stain is very light and shows off the wonderful grain of the wood. It is a very different look than the dark stain it has now. I'm torn because I have always loved grainy wood but restoring it would be almost last on the list given everything else that needs to be done in the house.
The marble on the fireplace in the dining room is possibly "Lahnmarmor". A marble from Germany, also known as "Nassauer Marmor". This stone was extensively shipped to the USA to build fancy interiors. The foyer of the Empire State Building in New York is decorated with it. Please click on the the link to Wikipedia: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahnmarmor. I wish you all the best for your wonderful restoration project.
Thank you so much for the time and effort to bring this beautiful house back to life. It truly is a gem and is going to be fantastic when finally finished.
I absolutely love old homes! ❤️ It's so sad that in places around the U.S. so many magnificent homes have been torn down! This house is amazing! I can't wait to see the video of when it is completed! Thank you so much for saving this house & working on restoring it back to its glory! Best of wishes to you!
Thank you. It hurts my heart too when I see old homes being torn down or gutted inside. You just cant replicate the craftsmanship or materials today. Especially here in the Houston area where old homes are practically nonexistent. Galveston has a high concentration of old homes left because the economy was so bad for so long that no one redeveloped the area. Unfortunately, that same bad economy meant that the grandest of houses along Broadway were not maintained and most were demolished for gas stations and fast food restaurants. I'm very privileged to be able to save this one.
@@wwjanedo I absolutely agree that the quality of craftsmanship cannot be duplicated. People with that high level of craftsmanship are almost non-existant here in the US. In the United Kingdom they are there but not here. People just aren't interested and it causes us to lose part of our history. I'm in the DFW area & have been to Galveston several times for counselor conferences. If I ever get back there I will definitely have to find the JC House! Best of wishes to you again on the restoration & I'm so glad someone like you was able to purchase one of the last beautiful great homes there! 😊❤
I really enjoyed your presentation at the East End Historical District Association as our guest speaker. I am a neighbor of yours also, our house is not as old as yours being built in 1910 on 19th and Broadway. Your work is remarkable in getting the bones of the home stable and bringing it back to its' greatness. As an East Ender, we are so glad you bought this jewel and are keeping it from falling down. Our best to you and your endeavors, keep the videos coming. Thanks
Thanks so much. The EEHD does such a great job creating community spirit. Now with covid restrictions lifting and in person get togethers happening again, I am looking forward to getting to know my neighbors better.
Back in times....... so breathtaking and overwelming. Thanks a lot! I live in an ancient house from the 18th century - and it is a long and challenging way in understanding and resautrating the "old soul" ;-) Greets from Germany
Europe has such a longer history and architectural heritage that we just don't have here. Texas wasn't settled until the mid 1800's and it is rare to find a building over a hundred years old in my part of the country. Galveston is a unique little pocket of these gems. I bet your house is wonderful.
Wonderful to see how the individual areas fit together. I'm amazed at the water conservation and ambient air conditioning developments included in the house...the cupola! I like that many of the 'fancy upgrades' were practical, rather than just for show. I like the way colored marble was used as 'icing on the cake', rather than cold slabs of white or grey everywhere. I love the mosaic-look tile in the foyer, but wood is always my favorite. The library and grand staircase are fantastic! :)
I'm in love with the beautiful staircase and stained glass windows. I also love the cabinets with leaded glass windows. It's all so graceful and each element harmonizes so well with the other features. I dream of living in a house like this, but then again, I love my little 1920 bungalow. Thank you for saving this beauty!
It is a very grand house but I'm like you. I've never once had the desire to live here. It is just too much. Maybe when they were wearing those big dresses they needed more room.😀
What an absolutely amazing property!!! I have been specializing in old property for almost 30yrs and this one is by far one of the most spectacular structures I have seen. I am currently working with the new owners of the Santa Fe Castle in Santa Fe TX, which is another wonderful property. Its so great to see people purchasing these old buildings and saving them. Our history matters and your efforts prove that!!! Reach out if I can help in any way! {no charge ;) }
Thank you for the tour and the historical information. The unique and beautiful fractures of your home are amazing. Looking forward to watching as you make them shine again!!!
Me too. I'm not the best videographer but the house is pretty amazing. There's been a lot of har work going on in the last 18 months to keep her standing.
just started watching, wonderful home, lots and lots of work. thanks to 2nd empire strikes back in Saint Louis giving you a shout out, hope your channel grows. should be fun watching.
Welcome aboard. It was so nice of Kaleb to recommend my channel. I got a chuckle because I watch him all the time. He's doing great work - oh to be young again. I wish I had his ability to be so comfortable in front of the camera. His house is amazing.
Yes, glade he let us know I will enjoy your progress. I've been catching up on your channel boy oh noy the damage hidden behind beautiful wood work and paneling Is heart breaking 💔. You really took on a project, it can only be a labor of love. It will be beautiful.
Just a fun thought for you about the broken and mostly missing crystal chandelier in the dining room. I happen to have over 40 boxes of broken down crystal chandeliers as parts and I guarantee you I have the necessary parts and pieces to put that right. I even am capable of fixing the broken parts if you would like. I used to deal in antique lighting in Phoenix AZ and I have allot of leftovers, lol. I get geeked out over victorian architecture and especially lighting. If you ever want a helping hand with it, give me a shout out.
SHOUT!!!!!! I am trying to find out what it may have looked like. Are you still in Phonix? I have a niece there and lots of Southwest points. You can email me at casafamiliagalveston@yahoo.com
Welcome aboard! I'd recommend starting from the beginning. It makes understanding what's going on easier. Take your time - this big house isn't going anywhere anytime soon!
Wow! What an impressive house! What a HUGE amount of work to be done to restore and rehabilitate it, but you already know that. Good luck with everything that you have to do to repair the damage to a once fine home. I’m sure it can be again.
About those door sized windows- While on a tour of the "John Muir House" in Martinez Calif, the park ranger mentioned that a new (back in the day) property tax calculated an assessment based on the number of "doors" in the home. The ingenious way around that was to create those windows that came all the way down to the floor and when opened could be walked through!
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy them. It's so nice that so many people care about these old houses and want to see them saved. Thanks for the comment too, it helps youtube recommend the videos to others who like the same types of videos. I am a little shocked at how many people have watched. I thought maybe a handful of locals would care because of the houses connection to Galveston history. I'm trying to get a new video up every Sunday.
He shouldn't sell his house short. It is wonderful. I love all the old houses, big and small. They all have so much character and amazing craftsmanship. This is a monster though. I can't imagine building a house like this for three people to live in.
Thank you for sharing your adventures in restoring this beautiful piece of history to the magnificent home it will become again. 😊 We live in a society that doesn't appreciate the past like it should be appreciated. Homes will never be built of this quality again unfortunately. The homes that are saved are works of art and history ✨️. Thank you.
WOW! Passed by this house for years & always was curious about the inside… so gorgeous. Glad y’all are fixing it up! She’s a beautiful old gal! Nicholas Clayton also designed the Sacred Heart church in Palestine, Texas in 1890. It’s still just as gorgeous as it was then.
I know Clayton did a lot of churches all over texas. I looked up the Sacred Heart in Palestine. It's beautiful and looks like it has been very well maintained. What a treasure.
I'm so happy that I found your channel. My wife and I had the opportunity to walk through during the historic homes tour last year. It's a magnificent house, and I'm excited to see it restored.
I'm happy you found it too! I'm glad you had a chance to see the house in person before all the work started. Let me know what you think of it so far or if you have any questions just leave a comment.
@@wwjanedo Absolutely! I try to be a docent on the house tours when I can and try to go to Estate Sales when possible. I’ve seen some stunning homes during estate sales. I love Galveston history.
No. I bought it because I love the restoration process but I am working on what I think is an exciting plan for the house. I'll share more when I get things more settled.
@@wwjanedo Are you thinking bed and breakfast? Mini Hotel? Restaurant? It will be exciting to see what life will be entered back into this lovely home. ( and who can afford to run it. ) The suspense and build up will pull in many viewers for sure.. What a great video it will be!
Thanks for watching. It is an amazing house. I would have loved to see it when it was first built. I haven't been able to find any pictures of the inside but I keep searching.
Omgoodness! So much room and those stained glass windows!!! I wonder if the elevator is original or put in at a later date....so cool! I can hardly wait for the next video! Ty greatly for the tour!
I don't know the exact date but It was not original to the house. Otis was around since 1853 but did not start using the name Otis Elevator until 1898. The space was there for a dumb waiter. I have been trying for months to get some information from Otis Elevator but no luck so far. I'm glad you enjoyed the tour. It is an awesome house.
Welcome to Galveston. I hope you enjoy the house. Kaleb was spot on when he said I'm a social media novice but I'm learning slowly. The house is the real star here.
I love your beautiful house and you’re so lucky to have her with so many original features, I can’t wait to see what you do with her. I really like the huge windows and you’re right it will be so lovely when it once more is filled with natural light. Just like my miniature house I’m building your house was updated in the 20’s which is such a perfect compliment to these grand old ladies. The sunroom will be so nice to have as a conservatory and I can imagine big palms growing in decorative pots with lots of house plants and maybe even a fountain and the perfect place to put a gilded bird cage where your wonderful talking cockatoo or parrot will live out its days in, but that’s an adventure in its own right. The lovely butlers pantry is one of my favorite features, so many people tear them out when the remodel and make the kitchen larger but a good butlers pantry is quintessential in Victorian era homes and the perfect place to display your beautiful china and crystal of service for 12 to be used on the grand dinner parties you are going to have in your lovely dining room. I’m also in love with your leaded bookcases in the library and they are certainly rare. The glass skylight is the piece d’ resistance of your fabulous grand main staircase hall, where you will one day descend on New Year’s Eve in a beautiful velvet and satin gown that you have your portrait painted in to hang on the wall. I can see all the gilded age beauty you will use in the final stages when you get past all the hard work of repairing and tearing down and refurbishing. This is just my second video so far and I love you already. My heart is aching for the story you are going to tell about your wonderful kitchen with all its lovely white subway tiles, im sure I will be in tears with you because you want to keep everything as original as you can and I imagine that your going to have to do a lot demolition behind those tiles in order to get the plumbing and electrical back to code. I hope you are able to get the elevator restored and operational. I’m green with envy drooling over the thought of getting to live in such a glorious home, and I know you have so much work to do that it may be overwhelming and you’ll feel like it’s never going to end but know that you have a true aficionado of Victorian era architecture and a loyal fan that will be behind you as a cheerleader every step of the way. And don’t let things break your heart you can always find subway tiles they are timeless. You should look into the photo library of the restoration of the Magic chef mansion it was in far worse condition as this and is now a glimmering jewel. The King estate also is a wonderful second empire home that has been lovingly restored and has a great 3d walkthrough online, the house is a treasure trove of period wallpapers and stunning furnishings. I will add you to my prayer list that you are able to find all the treasures that the house needs to period perfect lighting fixtures and restored period appliances. I know you will do justice to that blue 60’s bathroom, I have that same 1920’s bathroom tile photo in my collection of vintage photos, I was able to recreate my horrid pink faux marble 1960’s 6 x 6 bathroom into a stunning black and white Art Deco tiled luxury bathroom using the best of the modern fixtures alongside the vintage 20’s towel racks and toilet paper and soap holders while still having a wonderful jetted tub with an entire wall of floor to ceiling black glass subway tile as a feature wall. I can see the all the bones of your home and she has a lot of character and charm that will repay you ten fold and be perfect to grow old in. Your new fans ChuckandMax
That kitchen is what sold me on the house. It is so rare to find one that hasn't been torn out and replaced with something modern. It looked so perfect when I bought it but because of the structural problems, all the tile will have to come out and be redone. Luckily, I can save the tile that's there and reuse it. I'm sure a few will break but I'm working on a solution for that. Your bathroom sounds fabulous. I know when someone buys an old house to be their home that they need modern conveiniences but they can be done in a way that respects the houses roots.
@@wwjanedo As a past designer, It pains me to see beautiful old homes buyers and designers not being sensitive to period restoration. Most modernization is done in what is popular today and easily sourced. There used to be a company in Canton Ohio who specialized in duplicating old tiles. They have since closed. Possibly there is still some similar business out there? Maybe we can urge a few knowledgeable subscribers here to research this option for you?
I think your wonderful kitchen is mostly part of the 1920 renovation of the house rather than original. The sink, floor tile, and wall tile are all strongly circa-1920 rather than 1893. No matter, I hope you can retain and restore the kitchen as it now is!
I love this house! I’m not used to seeing so many windows and light in Victorian homes - I also love the stone and wrap around porch. The tile is gorgeous too. I’m excited to be on the journey with you
I'm glad I saved you. That was the first video I made and I had no idea what I was doing. I redid the audio and cut some of the dead footage out to pep it up a little. Let me know what you thing of the new one. I'm working right now to learn how to put a card in the original to redirect people to the updated one. This video stuff is harder than fixing the house.
Well done on the redone tour video. I've been following the house since it was put on the market (you were an answered prayer--for someone to come and take care of the house how it needs to be taken care of). We were able to tour last year at the Historic homes tour--loved it. I really enjoy all the information, it's very helpful, especially garage follies. I'm curious about the library fireplace mantle. Is that the only plaster mantle? If so, I wonder why? Tile is on the others but plaster and brick for the library. I've been trying to find more info on mantles, plaster ones, and just not a lot of info out there. I would love a future video on your fireplaces. Thanks again, I really enjoy the videos! And the house. Praying for endurance for you now on all the work and money involved!
Thanks for the kind words. I'm so glad you got to see it in person. I have fireplaces on my list of videos I need to make. I found them incredibly interesting for lots of reasons. The library is the only plaster one. The parlor is marble and the dining room is wood but with a marble inset. The three upstairs were very plain tile which disappointed me because I love tile. If you saw the video on Uncle Lee's bedroom you may recall that it looks like that tile was replaced in the 1920 remodel. Some of the tile couldn't be salvaged so I'm going to take some liberties and possibly doe patterned inset to make up for the lost tile. I've been searching for something Victorian with blue in it to go with the 1960's blue bathroom since it is adjacent but apparently blue wasn't a popular Victorian color. I've got plenty of time before I need it so I'll keep looking. Pray hard on that money thing. I'm just now getting to the expensive stuff. My master plan on how to pay for all this has gone a little awry but I'm working on a new plan so wish me luck.
nice tile in vestibule so lucky vandals didn't break everything and steal the fence Are you keeping the Brady Bunch blue bath tile? Is the big bedroom's light fixture gas then wired for electricity? someone painted the cedar closet? the third floor is better than most new stuff people live in, imo Gonna replace those giant palms in front yard? your house is 'the most' - the thought of places like this just torn down and thrown in the landfill is heartbreaking - thank you for saving this one
I think the blue bath is going to go. The bedroom light had both gas and electric originally. The cedar closet was painted which is a shame. Eventually I'll start replanting the yard but for now I'm just trying to get it cleaned up.
I've always wondered if they painted the stairs & trim white or if they were originally white. I'm just curious if they painted them when the home was built or when they remodeled it. They are so beautiful, I prefer a nice brown stain 😍
I've been doing a lot of scraping recently and so far, every thing painted was originally that way except for the servant's bedroom. I was curious too. The stained wood was also much lighter, I can tell from where some of the door hardware was stolen. I'm guessing they made it darker during the remodel which leave me with a choice as to which way to go with the restoration. I think it would be very hard to take it lighter again.
The Tiffany window that was covered with the 1920s edition what are you gonna do once the renovation is complete will there be some type of lighting behind it to make it look like sunlight is coming through?
Great idea to show the old pictures side by side with the house now. I will work on that. One of my daughters lives in North Carolina - she hates cold weather. It was sunny and beautiful here in Houston today. I had to put my shorts on. I moved the history part to the end because a lot of people finding the videos for the first time are only interested in the house. If they hang on to the end they must really like this kind of stuff. I love the history and how it is intertwined with the house. Thanks for the insight.
I’m curious about the mechanicals and especially how you’re going to manage the HVAC. I think I remember from the homes tour that something had previously been done, but that it looked like it was done very poorly. Did I notice an air return cut into the floor near the grand staircase? I’f so I’d like to get my hands on whoever concocted that idea! I think you’re probably looking easily at 200k plus BTU total, and I can only imagine how many issues you’ll have to navigate as you design it. Also curious - does the elevator work?
I wish I knew the answer to that question. The conventional duct work is just not an option because of the space it requires, I would loose all functionality or options for the basement. I have been exploring the high velocity AC system that uses small 2 and 3 inch ducts and they are very expensive but I'm getting closer to using that type of system for the first floor (there are some issues with how the floor joists run to problem solve around). The third floor is easy because there is great attic space above and room on the flat roof for the outside units. The second floor is probably the biggest challenge and would be done last. Mini splits are an option but the aesthetics are awful. The house just has to have climate control. Sadly, I think the air returns (there are two in that area) will have to stay but I will definitely come up with something better for the grille. My brain is about to explode trying to get this and the plumbing sorted out. You need to stop by and take another tour to see the progress.
