Maggie's Farm

Old buildings like this are a tactile sensation, they compel you to each out and touch their aged materials and feel the worn lifelines. This one’s a beaut, having organically and graciously grown over so many years, which brings to mind the quandary of knowing the point in a building’s existence when changes and additions detract from its original look and ongoing history. There’s no easy answer to that one. At any rate, respectful maintenance and updating of a living building usually entails one approach, while historic preservation as time capsule uses another, but this structure is particularly interesting in that its inhabitants have managed to dovetail both so well.

When renovating and updating not exceptional old buildings, too many people still violate the sense of them and I wonder why they bother. They replace the old glazing or window units entirely and drywall over cracked plaster, they strip originally painted woodwork in order to stain it and sand away patina and smooth over old character in wood. They spray over unpainted brick and replace original doors with Home Depot suburban fake posh. They yank out heirloom landscaping for 2-gal azaleas and clumps of liriope. They gut the soul of an old place and erase much of its history. It’s not just about individual buildings, either, but about the feel and texture of a street or area that are affected by what we do with our properties.

The good news is that more and more commercial and residential building owners have become sensitive to working with buildings as they were at least aesthetically intended, not slavishly but intelligently attending to vintage character and detailing. But now we have energy considerations which are throwing a new wrench into the works. This is an area I’m v. interested in working- how to keep authenticity while meeting code and going green.

...they compel you to reach out... (Sigh)

I have it, too, but you'll be off my Xmas list if you replace heirloom hydrangeas and weigela to put a few clumps in... Be honest, now--