5721

Built in 1889, this Queen Anne home retains the original detailing on the façade. William Cairnduff had the home built and the original owners were Mr. and Mrs. Orson Watson. Mr. Watson was a bank president. The original address was 2686 Charlton. As you approach the home keep in mind that the original roofing material would have been cedar shingles. The roof line comes down to the entrance porch level. On the façade there are three porches or balconies. These add to the three dimensional design of the façade because they are inset from flat plane of the façade. At the entrance porch the columns are turned wood which signals that this home was built before the Classical revival of the 1890s.

This house has withstood quite a bit of remodeling over the years, including alteration as a rooming house. One owner lived on the first floor and rented rooms on the second floor. The restoration of the home was begun by the previous owners, who bought the home in 1975 when it had shag carpeting over asphalt tile. Their work paid off when the beautiful top nailed floor with five kinds of inlaid wood was revealed. The front hall is different from the front parlor and the dining room. Note in the Front Parlor the jewel-like stained glass with beveled glass inserts.

The second parlor still has the upright piano that came with the house when the previous owners bought it. Just off the second parlor is a porch with a door with a stained glass insert. This door could be opened to allow for the lake breezes. When the roomers lived upstairs they used this porch entrance to a hidden staircase to the second floor.

The dining room has an inset that may have been open for a china cabinet or may have had a built in. It is possible that, when the owner of the rooming house lived there, the rooms on the first floor may have been rearranged. From the dining room there is a passageway to the kitchen which you will see after going upstairs.

The front staircase to the second floor is original and it has two landings. There may have been stained glass in the stairway window but it has been replaced. On the second floor the front bedroom has an extra space that has been used for closet space. From this room there is a door to one of the front balconies. Also on the second floor are more bedrooms and a full bath. In the hallway is the door to the staircase that the roomers would have used to reach their rooms. Another staircase goes up to the third floor which has a unique bead board paneled room. That room also has a door that opens out onto a small porch facing the front of the house.

When you return to the first floor you will go through the passageway to the kitchen. On the left is a full bath that has been updated. It may have been a pantry originally. This kitchen has been redone since the previous owners left in the mid 1990s. It has been opened up and it gets morning sunlight. The back hallway opens out to a beautiful yard and deck.

Stop by for some refreshments.