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4 SAVING THE BEST PART, even if the rest is trash. New owners found this hot-pink and turquoise remodeling, ca. 1969—the contractor assumed it should come down to the studs. But that big built-in dresser on the rear wall is original, worth preservation, and a great start for the design of a kitchen that goes with the house.

5KEEPING A RECORD

of the particular history. Adaptive reuse comes with a story, for example, which is why OHJ readers finding themselves at home in an old firehouse, a oneroom schoolhouse, or a church decided to preserve the firemen’s pole, the bell, or the stained glass. 6 Cleaning it first. Unappealing as filth may be, it’s not a good reason to toss out greasy cabinets or tarnished brass. Don’t rush; and assume a lot of things are salvageable once stripped or cleaned.

It’s best to repair rather than replace elements, because eventually, after generations of replacement, a house is no longer original, and probably not coherent.

“Your taste doesn’t matter.” We’d have more preserved old houses if generations of owners had only taken that to heart. OHJ editors have seen Eastlake mantels discarded “because it’s fussy” and endless original bits thrown away for being “oldfashioned” or the “wrong” color.

A house represents a particular time and style. If we learn about it, our changes will be in keeping with the original design. The mid-20th-century proclivity to turn Victorians into Colonials, for example, did not work out. Stripping off the gingerbread and painting out these houses only succeeded in making them ugly “white elephants” that would be very expensive to restore. From repairs to additions, any new work should enhance and clarify the original design intention, or at least not detract from it.

A harder sell is consideration of elements that make the house a cultural artifact. Perhaps the current owner doesn’t use the narrow boxed stair at the rear of the house, or the cold pantry, or the fireplace in the dining room. Take them all away, though, and the house has lost the significance of its history. We must be careful about how much we change, because there is a tipping point. Most of us fell in love with an old house—not a new house made of old materials.

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RECENT HISTORY. The idea that anything built after 1945 is not worthy of preservation was long ago amended. In many cases, it’s true that the materials are nontraditional, but such innovations as laminates and plate glass hold their place in history. These houses and even whole developments are part of the cultural and built continuum. Consider iconic mid-century houses by Joseph Eichler—modest, albeit progressive and livable, homes going for well over a million dollars. Postwar Lustron houses, factory-produced and made of steel, are listed on the National Register. And don’t assume that well-conceived later work has to be “scraped” from every historic house. We’ve been delighted to find a high-style Art Deco bathroom in an 1880s Queen Anne, and a glossy Depression-era kitchen in a woodsy Arts & Crafts Bungalow!