#historic-estates

#historic-estates

"It has been estimated that one million five hundred thousand houses each year for a period of 10 years will be needed to relieve the urgent housing problem of this country. The enormity of such a need cannot even be partially satisfied by building techniques as we have known and used them in the past."

The brainchild of Friendly's Ice Cream co-founder S. Prestley Blake, who has undertaken numerous building projects in recent years, the estate was a swan song of sorts as he approached the century mark. Blake held his 100th birthday party in the newly constructed residence this month.

Twelve weeks after coming on the market, the Surrey house used to portray the home of actress Maggie Smith's character, Lady Violet Crawley, found a buyer and recently closed along with several adjacent properties for nearly $9 million. Known as Dower House on the TV series, it was built around 1686.

He was flamboyant, all right. But he was much more than that. He was an extremely colorful personality and a close friend of The Chief (Hearst). His input went beyond that of the builder and overlapped into the interior design and even in the choice of furnishings.

It's not a house of outstanding art, being a self-taught carver whose skills evidently advanced over the years, as you can see the evolution from fairly rough carving on the stairs to the very skilled work in the living room. He also created the paintings on the walls - talented chap - but never finished the carving in the living room, as his time finally ran out.

Depending on personal experience, travelers may associate Williamsburg, Virginia, with a few different things. For many, school field trips and family vacations brought them to the Historic Triangle: Jamestown, Yorktown, and Colonial Williamsburg. Some know Williamsburg for its theme parks, Busch Gardens and the Great Wolf Lodge water park. Others recognize the city as the home of William & Mary, the second-oldest college in the United States.

ALABAMA - THE HISTORIC S.S. UNITED States ocean liner, currently undergoing environmental remediation work in Mobile, Alabama ahead of its planned sinking and conversion to an artificial reef off of Florida's coast, was this week given a tentative April departure date from that port for its final destination, Fox 10 WALA reports . The new timeline has lit a fire under the New York Coalition to Save the S.S. United States, the preservation group battling to save the ship .

Originally known as the Charles Davis House, the colorful Newton Center home was constructed in the Second Empire style in 1860 by Davis, a well-to-do chemical manufacturer in Boston, according to historic documents. It later served as a nursing home before returning to a single-family dwelling. About 20 years ago, an architect purchased the home and transformed it for himself into a six-bedroom, eight-and-a-half-bathroom home that exudes vibrant color and historic features that effortlessly blend with modern amenities.

Pulling off a new build that feels convincingly like an English estate requires more than cosmetic gestures. "The architecture of the home starts with authenticity," says Paragano, who begins projects like this by focusing on the home's massing-its overall form and proportions-and by reestablishing the traditionally defined spaces of a historic house. "Then we reinforce that with authentic detailing through materials," he adds.

Home Savings & Loan president Howard F. Ahmanson, the financier, philanthropist and art collector, moved with his family into the spacious house in 1958. His second wife, Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson, gained full title to the house in 1971; it was sold in 1975. Howard Ahmanson supported, among many local institutions, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Music Center's Ahmanson Theatre.

Designed by noted residential architect Roland E. Coate, the home was built in 1926 for Annie Wilson, daughter of pioneering Southern California businessman and politician Benjamin Wilson, for whom Mt. Wilson is named. The gently sloping 1-acre-plus property was once part of the vast holdings of George S. Patton, father of the famed U.S. general.

This Craftsman home, set on a roomy three-quarter-acre lot, has the rolled roof edges, deep overhangs and protruding rafter tails characteristic of the style developed by brothers Charles and Henry Greene. Originally built for Packard dealer Earle C. Anthony, the shingle-clad house was moved from Los Angeles to Beverly Hills in the early 1920s by silent-film star Norman Kerry.

Gleaming woodwork, cozy window seats, and shimmering stained glass windows contribute to the lush Gilded Age atmosphere inside this 1890s Queen Anne in Kingston. All those details do come at a price, but the interior looks lovingly cared for with restored original elements and period sympathetic updates. The dwelling on the market at 77 West Chestnut Street is within the Chestnut Street National Register Historic District, which includes substantial dwellings originally constructed for the influential and affluent of Kingston.

The Crocker-McMillin mansion, an opulent estate overlooking northern New Jersey's Ramapo Mountains, has a fascinating history, stretching from its 1907 construction by a railroad baron's son to its 2024 bankruptcy seizure from notorious fraud convict Miles Guo. The 50,000-square-foot home - embellished throughout with wood and marble carvings - is now for sale for $19 million, and includes its original floor-to-ceiling Aeolian brand player pipe organ, a thundering symbol of Gilded Age excess.

In the UK and the US, it is often crystal clear when your new home is classified as a heritage home or period property, but in France it can be less obvious. You could be breaking the rules simply by installing new windows. So how can you check that your big plans aren't going to upset anyone - or worse, break the law?

Not every home is willing to play a supporting role. Jess Cooney's has always demanded top billing. "It's been a main character in my life-we've had a beautiful journey," says the AD PRO Directory member of her 6,000-square-foot house in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. "And it also drives me insane." More than two decades ago, Cooney returned home from Colorado to the Berkshires with her husband, Joe, and a new daughter in tow.

"This is our first home together as a blended family. I really wanted it to look and feel special for everyone," Cheylene writes. "When designing the rooms, I kept three things in mind: Keep it durable (a must with three boys!), keep it thrifty (we didn't want to spend too much), and keep it FUN. It's all still a work in progress, but we feel very much at home here."

Picture this: you're knee-deep in renovation dust, crowbar in hand, when something unexpected tumbles from behind century-old plaster. A yellowed envelope? A strange metal box? That moment when your heart skips because you realize you might have just found something extraordinary. For some lucky homeowners, these discoveries turn out to be worth thousands of dollars, transforming a simple home improvement project into an unexpected treasure hunt.