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Remuddling Medley
We've had such a symphony of remuddling letters come our way of late,we
thought we'd orchestrate them into a set, so to speak, for this issue's
Old-House Living feature. The idea is not so offbeat. Old-House Living
is typically a tale about the human impact of the restoration process,
and what happens to the exterior of an old house, restoration or not,
affects all who see it. As long-time OHJ readers know, remuddling is
defined as misguided remodeling-that is, an alteration that is insensitive
to the architecture or character of the house. Remuddling is presented
as a negative education, but it is also meant to be a bit of fun. This
back-of-the-book department debuted nearly two decades ago in October
1981, and ever since then it has been the most popular and well-known
page in OHJ. In fact, the word remuddling has entered common use.
You get the picture. As ever, if you are inclined to submit a picture
for Remuddling, please send original color prints-no newspaper clippings-and
try to include a photo of a similar, but unremuddled building. If we
use your photos, we'll conduct you a melodious $100.
MATERIAL DIFFERENCES
"This home is in the lake area of Southeastern Wisconsin,"
says Dave Abresch of Menowonee Falls. "I'm not sure of the material
and style, but it may be built of local limestone." We can't say
for sure either, but the way the horizontal siding meets stonework is
unique to say the least.
MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES
Philip Nord of Bryn Mawr, Penn. sent in this photo with the terse comment
that he "Thought this might be of interest." That's putting
it mildly. While it's hard to divine what this house looked like the
day it was built, chances are it didn't have three different configurations
of windows on the first floor, two on the second floor, and three on
the third floor-or a third floor at all.
DEAR DEPARTED
"Here are photos of a beautiful brick Queen Anne buried by a mortuary,"
writes Mona Rummel, who lives in Eugene, Ore. "I couldn't help
noting the We Care sign nearby." There's no question that building
upgrades can be a big undertaking, but they shouldn't risk being a grave
mistake.
EXTRA CHEESEY?
Ordinarily, adaptive re-use is to be applauded as an alternative to
bringing in the bulldozers, but this Foursquare in Hanover, Penn. may
be of a different order. "I'm not sure how long it has been this
way, but I remember seeing it as a pizza parlor for at least 15 years,"
says Theresa Bethune of Westminister, Md.
BEING IGNORED IS BLISS
"Ironically, the house on the left was a semiderelict for many
years before an enlightened family who cared about the home rehabilitated
it," says August Gene Grulich of Tacoma, Wash. "Most of the
features remained intact but covered with dull gray peeling paint. It's
a case of what I call `preservation by neglect.'" Its companion
to the right, on the other hand, appears to have fewer details today,
despite some recent attention.
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RAISING THE ROOF
"I enclose prints I took on a side trip to Fulton, Missouri, known
for Winston Churchill's famous Iron Curtain speech," writes Ed
Weilbacher of Waterloo, Ill. "The town has a wonderful collection
of historic homes, and we marvel at the energy that many people put
into a proper restoration. On the other hand, it pains us to see people
spend good money to devalue their property." His photos show a
gable roof being erected over a mansard roof. Indeed, roofs help define
the form and style of a house, and when an entire roof is altered, it's
bound to change the house.
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