For the record

I've recently realized that there are a couple of facts in the MLS listing for 920 Cedar Brook that need a bit of clarification. I'd just like to be sure anyone who's reading this blog has the right information, and isn't confused by details in the MLS that don't match what I've described here.

First - let's start with the MLS number. It's 2794663.

House number at the end of the driveway

Now...if you were to search for the number, you will find the house  listed as 914 Cedar Brook, not 920.  I am a bit confused by this myself, and don't know where that number comes from. All I can think is that it's based on some old property records somewhere that maybe had a range of numbers for that parcel of land. I'm just not sure. What I do I know is that the address on the front door is 920. It's been that way as far back as I can find records.

Another point of clarification: The house was not built in 1905. It was built in 1914. This is the date on the original blueprints on file in the  Detwiller collection at the Plainfield Public Library (viewable at http://www.plainfieldlibrary.info/Departments/LH/LH_detwiller.html. Enter "Huntsman" for owner's name and "1914" for year.)

The MLS listing also doesn't clearly explain what bedrooms are where. It states that there are 3 bedrooms on the second floor, and 4 or more on the third. I don't want anyone to be confused about this, so here is how the bedrooms are arranged.

Second floor view to master bedroom

The house has 8 bedrooms. There are 5 bedrooms on the second floor. There are 3 bedrooms on the third floor.

Starting on the second floor: The master bedroom is on the left side of the house as you look at it from the street (the same side as the piazza). Opening off the master bedroom, there is a large, lovely bedroom or sitting room that is directly above the foyer. This room could easily serve other purposes...we used it as a playroom, a music room, and an office at different times. This room opens directly to the main hallway as well as to the master bedroom. 

The next bedroom is at the back and shares the master bath. It's a bit smaller but it's still a very nice room and overlooks the back yard. It opens to the main hallway (see the picture above - the light coming in from the right side is from this bedroom). This would be a nice baby's room. Or a study. Or, you could use this group of rooms for several children's rooms with a shared bath, as we did.

Doorways to 4th bedroom and sitting room (seen from stairs to third floor)

The 4th bedroom is at the opposite end of the house (see the doorway to the left in the adjacent image). It is similar in size to the master and is another large, lovely and bright room, with 2 windows over the driveway and 2 facing the front yard. It has its own private bathroom. (By the way, both bathrooms have large closets.)

Finally, there is the 5th bedroom on the second floor - the airy room at the end of the back wing. We used this as a guestroom and it's one of my favorite rooms in the house.

Second floor with view to back hall at right

I need to mention that there's one more room in the back hall. It's not counted as a bedroom, although it's certainly large enough. (I believe its original purpose back in 1914 was a sewing room.) It has a huge closet that runs almost the full length of the back wall. Because my grandparents usually stayed in the back guestroom when they visited from Chicago, my mother had a half bath installed in this room. I don't know if the plumbing for that is still there, but the room is certainly large enough for a combination bath/sitting room. Or any other purpose. I think, for example, it would make a great office or workshop. It's roomy, it's cheerful, and it's right off the back stairs to the kitchen, so it would be pretty convenient for grabbing coffee or lunch while you were working. 

(By the way...the windows in all the upstairs rooms are well placed in terms of light and cross ventilation. In fact, most of the bedrooms have windows on at least 2 walls. The exceptions are  the second floor sitting room/bedroom and the middle bedroom on the third floor.)

Middle bedroom alcove, third floor

Moving up to the third floor: There are two smaller bedrooms at the top of the back stairs (the original servants' rooms) that share a cozy bath with a clawfoot tub. At the opposite end of the house, above the master bedroom, is a delightful guestroom that has windows on 3 sides - overlooking the front, side, and back yards. This room is very private and peaceful and has its own bath just down the hall, also with a big clawfoot tub. It may also be the largest bedroom in the house - though unfortunately I don't have the exact dimensions of any of the rooms. But I'm trying to see if I can find them. I'm also hoping to get more pictures soon, especially of the kitchen and breakfast room, as well as some of the other rooms I didn't have a chance to photograph last November. (The rest of those images are in the "Details, details, details" post from 2011, if you haven't seen them.)

One last note: the price has recently dropped to $259,900. To the best of my knowledge, the house is still a short sale, and I suspect the bank is trying to move things along. But as I've explained before, I'm not legally involved in the property or the real estate details.

View down front stairs from the second floor landing

I simply love this house because I grew up in it. It's beautiful, spacious, solid, and comfortable. There are wonderful details around every corner. And while it's a big house, it's also warm and welcoming and a pleasure to live in.

Wouldn't it be nice to come down the front stairs every morning with this lovely view at your feet? With the shades up in the dining room (doorway at left), the intricate parquet floor would be even more beautiful. 

But seeing 920 Cedar Brook in person would give you a much clearer sense of its character than I can ever convey here. So I highly recommend a visit! And if you need the name of a realtor to call in the area or any other information about the house, just send me an email. I'll be happy to help.

It's back

Update: 920 Cedar Brook is officially back on the market. For the past few weeks, it was listed as under attorney review. But that offer apparently did not progress any further, and the house is available. It's still waiting for the right owner.

Now and then

NOW: A few daffodils in the old rock garden.

Standing in the back yard at 920 Cedar Brook two weeks ago, it was nearly impossible to remember where all the trees and shrubs and flowers used to be. The only thing I could recall clearly was the magnificent old magnolia that used to carpet the yard with thick, pink waxy petals every spring. We lost that tree about fifteen years ago, and my memories of everything else seem to have faded along with it.  

Fortunately, some of the old photos my sister and I just found have brought the yard back to life. The terraced flower beds my mother designed...the lovely, shady rear corner of the yard...the thick shrub border that used to screen the pool from the driveway. There's even a picture of the ancient flowering crab apple in the front yard - which is still alive, though under serious threat from heavy overgrowth of ivy around its trunk.

It was a wonderful surprise to find these pictures, not just because they fill in the missing colors and textures in my memory, but because seeing how pretty the yard used to be softens the harshness of the current landscape. There's a gorgeous acre+ of gently rolling property surrounding the house. Just imagine what a lovely space this can be again.

NOW: Back view across the empty yard. The grass has mostly overrun the railroad ties that framed the flower beds and the steps leading down into the lawn. This would all look lovely rebuilt with some nice blue stone or brick. 

THEN: Back view with the old magnolia in full bloom, a newly built flower terrace, and early tulips in the background. This image dates to the late 1980s or early 1990s.

NOW: The pool, looking towards the driveway. Imagine a line of lush shrub roses interspersed with some stately columnar evergreens in place of this forlorn, falling-down fence...

THEN: The pool (and some visitors), sometime in the early 1990s. This is also looking towards the driveway. There were lots of mature shrubs as well as some flower beds along the edge.

NOW: The back corner of the yard, which slopes down from the pool. The garage, to the right, has seen better days and needs to be replaced. The white building on the left is the neighbor's garage.  

THEN: The same corner, the first spring after some new flower beds and a flagstone path were installed. Eventually there was more soil and mulch added and it was all so pretty and shady. That's the same neighbor's garage in the background.

NOW: With so little else to brighten the landscape the day I was there, it was wonderful to find a handful of my mother's tulips still bravely blooming, tucked into a sheltered spot near the basement steps.

THEN: The front of the house as it looked in the early 1990s, the original black-and-white scheme newly upgraded with a fresh coat of white paint, new red-brown roof and matching shutters. It really set off the brick steps and walk. And of course, the old crab apple was as pretty as ever.

 

From the beginning...

The back yard as it looked in the late 60s. The attic fan is still there. 

A quick update on the status of 920 Cedar Brook: according to a realtor friend who was kind enough to look in the MLS for us last weekend, the house is "in attorney review." Given that the house is also a short sale and bank owned, I don't know how complex this process might be--or what the odds are the sale will move forward.

We all have our fingers crossed.

In the meantime, on my last visit to Plainfield, my sister and I dug through a large pile of old boxes and discovered a treasure trove of photos...some of which I didn't even know existed. And as luck would have it, a friend of mine at work has recently started a neat little photo scanning business. She just finished digitizing about 30 images for me. So here's a quick look at the house in our first years there. I will do another post shortly with more recent pictures of the front and back yards. 

Summer 1968 - the year we moved in. 

My mother's first big project: The pool!

 

We lived in that pool all summer, every summer...and so did our friends.. This image is from about 1970. Eventually all our own children enjoyed it as much as we did. I wish I had a picture of my mother floating on a raft, coated with Bain du Soleil...iced tea glass in hand... She loved her house, but the pool was her favorite room.

Inside, right after we moved in. This is one of the large front bedrooms. Love that  40s wallpaper! (My mother was not a fan; it was quickly replaced.)

The dining room with 1940s/50s  formal style.

 

The dining room after re-wallpapering and painting. It was a great place for a birthday party.

The foyer as it was in 1968, before the floors were stripped and refinished.

My mother and grandmother in the foyer on Christmas morning, a year or so later.

Blueprints

One day, maybe a year or so after we moved into 920 Cedar Brook, my mother took out the original blueprints for the house. They'd been left up on the top shelf of the coat closet in the side entrance hall, neatly rolled in a brown paper wrapper. She spread them out on the dining room table and I was fascinated. Here was every tiny detail of every room in the house, so carefully planned and drawn and labeled. The big screened porch was called the Piazza. The room in the back hall, between the stairs and the bedroom over the kitchen, was the Sewing Room.

Of course, I immediately needed to try my own hand at planning houses, and spent many happy hours doodling away on imaginary floor plans for houses like mine. But perhaps more importantly, I found myself increasingly intrigued by the architecture of old houses in general, along with their history and furnishings, especially from the Colonial period.

That Christmas my parents gave me a book called Great Houses of America. I read it over and over again, and it left an impression on me that never completely faded, although I went long stretches of my life focused on other things. Wherever I went, though, that book went with me.

Fast forward.

Many years later,  I was searching for a table. We’d found an amazing pair of late 1930s mahogany corner cabinets with beautiful Federal style details on Craigslist.  And for some reason, I thought it would be easy to find a table to match.

It wasn’t. In fact, it took months, partly because we were on an Ebay/Craigslist budget. And partly because none of the dozens of 1930s/40s Duncan Phyfe claw foot tables I was seeing felt right. When I finally found what I wanted, I realized the real problem was that I’d been looking for something I’d seen long ago, in my Great Houses of America book.

And of course, finding the table was actually just the beginning of another story. It was indeed perfect - mahogany, with an elegant oval shape, tapered legs and six delicate Federal style chairs - but it was out in someone's garage in Tucson, and it was a mess...scratched, stained, missing bits of trim and veneer. It was everything I wanted, and the price had dropped to an amazing $250, but...was it fixable? Was I crazy? Would I ever find another one like it? I finally sent pictures to a local furniture refinisher and held my breath. Surprisingly, he said he could restore it, and he did. It turned out beautifully, and it was worth every penny we spent bringing it out here. And back to life.

Tonight, looking at the table, it occurred to me that the real reason it's here is because of where I came from.  I was lucky enough to grow up in a house that opened my eyes to architecture, design, and history - and that gift is something I need to give back.

Which brings me back to where I started with this blog. Houses like 920 Cedar Brook matter. They teach us so many things, and as I’ve said before, frame our views in ways we don't even realize. Houses like this can't be lost, even in stressful economic times. They need to be rescued and restored and loved, because they won't be built like that again.

I have new/old pictures to post...I will do so soon. I've been away from this post for a while because of work and other issues, and I'm not entirely certain what's happened with the sales status of 920 Cedar Brook. But it doesn't seem to be listed as on the market right now. I am afraid to get my hopes up.

I soon as I have clarification, I will post an update.

All I want for Christmas...

It's been a quiet year here inside 920 Cedar Brook Road. The sun still beams through my windows every morning, and I can hear the sounds of the neighborhood--dogs, cars, laughter, children playing--all around. And people still come and go occasionally. They wander up and down my stairs, pointing and talking. I wait patiently, hoping they will stay and brush away the cobwebs and echoes. But then the door closes, and it's quiet again.


Sometimes it's difficult being a house.

And now that it's Christmas, it's a bit more difficult. Christmas was always special here. There's nothing quite like being dressed up with sparkling lights and holiday finery to make a house feel elegant...and loved.


I've lost count of all the Christmas mornings that have unfolded in a rustle of fancy paper and ribbon and boxes and gleeful children, but there have been many. And every year, Santa knew just what was on everyone's list.


So perhaps this is a good year to make my own Christmas list. It's a little more complicated than most, but if Santa and his elves can get a good head start, maybe I'll get everything I'm dreaming of...maybe even before next Christmas. After all, I've been a very good house. 


I'll start the list with...

1. A new family
This is the most important thing of all: a family who will bring me back to life. If possible, a dog and cat would also be nice. Dogs love racing around the backyard. Cats love chasing each other up and down the stairs. They also have three levels of windows for birdwatching.

The side porch, off the driveway

2. A fresh coat of paint
My facade has good bones and many elegant details, but it's looking a bit shabby; the last coat of paint wasn't my best color and it's already peeling. Some proper scraping and sanding is definitely in order.


3. Window dressing
I'm not sure why, but a number of shutters were removed recently and not replaced. (Some of these are stacked in the garage.) Others were not hung correctly and have come loose. It's really quite embarrassing. 


4. Porches, please
Weather can be hard on old railings and columns. But they're very elegant when they're neat and freshly painted. A good carpenter would be very welcome, especially before the piazza gets any looser or more worn out.

The piazza and front landscaping

5. A pretty yard 
Thankfully, the old rhododendrons were replaced with new evergreens in the front, but the shaded garden in the back is gone, as are the beautiful flowers and terraces that used to surround the pool. There's ample space for more flowering trees and shrubs all around the yard. The elegant herringbone brick walk in the front yard needs to be uncovered. A new back fence would also be nice.  

Third floor bedroom

6. Smooth ceilings and gleaming floors
Most of the ceilings have begun to flake because the paint is so old. On the driveway side, water has also gotten in around the chimney in two places, causing some discoloration. All the hardwood floors could use a proper sanding and buffing to shine again. 

View from top of back stairs

7. Paint, paper, and polish
The walls are square and strong, and the woodwork is solid, but an elegant makeover is definitely in order...from top to bottom. The original light fixtures need to be restored, and the rooms redone in more classic colors and patterns. Some things have also happened in a few places that simply need to be fixed (starting with replacing the long section of plaster in the bedroom that was recently converted to an entertainment room).

A corner in the kitchen

 8. A new kitchen
It's been a long, long time since anyone did anything to brighten up the kitchen. But it's huge, with lots of windows, two pantry closets, and a big breakfast room. Some elegant granite counters would be nice...perhaps some glass-front cabinets to match the butler's pantry...a classic black and white tile floor....there are so many possibilities. There's also ample space for a nice island in the center, perhaps with shelving for display or cookbooks.


The long outside wall can even accommodate a washer and dryer. And on a hot summer day, the pool is just steps away...
                


Wrapping up
There are many more small things that could be added to my wish list, but this is already enough to keep the elves busy for quite some time. So for now,


Merry Christmas from 920 Cedar Brook Road and thank you for sharing my story!

The Huntsman mansion: A jewel in the Queen City

920 Cedar Brook Road as it looks today

I now have answers to all my questions about the house, thanks to some very kind and supportive people in the Planning Division of Plainfield's Public Works Department, as well as in the Plainfield Public Library.

I will start at the beginning...

The elegant house to which this blog is dedicated (and which now sits empty, waiting for its next owner) is in Plainfield, New Jersey.  It was built in 1914 on Cedar Brook Terrace, later renamed Cedar Brook Road.  The entire acre-plus property was once part of a large farm that was settled in the 18th century by the Webster and Martine families. The Martine house (or 1717 house, as it's often called), is still there, just down the street on Brook Lane. It is one of Plainfield's most famous early homes.  

The architects
I have always wanted to know the name of the architect who designed this house. Now I do. In fact, there were two: August Marsh and Otto Gette. Based in New York, the architectural firm of Marsh & Gette built homes for many wealthy Plainfield families between the years of about 1905 to 1920. The online Detwiller Blueprint Collection at the Plainfield Library includes complete blueprints for many of them. I've also found a 9-page article in an issue of the The Architectural Record from 1917 that showcased three of Marsh & Gette's Plainfield projects: two private homes and a rectory. (One of those homes, I was surprised to discover, is the beautiful gray stone mansion that sits almost directly across the street from my house, at the corner of Watchung Avenue and Cedar Brook Road.)

I couldn't help wanting to know more about both men.

Augustus L.C. Marsh was a Plainfield resident. Independent of his collaboration with Mr. Gette, he designed "many fine residences in Plainfield," according to John Grady and Dorothea Pollard's book on Plainfield history and architecture. He is also credited with building the original Plainfield YMCA and the Elks Club.

Otto J. Gette lived in the New York area. I've found examples of his work  in multiple resources, including a Ladies Home Journal annual book of house plans (Journal Houses, circa 1916). I suspect I've only scratched the surface, but I do know that in addition to elegant homes in Plainfield, he also designed some remarkable brownstones in Brooklyn and the magnificent Yonkers Bath House #4.

The owners

920 Cedar Brook Road as it looked in 1926

The house was originally built for John F. Huntsman and his wife Maud. It is referred to on the blueprints as "The Huntsman Mansion." (If the 1930 New York Social Blue Book listing I've dug up is correct, Mr. and Mrs. Huntsman also raised four children there.)  Mrs. Huntsman eventually sold the house to the Murchison family in 1943, who in turn sold it to my parents in 1968. This means that over the course of nearly a hundred years, the house has only had four owners. Its next owners will be the fifth.




The Head Archivist at the Plainfield Library sent me a link to the entire set of original blueprints. Although it's difficult to see the smaller details, there are 9 complete drawings, representing both exterior elevations and interior floor plans. Interestingly, there was apparently once a very elaborate scheme for the back of the house (a dramatic two-story porch with grand pillars) that, for reasons I will never know, was scaled back to the much simpler arrangement that exists today.

A quick footnote about the Plainfield Library: they have an amazing local history collection that includes everything from documents and photographs to books, blueprints, maps, newspapers, personal papers, and other important records for Plainfield and some of its surrounding communities.

The town

1927 ad (Credit: Grady & Pollard)

Plainfield's architectural history is its own fascinating story, and I can't do it full justice here. But by the early 20th century, The Queen City had grown from its simple 18th century farm origins into a flourishing bedroom community for wealthy New York commuters. Since then, the city has seen its share of achievements and challenges, but it remains unique and beautiful...with wide, tree-lined streets and an amazing diversity of architecture. Fortunately, it also has an active Historic Preservation Commission, and several of Plainfield's mansion-era neighborhoods are now designated historic districts, including parts of Hillside Avenue and West Eighth Street.

All of Cedar Brook Road, which spans a long block on either side of the 1717 Martine farm house, has also been recommended for inclusion as a historic district. I hope this happens. Even in a city full of architectural treasures, Cedar Brook Road is special, and this particular house is one of its sparkling jewels.

The library...waiting for new books

My dream is to help 920 Cedar Brook find a new owner who will treasure its legacy and help it shine long into the 21st century.   

Next up...the house has a long Christmas wish list, which will help me put some of its strengths and needs into perspective. For now, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks once again to everyone who made time to fill in the blanks and share the names and dates that define the house's early history.

Credits:

The City of Plainfield, Department of Public Works and Urban Development
Plainfield Public Library, Local History Department
Plainfield, New Jersey's History & Architecture. John Grady and Dorothe Pollard,  Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen, PA 2008.
1930 New York Social Blue Book
Journal Houses, Issued by the Ladies Home Journal. Curtis Publishing Co., Philadelphia, PA 1916
The Architectural Record, Vol. 41, 349-358 (courtesy of Google Books)
Plainfield Garden Club, Member Page for Mrs. Frederick Washburn Yates (http://andyswebtools.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-pa.cgi?d=plainfield-garden-club&type=4413)
Building of the day: 849-855 Jefferson Avenue Web site (http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2010/06/building-of-the-85/#849-jeff2-2)
Rob Yasinsac's Yonkers Public Bath #4 online photo essay (http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/yasinsac/yonkers/bath4-1.html)