Woodruff Place Flea Market and Woodruff Place Neighborhood

Not only yard sale items but architectural items like doors and mantles are often found at the market

Every year the Woodruff Place Neighborhood in Indianapolis hosts the annual Woodruff Flea Market. I must admit I've been too busy to attend  for the last few years but we took a rare day off Sunday to enjoy this great event and walk the neighborhood.

Years ago an overgrown lot by what was once a run down house. Today a one of the nicest gardens in the city and the house beside it restored to elegance.

Woodruff Place was originally built as a planned "suburb' although today most would consider Woodruff 'downtown' The area suffered after WW2 when most of its grand mansions were converted to apartments, Today Woodruff Place has made a tremendous comeback and is  one of Indianapolis's latest Historic Districts.

There was a time when few could conceive of its turnaround but the facts are there all it took were dedicated Preservationist who could see the "value' in an old tired neighborhood.

One of the many stunning restorations

Hard to believe you are just a few minutes to the center of the city.

Probably won't be long before this huge shingled mansion will be restored to its former glory

Cincinnati could learn a few things from Indianapolis.

The beauty of small structures and attention to detail.

We "Victorian Architecture Junkies" tend to wax eloquently about grand Victorian structures like the Biltmore and Mark Twain House with its exquisite Tiffany interiors. And we always stop and stare whenever we come across a previously unknown to us Mansion or Queen Anne with Turrets but we might scarecly glance at a cottage.Perhaps its because we are restoring a Second Empire 'cottage' or our Indy home is a finely detailed craftsman bungalow, but I have developed an affinity for small structures.

Doubled brackets,  molding are all there just more carefully scaled.

Small structures are perhaps more difficult for an Architect. Details that work easily on  a larger structure must be carefully scaled back, less is more and its often difficult to obtain a perfect balance. However a perfectly balance structure is beautiful to behold and such is the case with today architectural case study. This amazing small structure is largely unchanged (except for one major thing) from when it was first built and serves a similar use today.This structure was built as a guard house and sits in Indianapolis at the corner of Michigan and Arsenal at the entrance to what was a civil war Military base and today it serves as a gate house for the south gate of the Arsenal Tech High school.

This porch looks the same now as it did in the 1860's. This is why preservation is important. Imagine this remuddled with vinyl soffits.

What makes it a refined structure is its sense of classic balance.,the same Italianate details are there. The brackets a square columned Porch with arches and elegant details around the windows. The builder has maintained the same level of detail you would expect in an Italianate mansion 10 times its size but it works so well in this scale too. The remarkable thing? This building was shortened to make it smaller!

This photo was taken about 1916 . Did you notice this building has been shortened 10 feet and the side windows were altered to preserve proper balance of a smaller building?

 So next time you drive around "Victorian hunting" don't overlook the small house.

America's 100th Birthday: Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition 1876

The Centennial Exhibition, was the first major "World's fair" to be held in the United States. The  Philadelphia Centennial opened on May 10th 1876 on a 285 acre tract of Fairmount park overlooking the Schuylkill River. The expansive Fairgrounds were designed by a 27 year old German immigrant Hermann J. Schwarzmann. The exhibition was host to 37 nations and numerous international exhibits housed in over 250 individual pavilions.

 Ohio house

Naturally the states at the time were well represented and Ohio was no different. Amazingly the Ohio House is the only state building left from the Centennial Exposition! The building was empty for years before its careful restoration by the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust. The exterior stone work features 21 different Ohio sandstones with inscriptions indicating the quarries from which they came.

I'll take 10 of everything! Imagine the availability!

For those of us into Victorian design, it would have been an incredible opportunity to have a time machine. Imagine be able to see booth after booth of everything Victorian such as this incredible display of register grates by one manufacturer.

Look closely and you might see some familiar tile designs from Dayton street mansions

Even legendary manufacturers like Minton were on display. One must wonder if wealthy Cincinnatians from Dayton Street perused the Minton booth for the latest "update' for their mansions.

As far as furniture was concerned Renaissance Revival was king of the show and American manufacturers displayed their finest wares. It is also interesting to note that we see the first examples of what would later become the Arts and crafts movement first exhibited here too.

Americas up close exposure to exotic lands seen at this show started a number of revival crazes including Egyptian Revival, Moorish Revival and  the Japanesque styles. If you were around during the bi centennial in 1976 you no doubt saw just about everything in a 'bicentennial edition" the centennial was no different, there were books and magazines and illustration put out about the exhibition. many of the wealthy commissioned special sets of parlor furniture, sideboards sprouted patriotic themes like flags and eagles. The 'fad' was short lived so few examples remain.

Walnut renaissance furniture was in its heyday during the Centennial but you won't find eagle crested chairs in your typical antique mall these days.

Of course we have ways to get the rare of the rare, including this rare pair of carved eagle crested parlor chairs. We haven't been able to 'attribute' this piece, its is similar in size and style to Jelliff and Herter Bros but it could also be one of  the several fine east coast furniture designers.

The carvers art is apparent in the detail shot.

The typical Female figural form that one might expect on a piece like this is replaced with the eagle head carving, Obviously not a high production piece of furniture and one might expect to see this as part of a larger formal parlor set which if intact would be VERY valuable.

This might also be found in the Gentleman's Parlor as well. The price on this rare pair of chairs is 950.00 for the set and you are not likely to run across another pair. If you are interested please contact us at victiques@gmail.com if you'd like to own this rare pair of renaissance 'centennial' chairs.

The Antique Shopper: Midland Antique Market

Variety of styles and periods in most booths, this was a nice selection.

As part of our Antique shopper series , today we visit the Midland Arts & Antique Market in Indianapolis on Michigan street. The mall is housed in a huge warehouse building and has 2 floors of antiques.

Bargains are around like this Art Deco sofa and chair priced at only 195.00! needs reupholstered but great design

Most of the dealers have very eclectic offerings that vary in period. The mall has everything from Federal era pieces all the way through "mid century modern" so there is something for everyone.

Nice sized renaissance mirror was under 300.00!

We found some nice pieces throughout though you do have to hunt for Victorian era pieces as they sell quickly.Very busy on weekends and if you don't like crowds, I advise to  shop during the week.

Housed in two floors in this huge building

More info, including hours, on their website:  http://www.midlandathome.com/

Restoration Resources: Victorian Fireplace Tile

One of the typical problems the average Victorian Homeowner faces is fireplace tile replacement. Normally its totally gone or replaced by Z-brick. Often all we have is the "bumpout" which may require finding a mantle and of course all new time on the floor in front and the back areas.

In the old days that meant scrounging salvage dealers hoping to eventually picked up enough tile to do a surround but often there were significant color differences and it never quite looked "authentic"

Fortunately several tile companies have sprang up in recent years to fill that void. Often duplicating original designs of long gone tile manufacturers. One such company is L'ESPERANCE Tile Works. http://www.lesperancetileworks.com/

In addition to a fine line of Fireplace tiles they also offer "subway tile" in varied colors for use in fireplaces, period kitchen backsplashes and bathrooms.

Keeping Time: Victorian Mantle Clocks

I was reading online the other day and came across an article proclaiming that the watch and clocks were dead due to availability of cell phones and computers. Downstairs I could hear the chime of my mantle clock as it ticked off the hours. Clocks may be dead but they certainly are not forgotten.

A with most things Victorian, mantle clocks were a 'status symbol' and certainly the mantle clocks of  the day reflected the exuberant taste of Victoriana, Finishes ranged from Black to faux marbled versions. Most clocks took a Greek theme with classic columns on either side usually 2-4 on each side.


Clocks were placed in a place of prominence , usually the center of the mantle. If no mantle was in the room the clock might be displayed on a wall shelf or placed on a marble topped table. These clocks were built in large numbers and are relatively speaking plentiful.

You can find them at antique malls and of course online resources like Ebay and Ecrater. Prices vary by region with east and west coast prices higher. A non working clock will run you from 50-100.00 working clocks typically run from 100-200.00. Expect to pay more for a "restored' clock from a clock shop or dealer will be 225.00-450.00. If you buy a non working clock repairs may be as simple as having the mechanism cleaned to spring replacement. Usual cost 50-100.00.

Popular Brands Ansonia, Ingraham, Sessions. If you find a elaborate clock with issues like a cracked column or a broken foot, parts are relatively easy to find. You should stay away from clocks with bad finishes or scratches as that is costly to fix.

Preservation Resources: PreservationDirectory.com

New Orleans

If you are a local Preservationist or rabid "Old house lover" it is often difficult to know what others are doing in other places. Unless you work in the field and in my case, consult with various neighborhood groups across the country on projects, "networking' in the field of Preservation is often a difficult task.

Charleston SC

It's often beneficial for neighborhood groups to see what is working in other cities and  see if their ideas could be adapted to your own historic district or community project.

Louisville KY

So what has links to 4500 Historical Societies, 7500 History and House Museums, All state Historic preservation offices, over 1000 Main Street groups and historic homes for sale? Its www.preservationdirectory.com

Burlington Iowa

Make sure you have an afternoon or two free to look around.

Biltmore

Victorian style and the "Art of Exotic Ornamentalism"

Whenever I do lectures on Victorian Interior Design, I often get asked what is Victorian style? Now I can go into the 'textbook answers' about the history the main players of the era. But often its easier to tell you what it is not. Victorian Is not:

Ducks with hats, wooden shelfs with sawn hearts, It not 'clutter for the sake of clutter.

Victorian style is a combination of artful placement, layering of materials and striking a "sophisticated balance" that said more about ones hopes and ambitions and how "worldly' one was. If one were to make a historical comparison. the Victorian shared a lot with the 'dot com era' of the 1990's. It was about success, it was about ambition, it was about 'keeping up with the Jones'. More importantly it was about the fact that the Victorian believed  that ANYTHING was possible. Most of them came to this country or were 1st generation Americans and they understood that hard work and the belief in ones abilities could overcome almost anything. Remarkably different than today where many are 'government dependent' from birth to grave.

Ones home even if it was a modest one, was about ones dreams and ambitions and it was a "personal statement' Particularly among the middle and business class of the era.The hardest part of this era from a design standpoint is we have no color photographic records of the era. We know the popular colors of the era, from written accounts. We know the Victorian appreciated the "exotic", but we largely only have black and white photos to guide us on the way they arranged things so we must 'guess' about the colors.

Studying those images tells us a lot about how they achieved that art of "Exotic Ornamentalism". We see rich fabrics, the mixing of fabrics and the use of layering to achieve a luxury using fairly common items.

By using simple things like Peacock feathers and patterned fabrics in the Aesthetic or  Moorish style, we create a sense of a far away place and the "presumption' that the Victorian of the era had perhaps traveled there. Or at the least that they appreciated the finer things and were well read on world travels. This was one of the reasons that the "Worlds Expositions" were so popular in the era as it gave one the opportunity to see how people lived in exotic locals albeit "staged". Because much like a fine Victorian home and these B&W photos of the era they are "staged" too.

But this exercise illustrates that you can have an authentic Victorian look by using items you can find at antiques stores or on line. Because what we are looking at is a 'Staged area' that I set up to illustrate that by studying your room in black and white mode ( by simply converting your color photo into Blank and white) you can get a much better sense if you room really "looks Victorian.

The Antiques Shopper : Exit 76 Antique Mall

From time to time I try to cover regional antique dealers and malls to enable you to find good resources for your home restoration or your homes furnishing needs. We have decided to brand these blogposts under 'The Antiques Shopper" and will throughout 2011 try to bring you at least once a month a review of a regional Mall or dealer that we think provides good values and inventory and is "Worth the drive"

Finding early furniture is getting more and more difficult but this nice desk shows you can still find it here.

Exit 76 Antique Mall is located in Columbus Indiana and is one of the largest antique malls in the state of Indiana with over 72,000 square feet of space. The site has plenty of parking and is just north of a major Outlet mall at the same exit.

This booth had some great lighting and most of the hanging lights pictured were priced from 35-75.00!

Overall its definitely the better part of the day to see everything, especially if you are the kind of buyer who literally looks at everything. The mall is well laid out with standard size booths and they have a numbering system and provide a cheat sheet so you can write down booth numbers and what you saw that you might like to come back for.

The mall is well staffed and if you find something they will take it up to the front for you, for checkout when you are done. There is also an ATM on site and I recommend paying with cash or check and don't be afraid to ask for any discounts as there is almost always 10 percent and sometimes more. Of course they accept Visa and master card.

This Victorian settee came with two matching side chairs and the whole set was priced for less than what Ive seen just a chair sell for.

What you will find. Everything. They have some craft items confined mostly to the North End, unlike some malls there isn't 'junk masquerading as antiques, Most items fall into the pre-1940era. I have shopped here for years. Several book dealers (I picked  up a first edition history book  from the 1840's for less than 5 bucks). I have scored some major finds at this mall over the years including a Belter chair I bought for 40 bucks. Bargains are there and its worth a visit anytime you are close.

Exit 76 Antique Mall ,2595 North Executive Drive, Edinburgh, IN 46124-9067, (812) 526-7676 Website at:
http://www.exit76antiques.com/

East Row Victorian Christmas Home Tour This weekend in Newport KY

The 17th Annual East Row Victorian Christmas tour is this weekend Noon-6PM Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are 18.00 per person and are available at the James Taylor Mansion at 335 E 3rd Street in Newport You may also purchase Advance tickets for 15.00 through the website http://www.eastrow.org/tours/xmastour2010.html . Advance Tickets may also be purchased at Kentucky Haus ,411 E 10th street. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult.

The immensely popular Victorian Christmas Tea is Sold Out but home tour tickets are still available.

The tour will showcase seven homes. More information is available on the website.