What’s the Story of Your Home?
At our recent kitchen design workshop we had the opportunity to ask attendees for stories about their home’s history.
Here are a few of our favorite answers:
“Before our home was built the lot was the site of the neighborhood Victory Garden during WWII.”
“It was built by Hemenway for a dentist and his family. 6 families have lived in our home but we are the only family to have a baby and young children raised in the home.”
“My home was a room boarding home with a community bath and kitchen.We swapped the kitchen and bedroom and opened up the kitchen to triple it to its present design.”
“Our home has a natural spring under the basement.”
“Our basement has nails for drying herbs all throughout the ceiling. When I dried some herbs for the first time and told my husband how convenient and cool that was, he said, “Well, this house was a commune for a time after it was a farm; they probably dried pot down there!”
“I live on a builders’ Street of Dreams from 1972.”
“Our home was once owned by a local car dealer- a golfer, he covered the entire concrete patio with plastic grass and several holes. Inside he built 2 giant cylindrical chimneys… one for the fireplace and another for an indoor barbeque!”
“Built by Mr & Mrs Raven (of Raven Creamery) as their retirement home next door to their original home (The Overlook House) which they donated to the city of Portland to be used as a community center.”
“It was originally seasonal housing for orchard workers. During the 1950’s, a family with the last name ‘Disney’ lived here so we like to think we’re somehow connected to the Magic Kingdom!”
“Dr Horace Francis for whom the house was built, was the physician for the Siletz Tribe.”
“The residential living space in my 100 year old building was once a boarding house for sailors who needed a room for a night.”“Single family ownership from 1945-2001. The woman of the house loved pink and her husband(s) went along for the ride: pink stucco exterior, pink bathroom tile, pink azaleas and roses!”
“There were naughty pictures of the original owners hidden on top of the laundry room cabinets. The owners we bought from never found them.”
Name a book that was published the year your house was built.
“The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, by Beatrix Potter”
“The Next Wizard of Oz”“Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter”
“How to Give Birth”
What’s the story of your home? Tell us in the comments below to be entered to win 4 hours of complimentary Carpenter on Call service from Arciform.
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We moved into our tudor style home in 2013 which was built in 1938. We are only the third owners. The house came with three things passed along by the original owners which are to stay with the house. Included was the original family’s family bible dating from the 1800s complete with various black and white photos of the house, an article and picture from the paper showing winner of best lighted house Christmas of 1938 and handwritten notes to the new owner from previous owners each time the house was sold. Also included was an art deco mantle clock and a large framed advertising print of the founding fathers, courtesy of Pabst Blue Ribbon dating from the early 30s.
We live in a double entrance brick schoolhouse in the countryside, built in 1941 to replace the original 1890s schoolhouse which had burnt down. It was converted to a home in the mid-70s, crudely, to look like a house. Within months of possession, we returned it to its original state, exposing the entrances and re-building a bell tower based on photographs supplied by people in our community. It is funny to think that most of our neighbours have been in our house, having been students here at one time. Our favourite visitor thus far was the school’s first teacher, his shared memories have given us insight into the original building to aid us in further restoration.