Home renovations can be tricky. There are often surprises waiting in the walls when you take it down to its studs. There can be costly upgrades to bring electrical and plumbing up to code. There are uneven door frames from years of settling and paint of undetermined age that may contain lead.
But what of renovations when it comes to a home’s character…especially when considering a historical home. How do you renovate a space to make it functional and relevant while also honoring its rich past?
Maybe the best place to start is at the very beginning.
For Lancaster’s recently-renovated Press Building, a 6-story historical structure of new condominiums and retail space, the beginning goes back over a century, when the space served as a cigar factory. A devastating fire in 1907 led to its re-birth as the home for the New Era Printing Company. Eventually, as the business gradually relocated elsewhere, the building became vacant in the 90s.
Fast forward decades later to its latest incarnation as a residential space. With the aim of blending the past with the present, the Press Building has kept components of the building’s original design while incorporating contemporary features and function.
The concrete beams and columns that once helped to support massive 20-ton printing presses now serve as architectural points of interest within the condominiums. Exposed brick stays true to the masonry and concrete composition of the building. And custom-made windows—all 186 of them across the building, a costly and time-consuming reno—highlight the uniqueness of each unit.
David Lyall of David Lyall Home & Design smartly outfitted the model condo, which will be open to guests of Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity’s Renovators’ Home Tour this fall (see below). The furnishings and decorative accents he selected complement the units’ brick, hardwood floors and open design concept. The result is a clean yet warm look that lends itself well to an urban, industrial dwelling.
Blending past and present worked well for the Press Building. But what if your home renovation doesn’t involve merging the two? What if honoring a home’s past means taking it back to its original splendor?
To walk into Anne Williams’s home on Lancaster’s East King Street is to walk back in time. Or, at the very least, onto the set of Downton Abbey. Built in 1879, Anne believed she would better steward the historical home by restoring it, erasing the years of renovations that altered its interior.
The Eastlake Victorian mansion was once home to Col. Wm. Pieper. In later years, it gave shelter to the Knights of Malta, served as a venue for USO parties and, sadly, turned into a flophouse.
Anne’s detective work didn’t begin with the custom stencil design she had commissioned for the ceilings and walls. Nor did it begin with the reproduction of period of wallpaper for the entrance hallway (the original wallcovering was framed by the Smithsonian and now hangs for guests to see.) It began with something as mundane and tedious as heating, plumbing, electricity, exterior doors and rear wall … none of which existed when Anne purchased the home.
She saw potential in the 13-foot ceilings, bracket cornice plaster ceiling (missing and damaged pieces, as well) and walnut woodwork. She was able to envision piecing together the dismantled grand staircase, pieces of which (that weren’t missing) were stowed away in the home’s basement.
In the end, not only has she recaptured a piece of the past, Anne (who is an architectural interior designer herself) believes she did right by the designer’s original intentions.
Homes have stories to tell and personalities to share. When considering a renovation, maybe take a listen to what it has to say when taking it into the next chapter of its life.
The Press Building and Anne Williams’s home will be among those featured on Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity’s Renovators’ Home Tour, Sunday, October 1st. For ticket and event information, please visit www.renovatorshometour.com.
