Thursday, April 27, 2017

The Three Reasons Why … We're Doing the House Tour from the Cincinnati Preservation Association and Wyoming

When my neighbor Jenny asked if we would put our historic 1870s home, The Gideon Palmer-Sterns House on the Cincinnati Preservation Association’s Spring House Tour, I laughed.

“Seriously?” I asked. We have only been in the house two and a half years and I feel like there is still so much work to do.

“Seriously,” she replied. “People will love it and it will be great press for our community.”

I told Jenny that I only have one room that I considered finished (the guest room), halls that need painting, front rooms with no furniture and family style (worn out) furniture in the TV room just to name a few challenges. “It’s not in the least ready for any home show,” I said. “People will want their money back. Come over and see.”

My mistake.

Jenny popped across the street and we walked around the rooms. I pointed out the flaws and she exclaimed how beautiful it was and how much people would love seeing how modern families live in these historic old houses.

Well, sometimes flattery will get you where you need to go.








So, with about two weeks until the big show, here’s why we’re doing it and what I hope people will take away.  

1.  Showcase the Community
We live in a little hidden gem of Wyoming, Ohio with historic houses, walkable neighborhoods, super cute restaurants, great schools, small classrooms and the friendliest people I have ever met. The tour offers a rare chance for Wyoming to open its doors to the rest of the city to show our stuff.

2. Spread the Love
When the Gideon Palmer-Sterns House was for sale, it was right after the recession. The house endured a family split and sat on the market for a long time empty before going into foreclosure. We lived a block away and passed it every day. This stunning Italianate beauty was going into disrepair. But it had strong bones. It just needed to be loved. My husband and I both grew up in old homes and love them. We put in a bid to make sure it didn’t go below a certain price. Three years later, we were just about to take our bid out when the bank called. It was ours. Did we still want it? Sure. Why not. You only live once.

It needed a ton of work removing old debris, putting back pipes, electricity, the works. Oh and by the way, the yard was almost completely overgrown as well.  We think of ourselves as stewards of the house for the next generation. Since we’re not independently wealthy, we work on projects when we can and are big into DIY. We’ve probably gotten an estimate from every plumber in town along the way. It’s a labor of love and this beautiful Italianate beauty would benefit from an audience (beyond us) to admire her.

3. Grow the Old House Fan Base
There’s something about turning a corner and seeing an historic beauty that stops your breath. Growing up, my father restored a Victorian in Virginia and a Row House in Charleston. On Sundays, we used to drive around neighborhoods looking at houses for entertainment. (I think it was an inexpensive way to keep the 5 kids quiet for an hour or so.) Old homes are the work of many hands, many builders, architects, bricklayers, masons, craftsmen and owners poured their lives into these homes. In some small way, by sharing our home, I hope others catch the old house bug too.

So, old homes take work. Unexpected things happen like pipes break and paint peels. These homes are never done. Most weekends mean work on projects or on the yard.

Which brings me to my new favorite saying, “it is what it is.” Life is throwing some job changes at me and I’m launching a new independent freelance business. My husband’s work is busy and the kids have 3-4 sports or so. Though I’d love to have the home in pristine condition when we throw open the doors. It is what it is. Budgets and family schedules mean that people will see peeling exterior trim that we will paint in the summer, a back porch that may or may not be painted by then. You get the picture.

At a track meet recently, I was lamenting to my friend Shauna that we are not completely prepared, people may judge me, projects are incomplete… and we don’t even have furniture in the Music Room.

“Well,” she broke in at last. “Um, at least you have a Music Room.”

Ah. Too true.

I am the steward of a home with a Music Room. A room with dark woodwork, a tile fireplace, high ceilings, crown molding and carved acorns in the mantelpiece. A room from a time when people built homes with rooms for music. And so, here we go. We’re throwing open our doors so people can see and hopefully love a home from another time. 

It is what it is.  






Margee Moore is a freelance marketing professional, owner of MooreMKTG.biz and author of Sleeping with the Laundry. You can follow her parenting humor on SleepingWiththeLaundry.

Movers and Makers: https://moversmakers.org/2017/04/18/wyomings-gems-on-display-for-cpa-home-tour/

You can get tickets here: Cincinnati Preservation Associations Spring Home Tour: http://cincinnatipreservation.org/events/2017-spring-house-tour/






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