1300

This elegant Queen Anne home in the Rosedale Addition to Edgewater was built in 1910. The original owner was Charles Bohnhoff. The architect was H.J. Lieberg and the contractor was John Sasser. According to the permit of April 3, 1910, the cost of the home was $4,000. The crisp white trim accents the deep green siding. A full front porch has composite designs of the Ionic scroll from the classical revival for the support pillars. On the first floor level, there is a front bay window with a central small stained glass window above. Next to the door is a single window which is framed in crown molding like the other windows. The front door is a replacement.

On the second floor of the façade, the front bay is repeated. Above the door is a turret with a ribbon of windows all trimmed in white. At the third floor level is a front facing dormer with an arched window.

In the reception hall, the use of the arch is apparent. The entrance to the living room has been widened sometime in the past and a curve section placed at either end. The doorway leading to the kitchen is a small arched passageway. The entrance to the dining room has also been changed to an arch.

When the current owners purchased the home, there was no fireplace, but an exhaustive search at Architectural Artifacts produced the one you see with the same column design as on the front porch. In the process of this installation, it was discovered that there had been a fireplace there originally. On either side of the fireplace are two square stained glass windows in an organic design.

The dining room features a beamed ceiling and a bay window with a geometric designed stained glass. All the wood floors are original and have been stained a dark brown. From the dining room you step into the kitchen, which has been updated and designed in black and white with the checkerboard floor. A special feature of the kitchen is the 1950s Chambers stove which includes many unusual features. From the kitchen, there is a continuation to the back porch, which has been gutted and restored as a breakfast area overlooking the backyard.

The current owners bought the home from Barbara Rzonca, who had lived here for 50 years. At one time she worked as a seamstress in the attic. In restoring the home, the current owners took care to restore the radiators and retain the plaster walls where possible. When things had to be replaced, much research was done to make the light fixtures and doors compatible with the originals.

In the passageway from the kitchen is a powder room that has the hexagon tile floor found in many older buildings. Back in the reception hall, you will be climbing to the second floor on the original staircase with turned wood spindles. At the landing are three windows that have been painstakingly created from the original design. What had been there could not be repaired because of the odd combination of materials and epoxy that had been used to hold the glass in place. The design is more geometric than those in the living room.

The floor plan of the home is like many American Foursquare homes, with four rooms and a bath on the second floor. As you stand in the central hall, you can see the two rooms to the front – one in the turret. Then, along the hall, is a series of narrow, original five panel doors. Towards the back are two smaller rooms and then, next to the staircase, is the full bath with new hexagon tile floor, subway tile wainscoting and a beautiful claw footed bathtub.

You may have already noticed that the light fixtures in this home are outstanding in their design and placement. Since the door knobs had already been replaced with cheap ones, the owners chose new replacements to add a black accent. The hinges on all the doors are original, but they were stripped of layers of paint and then finished to match the door knobs. All of these details contribute to the elegance of this home.