!!! 1890 HISTORICAL HOUSE GREENVILLE, ALABAMA

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Edwin Boone
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1 1890 HISTORICAL HOUSE GREENVILLE, ALABAMA 1

2 Southern Accents Mission Statement Southern Accents Architectural Antiques mission is to rescue, restore, and protect architectural elements of historical significance. It is never our mission to tear down or demolish any historical structure. We only come on the scene after a structure has been scheduled for demolition by the property owner. We are the guys you WANT to see before the bulldozers move in. Our goal with any salvage operation is to safely remove any and all architectural elements that can be re-purposed and recycled. We view each salvage operation as a rescue mission. Even when a property can not be saved, many elements from the interior and exterior can be salvaged and given a new life. Preserving a piece of history for future generations is a mission that we take seriously. Although Southern Accents is a salvage company, we also view ourselves as preservationists. In our continued preservation efforts, we have embarked on a process of documenting some of our salvage missions. Our goal in documenting a structure that we salvage is to record its history, therefore preserving its memory for future generations. We do this by having our in house photographer document the salvage project through photographs. Our in house architect takes measurements and draws out blueprints. We also work to gather as much historical data as is available. All information is then gathered, organized, and published online and in print form. 2

3 1890 s House - Greenville, Alabama April 2014 took Southern Accents to Greenville, Alabama to this fantastic 1890 s house. The house, which had been vacant for a few years, featured some of the very best craftsmanship that we have seen to date. Amongst the dust, chippy paint, and attic full of bats, were splendid columns topped with spectacular plaster ionic capitals, tiled fireplaces with white oak and mahogany mantels, cast iron surrounds, large solid wood doors and diamond paned windows just waiting to be rescued And the wood from the sky blue bead board on the porch ceiling to the magnificent heart pine flooring, the wood that lay in this house was simply amazing 3

Every salvage mission that we embark on is different from the one before. Old houses especially seem to speak to us, each one in it s own unique voice, as if it has a story to tell.

4 Every salvage mission that we embark on is different from the one before. Old houses especially seem to speak to us, each one in it s own unique voice, as if it has a story to tell. Upon entering this house, each of our team members felt a sense of peace. This particular house gave off a happy vibe. While salvaging the property, we had the opportunity to visit with two sisters who grew up in the house. As they walked with us through each room, they fondly shared with us some of their memories. They remembered moving in to the house as young children. Their parents had reached an agreement with the owner, an elderly widower who needed someone to assist in taking care of him. The couple and their four young daughters lived in the three bedroom one bath house and, in return, they cared for the owner until his death. Not having any family to leave the house to, the owner sold the property to the family for $10 before his passing. 4

5 While this house is one that we would love to have seen restored, we are thankful to have been given the opportunity to salvage all the beautiful architectural elements from the house before it was taken down. 5

6 Front Porch Ceiling Blues As we began tearing out the beautiful powder blue porch ceiling from this house we decided to do a little research as to why so many porch ceilings, specifically in the South, are painted blue. In our research we uncovered three very interesting theories 6

7 1) The tradition of painting porch ceilings the color blue seems to have originated in the South as a spiritual and cultural custom. Folk lore states that the blue color was first used by African slaves to secure the entry of their homes. This color was supposed to protect both their home and it s inhabitants from haints. Haints are restless spirits of the dead who have not moved on from this physical world. The belief was that the color blue represented water, which spirits could not cross over. Not only were the porch ceilings painted blue, but often the frames of doors and windows as well. It was also believed that the blue color extended the daylight hours, thus scaring away the evil spirits. Southerners specifically have held to this tradition through the years. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, there is a name for the specific color of blue used on the porch ceilings. It is called haint blue. 2) Another widely held belief was that the blue color repelled insects. For years, many believed that the light blue color fooled the insects into thinking that the porch ceiling was the sky, thus preventing them from nesting there. Although there is no evidence to indicate that this was sound reasoning, the blue color paint contained lye, which is a known insect repellent. The lye paint would fade quickly so the wood was supposed to be repainted every year. It is feasible that the lye in the paint acted as an insecticide that helped ward off bugs and spiders, thus giving credibility to this theory. 3) The blue porch ceilings are especially common to Victorian houses, which are known for using the soft color tones of nature. Soft shades of blue have a calming effect which lends itself perfectly to what was typically everyone s favorite spot in the house the front porch 7

8 Although we will never know for sure why porch ceilings are painted blue, this wood was gorgeous and the beautiful blue color made for a very interesting story. This wood was salvaged and delivered to our wood warehouse where it was de-nailed and made ready for it s next purpose. 8

9 Greenville House Blueprints As part of our documentation process, Southern Accents had our in house architect take detailed measurements of the Greenville house before the salvage process began. Using these measurements, our architect was able to draw a set of blueprints that we have included in this document. These blueprints will help preserve both the history and the memory of this house for future generations. 9

10 Front View 10

11 Back View 11

12 Longitudinal View 12

13 Longitudinal View 13

14 Floor Plan 14

15 Details 15

16 All of the magnificent columns and capitals were salvaged as well as all exterior doors. 16

17 The tin spire was salvaged from the 1890 s house. 17

18 All of the interior doors and hardware were rescued from this beautiful house. 18

19 This is one of the six fireplace mantels that were salvaged. Every mantel had a tile face surrounding the firebox. The tiles were also saved 19

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22 Bath fixtures, wainscoting and baseboards are all pieces that we try to rescue while on a salvage mission. 22

23 The interior columns and wood flooring throughout the house were in incredible shape. 23

Salvaging a historical structure is both exhilarating and sorrowful. A project of this magnitude takes a full crew working from sun up till sun down for as many days as we are allowed on the property.

24 Salvaging a historical structure is both exhilarating and sorrowful. A project of this magnitude takes a full crew working from sun up till sun down for as many days as we are allowed on the property. Most often we are only given a few days, at times as little as a few hours, to pull what we can and get out. Some times we are there to witness the final destruction of the property, often times not. While we aren t able to save and renovate these old buildings, we will continue our mission to rescue the architectural artifacts. Our hope is that in doing so, we can salvage a piece of history as well as contribute to the sustainability of our planet. Pictures and blueprints by John Rodriguez 24

BUILDING ON HISTORY. Two historic homes in the Woodland Heights tell unique stories of renovation and preservation

BUILDING ON HISTORY. Two historic homes in the Woodland Heights tell unique stories of renovation and preservation BUILDING ON HISTORY Two historic homes in the Woodland Heights tell unique stories of renovation and preservation BY SANDRA COOK PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK SCHEYER Several years ago Wendy Parker was a successful