Archive for the ‘Renovations’ Category
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
S. Lorraine Norwood, MA, RPA
Senior Associate
Manager, CRM/NEPA Department
Terracon
2855 Premiere Parkway, Suite C I Duluth, Georgia 30097
P [770] 623-0755, ext. 304 I F [770] 623-9628 I M [678] 372-3770
slnorwood@terracon.com
I’m happy to report that we’re coming down the home stretch on listing the marvelous Blake House on the National Register of Historic Places. Ann Swallow, the National Register Coordinator with the State Historic Preservation Office, has completed a second review of the nomination and supporting documentation. She has requested some additional information and research, and once this is done, the nomination will be reviewed by the Certified Local Government before heading toward an April deadline for submittal to members of the NRHP review board who meet in June.
As you can see, there are a lot of hoops to jump through to get a property on the National Register! Before we got to this point, we had to take measurements of all the rooms, windows, and doors, and note whether any architectural changes had been made and when. Tracking down dates has been very difficult. We have records from the Buncombe County Tax Assessor and the Deeds Office, but nailing down some subtle and not-so-subtle changes to the house is impossible due to the death of previous owners. Fortunately we have newspaper clippings, diary entries, old photographs, and archival documents.
One of the most interesting things to come out of the second NRHP review is Ann Swallow’s happy “accident” at finding an exact replica of the Blake House in an 1842 book of house plans called Cottage Residences by Andrew Jackson Downing. It’s amazing to think that in the 1850s, the Blakes had access to a book of house plans, much like modern consumers have access to plans in “Southern Living” or other architectural books and magazines. Downing’s drawing of “a cottage in the English, or Rural Gothic Style” is a dead ringer for the Blake House down to the kitchen wing on the rear and the bay window off the parlour. Downing designed the cottage for what he called “internal convenience”. By that he meant that there are “many families mainly composed of invalids, or persons advanced in years, who have a strong preference for a plan in which the kitchen, and at least one bedroom, are upon the same floor with the living rooms, and in which there is little or no necessity for ascending or descending stairs; an exercise which, though of little consequence to the young and robust, is of all others the most fatiguing to the infirm, or those in delicate health.”
We’re not sure if the Blake family had a member in delicate health who needed the downstairs bedroom, but that’s part of the additional information which we hope to dig up in the next few weeks. We do know that at some point, the downstairs bedroom was turned into a doctor’s office for Dr. Frederick Blake, the son of Daniel Blake, a rich South Carolina rice planter, who built the house. The Blakes were a fascinating family who had ties to Charleston, South Carolina and Hendersonville, North Carolina. More details and hopefully good news about the nomination in our next blog.
Added by Leslie:
This NRHP nomination has been very long and arduous I’m sure for Lorraine and her team. They first started in July 2007 and so I am very anxious at this point for a resolution.
I have the book that Lorraine mentions above and have taken a few photos so that you can see the similarities. The Parlour and Library are now the Inn’s Dining Rooms, the Bedroom is now the Inn’s Parlor and the entrance from the parking lot, the Kitchen is the Inn’s Rose Room which was my Gift Shop before that and the Labrador Landing Pub when I bought the Inn. Lastly, the Closet & Pantry are now the Inn’s Breakfast Room so you can see they are one room and are closed off from the Dining Room/Library on the other end which used to be open.
This book is available to guests so you will have to check it out when you come.Enjoy the photos!
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
2010 has already been busy and we’re only a week into the new year.
First off, the weather has been a real downer with temperatures in the teens and single digits for at least a week. And, we’re expecting some more snow this weekend (January 8 – 9). It’s a real challenge keeping this old house warm, but it forces me to be creative. The second floor is no problem since heat rises, but the first floor (thank goodness there’s only one guestroom on the first floor) is another story. The pipes under the original house always seem to do okay, but the pipes under and in the kitchen never fare well. Last winter we had 3 burst pipes. So far this year, I’ve seen one tiny pinprick leak in a pipe that’s been topped off. The next couple of days will see temperatures higher than freezing so it remains to be seen if there are any issues.
While the weather outside has been truly frightful, I’ve been keeping busy, taking down holiday decorations. I pace myself so it takes a good week to get everything down and packed away. Everything outside is finished and all but the Parlor and two guestrooms have been packed away. I hope to get that completed today and tomorrow.
At the same time, I have been making some changes to two guestrooms: the Rose Room & the Magnolia Room. As soon as the changes have been completed, I will update the room photos and descriptions. The main changes involve switching the beds between these two rooms. The king/twin beds that were in the Rose Room have been moved up to the Magnolia Room and the queen bed from that room has been moved downstairs to the Rose Room. The main reasons for the switch are 1) the Rose Room is a handicap accessible room and the king/2 twin beds were just too high for someone in a wheelchair and 2) with a queen bed in the Rose Room, there is more floor space to maneuver around if a guest is in a wheelchair. Also, with a the king bed in the Rose Room, it had to be configured such that is blocked off half of the built-in bookcase and I simply hated that. Now with a queen bed, the bed can be moved to a different position and the bookcase can be used fully. It looks so much better. I’ve also been installing bedside wall sconces on both sides of the bed, changing the curtains into a roller shade on the door and adding a painted window to the transom above the door. Just small adjustments that make a big difference.
I should have photos of the room changes within the next week so check the Rooms Descriptions Page (under Rooms & Rates) to see what I’ve done.
Lastly, I’m working with a previous guest, Angela McKeller, to put together a fabulous culinary weekend during the weekend after Memorial Day. Angela won a recipe contest I had a few years ago and since then, she has written her own cookbook and hosted her own cooking show, among other things. Angela lives in Atlanta so she will be coming to the Inn and working her magic for a few days. We’re still working on the details, but this will be an all-inclusive package with demonstrations, cooking classes, accommodations (if desired), and tie-ins to the Asheville community (possibly Biltmore or Asheville Food Tours). It is shaping up to be a fun time so definitely check back often for more details.
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Over the past week, I have been making some changes to the Sycamore Suite in the Carriage House. It has always been set up mainly for families, with bright colors and multiple beds. I have decided to move towards a couples orientation, but still allowing for families.
I have left the living room and kitchen area the same, but have made changes to the bathroom and bedroom.
The bathroom had been brightly painted in blue and green with an underwater theme. It is still decorated with fish, but the walls are now a bright white with gold flecks in the paint to give it a little sparkle.
In the bedroom, I replaced the two double beds with a king bed, new mattresses, and new bedding. I also painted one wall in peach, keeping the other three walls yellow. Also, there is a new flat screen TV hanging on the wall. The room feels much bigger.
There is still a sofabed in the living room and we also have a toddler bed and rollaway bed in the closet for children. However, the plan is to make the Suite a romantic option. There are two things left to do to accomplish this goal: 1) set up an electric fireplace in the bedroom to provide a romantic ambiance and 2) replace the tub in the bathroom with a whirlpool tub. The fireplace should be finished quickly; the whirlpool tub will take a little time.
In the meantime, potential guests can check out more photos and a full description of the Suite on the Rooms Description Page.
