One day Don told me he wanted to take me to see a house I'd never seen before. We are great explorers and have covered most of the interesting old neighborhoods in our city - and that is quite a lot of neighborhoods - as Bellingham is nearing 100,000 in population. We enjoy seeing the old houses - and I sometimes like to make up stories to go with the houses.
As we approached this house I had to agree - I had never seen it before - and it is a good one.
It is showing its age - probably built in the 1880s, as were so many of the older homes in Bellingham. It appears to be time for some fixing up.
There are lots of interesting features - this old candelabra is on the front porch - in years gone by I can imagine lighting the candles as the family gathered in the soft warm evenings.
The "witch's hat" has lovely shingles in several shapes. What pride the first family must have felt as they moved into their elegant new home.
The stained glass windows appear to be original to the home - did the mother of the family design them? They are quite futuristic for that time period.
Curves at the tops of the windows in the tower add a nice detail - and the lovely, fresh white curtains are a sign that the house is still well loved, but in need of some tender loving care on the outside.
A quick peek into one window shows some nice antique furniture and some pretty dishes on the table, and a charming stained glass lamp. Perhaps they just finished a lovely dinner. The table appears to be hand painted.
The yard is well tended - with flowering bushes and vines - though the archway entrance is in need of repair. Has the house become too much to take care of? Are the owners getting on in years and can't keep up with the repairs of such a large home?
Do they sit and enjoy the wonderful house on winter evenings? Do summers bring sweet memories of times past?
We will return to this house from time to time and see what happens to it - our hopes are that it will receive the repairs it needs to remain a treasure in our town.
What a wonderful building! I imagine that it is amazing inside! xx
ReplyDeleteThat really is a charming place and all kinds of stories come to mind. The home where my grandparents lived had two towers with a big porch between, not unlike that one. I would love to knock on that door.
ReplyDeleteThis home must have many stories to tell. My favorite is the candelabra.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely old Grande Dame! It's too bad she is falling into a bit of disrepair. Often, an old house like this one ends up being a rental, and then no one takes really good care of it. I hope this one gets a rescue!
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness....what a treasure! I so love it and so glad you showed details. It will be interesting to see it in the different seasons.
ReplyDeleteOh that really is a great treasure of a house. Love the details and the architecture. Next time I'm in Bellingham I might try to track this beauty down!
ReplyDeleteNow this is what I call a classy Victorian treasure. What a home! Thanks JoAnn for sharing this week at Tuesday's Treasure and please return real soon.
ReplyDeleteThis old home is a beauty with it's very fancy turret and windows. I love finding homes like this but it's sad when they are starting to show their age due to costs in upgrades today. Thanks for sharing this one. I bet its pretty in summer too.
ReplyDeleteYou could write a book featuring that beautiful old home. I love the stained glass and the glimpse inside. It's fun to explore and find things to love right in your own town. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, beautiful old house. Leave it up to you to spy some dishes, JoAnn! The one thing that popped out to me in that photo was the gorgeous stained glass lampshade.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't you just love a tour of some of the old houses you have come cross?
Incredibly interesting architecture!
ReplyDeleteBellingham has some beautiful old homes and businesses. - Margy
ReplyDeleteA beautiful old house! Thanks for the detail shots. The shingles and stained glass windows caught my eye first. Whether the owners are old or young a house like this would be expensive to own and maintain. Once the paint goes and the wood is exposed the cost starts mounting and this place has so much truly fine detail all I can think of is "ka-ching!" What a sweet, sweet place.
ReplyDeleteIt is a wonderful old house and quite different to any style you see over here. I would be interested to know whether buildings such as this would be protected in any way. Over here such a building would be listed and could then only be changed or renovated with permission from the planning department. This preserves our treasures but can be costly for owners as quite rightly they have to use suitable materials for any such work. Wouldn't it be great to see inside.
ReplyDeleteFantastic looking old house!
ReplyDeleteSuch an amazing old house! I would love to know its story! Thanks so much for sharing this find!
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