November 19, 2009

The Hallway: Part X

Well, work’s beginning in earnest on the hallway – finally! Our deadline is the board meeting on December 3, so the timescale is pretty tight.

Today, Earl, our facilities manager, pulled some of the spindles out of the railing on the third floor where we’ve had to enclose it for fire regulations. He took about four or five out so that he could replace ones further down the staircase which are missing or damaged. spindles 001Of course, after he hung over the edge of the staircase, and pulled them out, he found that they were just a little shorter than the ones he’s replacing. Twas ever thus! spindles 004We found some of the original nails when we pulled the trim to get the spindles. Because the house dates from the 1850’s, the nails probably also date from that time period.spindles 005

A word about Earl… I’ve known him for years and he’s one of those true gems. He knows everyone and has kept this house and 13+ acre property running, with very limited resources, even hanging wreaths and putting candles in the windows for the holidays.Snow 38a He’s incredibly patient with me as I am suggesting screwball things like blue porch ceilings, cocktail parties on the porch and multiple paint swatches on the walls. He retired from the Baltimore City Fire Department and then came to work here. He’s my hero!

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15 comments:

  1. KarenaNovember 19, 2009 at 12:19 PM

    Beautiful image with the wreaths in the windows and doors! Sounds like a guy that could accomplish anything, Earl is a true craftsman!

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  2. magnaverdeNovember 19, 2009 at 4:36 PM

    Dedicated guys like Earl, who know every nook & cranny under the eaves, every weird plumbing arrangement & how to keep ancient locks working right and prevent old doors from sticking in damp weather are the unsung heroes of old places like these. Not every old building has an Earl, but the fortunate ones do.

    Sure, you can hire a hotshot young handyman out of the back pages of the local paper, but generally, their "solution" to, say, a sticky old door is to replace the oddly-sized original with a brand new 6-panel door from Home Depot, fill in the gaps with sheetrock & slap up some anorexic new trim half the size of the old stuff. After all, fiberglass won't stick or warp, so how could it not be an improvement? Besides, once you give it all a coat of new paint, nobody will know the difference, anyway. And to these guys, a stair with odd-sized balusters is screaming for a nice new "Colonial" railing in high gloss red oak. Yeah, it looks just like the ones out in the pricey new houses in Cornfield Manor, but they must be good or people wouldn't buy 'em, right?

    It doesn't take long for short-sighted thinking like that to turn a historic old building into a tacky caricature of its former self. All you need is a big-store credit card and no appreciation for what you've already got. As Americans count--and say thanks for--life's blessings next week, don't forget a toast to the Earls of this world.

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  3. Pat's AdditionNovember 19, 2009 at 6:15 PM

    The house looks wonderful. Earl did nice job. Nothing like a fireman for handiness, my cousin is a retired fireman and can do anything. It has always been my theory that the first folks in an organization you make friends with are the custodians and the secretaries.

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  4. home before darkNovember 19, 2009 at 6:16 PM

    Here, here: To Earl! You and lucky to have him on staff. May the goddess of luck and timing shine upon your project!

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  5. Sanity FairNovember 19, 2009 at 7:52 PM

    Beautiful - I love restored homes and buildings and this one is certainly worth the effort. Save those nails - they'd make a marvelous shadow box.

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  6. MarnieNovember 19, 2009 at 10:01 PM

    love the ongoing story...like old-fashioned installments... looking forward to the final product

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  7. cotedetexasNovember 19, 2009 at 11:36 PM

    Meg - that is the prettiest Christmas card in the world! you are so lucky to work in such a beautiful place!!!!!!!

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  8. Linda in AZ *November 20, 2009 at 12:47 AM

    * Love the house and all that Mr. Earl does~~~~ yes, HE'S MY HERO! Please tell him I said so, will you? (Men like him are few & far between, and they should always be appreciated!)~

    Lilnda in AZ *

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  9. UnknownNovember 20, 2009 at 1:26 AM

    joni is right, meg- your place of work looks like a living christmas card! you did a lovely job of making it festive for the holidays.

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  10. Washington CubeNovember 20, 2009 at 7:48 AM

    I think we are all having a "Love Earl" moment here. And I do love men who take care of things and have pride in their workmanship.

    P.S. My Daddy was a fire department founder (back when they were all volunteer,) so hearts on "that" too, Mr. Earl.

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  11. Dumbwit TellherNovember 20, 2009 at 10:31 AM

    Bravo to Earl. First a local hero for his service to the Fire Dept. & now for his sevice & true craftsmanship to keep your gorgeous, gorgeous home running. This picture is worthy of Architectural Digest!!!

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  12. 72 and sunnyNovember 20, 2009 at 11:58 AM

    I think you need to frame those nails. they're really beautiful in their hand forged strength.

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  13. mamacitaNovember 20, 2009 at 2:09 PM

    Blue porch ceilings and cocktail parties are NOT screwball. Everybody knows that's just the way it's supposed to be.

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  14. Laura Casey InteriorsNovember 20, 2009 at 7:19 PM

    Those are great old nails! The building looks beautiful with all of the wreaths up!

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  15. Pigtown*DesignNovember 21, 2009 at 5:26 PM

    Laura... Earl was the one who put the wreaths up. It was right after the house was painted. We'd taken all of the a/c units out of the windows, so it looked stellar... especially with the dusting of snow!

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