Something To Remember In The Future

This is a local story of a grass-free xeriscaped* yard. The owner removed the grass in his front yard and replaced it with plants that don't need to be mown (saves gas, electricity, man power) or watered by artificial means (city water through hoses or rain barrels). These plants (mostly sedums) can exist on natural rainfall, even in near-drought conditions. Richmond graphic artist Noah Scanlin posted on the continued progress of his front yard on his blog Another Limited Rebellion. Here are pictures of other xeriscaped lawns using rocks and drought-resistant plants:

   

Since I already know that I am lazy (and eco-conscious) this will be the #1 way I will landscape when I get that sweet cottage in the future. 

Images: landscapes-design.com, luxuryhousingtrends.com, landscaperm.com 

*xeriscape = Greek for xeros = dry, -scape = view or scene

West Grace Update

Remember this building, 109 East Grace Street? Well, it had been available for lease since September 2009. It has also been filling up with junk for several months, then the for lease sign was removed, and I thought that meant that a business was finally moving in but...

Look at it now:




The "lovely" very visible view inside 109A.

You would think if you repaint a building to be the #1 most noticeable property on the block you would want to also showcase it in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible, right?

I guess not.

Images: My own photographs.

Slumlords Beware!

Yeah! Something to be glad about. Richmond Slumlord Watch! 

Two years ago I took pictures of empty commercial buildings on West Grace Street near my home and submitted them to Vacant Richmond. That blog provided a place for you to search for and locate all vacant properties in the city. However, they were not able to keep on top of the current state of all the properties and their landlords/owners' involvement, so they closed down the site. 

Now I find that RSW has taken up the cause, spurred on by the already existing Baltimore Slumlord Watch. Though they may not be a comprehensive catalog of properties, they do highlight particular properties and supply the info on the owners and the property's status. I love that they are covering this issue as it is a big one for this city. Many of the city blocks near my apartment seem almost 60-70% empty. Perhaps there are tenants living in the apartments above but the businesses below are empty. We truly don't need more retail operations being built in the downtown area as there are enough empty storefronts to last a long time. In fact, even though some are questionably painted, at least they're trying.

Hmmm...much better?

Beware: My PhotoShop skills are not great.

Well, I couldn't stop myself from experimenting with the colors. I do think I make my point.

I feel the way to make this building more attractive is to paint out all of the blue on the top half of the building (since it only appears there and not below) and replacing it with the yellow from the first floor. Then I think the "sundial" detail would be more appealing if the stark black, gray, and white combination was dialed down to a more subtle 50% strength and the outline was changed from dark blue to a medium gray.

I think then the design would be more cohesive; not such a multitude of colors competing with each other. What do you think?

109 East Grace Street, Richmond, VA:

in real life

In PhotoShop

Here's where I tried my very first idea of replacing the blue with the orange outlining the "sundials".

Please forgive me. Very bad idea.

And here's the full monty:

Before IRL

After PhotoShop

So I got rid of all the blue. Didn't your heart palpitations slow down when you got to the After shots? Mine sure did.

So, Is It An Improvement?

109 East Grace Street before and after

I think this means the building is finished and ready for occupancy. So, what do you think?

Funny thing is, the building has just showed up on the Thalhimer website. Each twin retail space is 1,050 square feet. Of course, you already know how I feel about the paint job but again I have to question their choices. Since the space has been split up into two separate stores; what two retail operations (unless they were related businesses) would want to look "exactly" the same? Especially when that look is so high profile?

The building was built in 1935, which explains the Art Deco influence. What they recently added:


Shiny, reflective, stamped metal and...


attractive copper and steel sconces.*

A look inside:


(Pictures taken through the glass window)

I have to admit I really like the interiors with the skylights and the tin ceilings. I'll have to chat up the workers next time so I can go in. You see, the exterior of the building seems like two stories; much taller than the interior, so I'm curious as to what you see through the skylight. Is there really a higher floor or does the building have a false front on top of the first floor?

So, what do you think now?

* They have been on 24-hours a day since they were installed. What's up with that?

Things that make you say...

What!?

"On November 25, 2008, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Louisiana State University announced the selection of the Mid-City neighborhood for the site of their new hospitals. The new hospitals would needlessly destroy the historic neighborhood around Charity Hospital, where residents have been rebuilding and restoring their community since Hurricane Katrina."

"the plans for new construction call for the demolition of some 200 homes and buildings constructed prior to 1880 in 25 blocks of an adjacent National Register Historic District, despite the existence of a largely vacant site nearby."


What were they possibly thinking?

This is not a completely devastated neighborhood. This is one trying very hard to get back on its feet.

Please check out the Save Mid-City page on the National Trust For Historic Preservation's website for more information and links to how you can help. Thank you.

This Place Matters...

is both the theme of this year's Preservation Month in May and also a photo-sharing campaign in which people post photos of themselves with the places that they hold important. Initiated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, they have now decided to move the program to Flickr, so that they can increase its reach and impact. From family homes, neighborhood schools, and old gas stations to vintage movie theaters, here is your chance to beam a spotlight on a favorite. By sharing those photos, you/we can spread the word and get even more people involved in the preservation movement.


The steps are super easy:

• Have a photo taken at your favorite place making sure that someone in the photo holds up the This Place Matters sign.


• Upload your photo and short story (if desired) at www.preservationnation.org/thisplacematters


• Tell your family and friends to view your special place online and of course, submit their own places.

Please join and spread the word. The more people involved increases the amount of people aware of the importance in saving the places that matter to us all.

Book Review: The Barn House by Ed Zotti

A month ago, I received a copy of The Barn House: Confessions of an Urban Rehabber (2008, New American Library) by Ed Zotti. Zotti is editor of the popular syndicated column, The Straight Dope. If you're familiar with that column then you won't be surprised that Mr. Zotti has created a book full of humor*, wisdom, research, and sharp social commentary.

Being a fan of architectural history; especially when it comes to residential buildings, this book is right up my alley. With this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I ended up with was a personal account of a house renovation, but also a history of the urbanization and eventual gentrification of a neighborhood in Chicago. I was introduced to new concepts given name by Zotti, such as the City Guy Network and the Brotherhood of the Right Way (actually a particular gender didn't seem to be a requirement for membership in either group, it was just a naming thing).

The Brotherhood of the Right Way is a group that, according to Zotti, shares a simple belief that "there is a right way to do everything, and one's task in life was merely to determine what the right way was, and to do it." Therefore, a quick half-assed solution is not considered sufficient. I can definitely agree with that group's philosophy.I really enjoyed this book; however, my only drawback is its lack of photos. Zotti describes in detail his decrepit but hidden gem of a house, noting its quality wood, craftsmanship, and quirky original design decisions. He has a gift of making the original materials used in the house sound wonderful in their opulence and yet, no pictures. These are things you want to see. I personally would have loved to see the faulty and curious renovations past owners with inadequate budgets and huge rehab dreams made and he had to fix. His descriptions are excellent for someone familiar with plan drawings and house construction; however, for the beginner rehabber or a first-time home owner (whom I assume are his audience) the descriptions may not be enough.

As a good companion piece to Barn House, I suggest a favorite book of mine, Erik Larson's 2003 novel, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, Madness, and the Fair that Changed America. It's not necessarily in the same vein (One book is about a personal home rehab and the growth of a city, the other is about the growth of a city and a serial killer) but if want two books that give you a feeling that Chicago has and always will be a city to watch, then these tomes won't steer you wrong. What they have in common is a mix of fiction, fact, and history, both architectural and city of Chicago.

In the end, Barn House seemed almost as much a study of the growth and changes in Chicago as it was a home owner's diary of a hard-won rehab project. In fact, this book makes living in Chicago seem so appealing I almost forgot about the double-digit snowfalls and how much I HATE the cold. Good work, Mr. Zotti!

Important Note*This is one book where you don't want to skip the footnotes!

Illustration: Charlie Friedlander

Sometimes It's Hard to Laugh at the Truth

I love this satirical article about Columbus, Ohio and its habit of demolishing many of the areas significant historic structures.

Unfortunately, the same story could be written about my little city, Richmond. We have lost some beautiful buildings on our Broad Street only to be rewarded with empty dirt lots, some with nothing even planned to replace what we lost.

The Seneca before and...

after.


Photo by 100wordminimum.

Our beautiful Murphy Hotel, which was demolished last fall.

With a good deed, came a good deal of pain

This is the morning after Rebuilding Together Day and I feel like a two-by-four because I MUST be made of wood. I can not bend or twist at all. Almost every part of my body hurts, except my hands (lucky blogger me.) All my other joints and parts hurt, including my ankles and right behind my ears (oh, the neck pain!)

But it was a great experience.

Our house was a pretty unusual project for a Rebuilding Together Day. Their projects usually involve tasks that can all be completed in one day. However, this project had been started weeks before and is still in progress. The recipient of our volunteer help developed diabetes and lost one of her legs. Therefore, her house was remodeled in order to be handicap accessible. The kitchen, bathrooms, and all doorways were altered for wheelchair access. Before yesterday, a beautiful ramp with seating at the top had been built, new kitchen cabinets and task lighting had been installed, the bathroom had been enlarged taking some space from the living room, and a new wall had been erected before we arrived.




Along with another person, I was tasked with painting the ceiling and walls in her living room. I remember thinking when I walked in, 'wow, it's a small room, we should be finished in no time at all.' As it turns out, even with additional help, we ended up going thirty minutes over the deadline of 5PM (meaning an hour and a half past the "stop and clean-up" time) and we were almost the last people there.

Why? Well, let's just say, I never want to paint a ceiling again. (In truth, I didn't paint much of it, because I must be the weakest girl in the world when it comes to upper arm strength. Thank god, the other volunteer was a pro at using a paint roller extension pole!)



The color on the ceiling and walls that we thought looked off-white turned out to be a definite tan color once we tried to paint a REAL off-white on top of it. So two coats were required on the ceiling and all of the walls needed to be primed first. In addition, lots of windows, four doorways, baseboards, and a fireplace mantel called for a lot of preliminary taping.



But the final outcome was gorgeous!



Despite the pain, I know I will be volunteering for this next year.

So, check out the national site for Rebuilding Together and find an affiliate in your state for next April 26.

National Rebuilding Day!

HGTV Green Home Giveaway!

I am so excited! This weekend, after years of vocal support for Rebuilding Together-Richmond and ACORN I will finally be putting my muscles to the test for these organizations. I will be finally working on my first volunteer home repair project. I was lucky to get into this group project because someone in my office sent out an email asking for volunteers.

By coincidence, my Historic Preservation professor (an ACORN board member) has also volunteered and will be working on the same house with me. Wow, I don't even have to try to stalk this woman, she is everywhere.

Would you believe, that knowing nothing about me, they tasked me to paint! How perfect. I have to put together a list of all the painting supplies that I have so I can bring in some stuff to supplement what they will have on site. I think I might have to clean out my cars' trunk so I can bring my four-foot ladder too. I just hope it doesn't rain as it has been for the last three days. The pollen and mold have sapped about 50% of my strength and stamina.

The neighborhood I am working in is also directly behind my "pet" neighborhood, Woodland Heights, so that adds to the goodwill.

It may be too late to participate in the 2008 National Rebuilding Day but there is plenty of time to get involved for next year's event. Volunteers rehabilitate and improve the homes of low-income Americans at no cost, recipients of services include the elderly, disabled, military veterans, and families in need. To find a Rebuilding Together affiliate in your area, enter your state or zip code on the national organization's main page.

Also worth looking into is the HGTV Change the World: Start at Home effort with Rebuilding Together, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. This campaign "focuses on revitalizing communities across the country and helping consumers make smart choices for the environment within their homes and daily lives."

I will report on my Saturday next week after I've recovered from my all-day giving effort.