Historic Marker Dedication – Ritter Birthplace

A perfect day was ordered up for the historic marker dedication at the Cardinal Joseph E. Ritter Birthplace. Over a hundred guests were in attendance.

In case you missed it make sure to peruse the gallery of photographs at Ted's photo website.

The Marker

Pictures just for the heck of it in downtown New Albany

Here are few photographs taken on a recent stroll around downtown New Albany.

Why?

Why not?

Installment 11: Flat roof and box gutters “dried in”. And this time they’re dry.

It was the Sunday before last when the tear off of the flat over the front porch took place. It was probably 15 to 20 years old. Flat roof’s can be problematic, especially when maintenance is deferred. I had two trouble spots that had leaked at various times over the last four years.

There are no leaks now. In fact, you could say it’s “dried in”.

The last box gutter got lined this weekend. As far as the roof and gutters are concerned – Ted is happy.

The dumpster has departed. It will be missed. I’ve rather enjoyed having it around for the last couple weeks. It comes in handy for purging unwanted items. I’ve purged quite a bit.

Some window work is next on the task list. It’ll be a miracle if I don’t break one.

Installment 10: Pandora's Box Gutters - progress report on Ted's house

No tack on aluminum gutters for me anymore. The project for the last the couple weeks has been to restore the original box gutters (aka “built in” gutters). This has involved:

*Tearing out the section of roofing that had been covering them
*Removing the old metal that had lined the gutters
*Replacing rotted wood
*Relining the gutters

This task is the last of what I consider “major” work that needs to be done. Once the roof and guttering are done, the remaining work is purely cosmetic – scrapping, repairing, sanding, priming and painting clapboards. There’ll also be window reconditioning to do. And then there’s the pending new driveway and grading around the home to remedy water issues in the basement. And of course there’s the new landscaping that will be done and a courtyard/deck area in the back of the house. Oh, and I can’t forget about the ceiling repairs that need to be done after the recent water damage.

I just need another decade or two and it’ll be perfect!

Progress on 11th Street - revitalization ain't easy

Last week I visited 1746 Ekin Ave as work is getting underway for the restoration there. This week I strolled a couple blocks from my home to see the progress at 921 E. 11th Street. Here are the before and current shots:

The story is the same here as it was at 1746 Ekin – steady decline, upset neighbors and a home scheduled for demolition. But Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana intervened, worked with the owner and helped find a buyer ready to start work immediately to stabilize the home. Mr. Greg Doty purchased the home and the work is underway.

Residents of the S. Ellen Jones Neighborhood Association are pleased that the home will not become another vacant lot.

This sign of progress was tempered with an act of senseless vandalism at the Cardinal Ritter Birthplace. One of the large storefront windows was broken this week.

This act occurred the same week that the original, restored front door was added back to the home.

In the short term, the broken window means nothing. In the long term, the steady reclamation of the Ritter home is what is most important. Perseverance is a quality Cardinal Ritter was known for and a quality the neighborhood is going to need.

Nobody said revitalization was easy.

Installment 9: Cascading waterfalls in my living room

Each new weekend (rehabilitating my home) brings me delightful experiences that broaden my know-how relating to house restorations.

I’m peppered with new terms and phrases continuously. Here’s the phrase from this past weekend – “dry in a roof”. It sounds simple enough. If a roof is “dried in”, it implies that no water will get into your home. It will not leak.

Here’s an example used in conversation:
Homeowner: “Is my roof dried in?”
Roofer: “Yes sir, your roof is dried in”.

My roof replacement began last Wednesday. It’s the first time in my life as a homeowner that I’ve ever had a roof replaced. I was excited. The excitement didn’t last.

I was told the roof was “dried in” on Friday. On Saturday I discovered it was not. I love waterfalls, but not in my house. No homeowner horror compares to seeing water cascading down an interior plaster wall.

The damage was not that bad due to some quick action and a thankfully short rain storm. I’ve learned, in great detail, how to “dry in” a roof. I’ve also learned that no matter how good it would have felt in the short term to apply a hammer to another persons head, the long term consequence of that action would not have been beneficial to Ted.

Life and the work on the house go on. I’ll share some pictures of the roof another time. Despite the problems, I really love it.

The Sweet Sounds Rehabs and Restorations - 1746 Ekin Ave

This summer, the sound of hammers and saws can be heard all over the city. Over the next couple weeks I plan to visit and feature rehabs in progress around the area.

The home at 1746 Ekin Avenue – in the Uptown Neighborhood Association – was my first stop. The work is moving right along.

New owner Greg Doty has had crews at the house working hard. The improvement is striking. Mr. Doty acquired the home from Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana (HLFI). It was HLFI who worked with the previous troubled homeowner to save the home from demolition.

The home had been in steady decline over the last two decades. Neighbors were fed up. The home had hit the city demolition list but thankfully the Building Commission had the patience and foresight to allow the time needed for HLFI to facilitate the transfer of the home to a preservation minded buyer. This tale appears to be on the way to a happy ending for all.

Installment 8: Progress report on Ted’s house – 1/39th of the way done! Cause for celebration

We got ourselves a final coat of paint on another part of the house. I’ll have an extra brew this evening to celebrate. The following slide show tells the tale better than my babbling.

One step forward typically means a step backwards somewhere else. We found more rotted wood here than was anticipated. It’s going to be a long hot summer…

Installment 7 - Work Continues after a week long Siesta

I took a week off. I spent a little time at the Outer Banks, North Carolina. It was a great trip. However, there was a little bit of house work done before and after the trip.

We’ve got some trim work back on the porch which I’m really happy about.
Box gutters have been gutted and returned.


It’s progress.

Installment 6 – You just can’t rush this stuff

I ran out of gas Monday. Three days of manual labor in a row? I'm pooped. But I did manage to finish stripping the south and west side of the porch and get a coat of primer on it. Next will be: replacing the trim work ripped off when the vinyl went on, soffit replacement where needed and then a top coat of paint.

Of note, I did not hit my head on anything and "soffit" does not appear to be a word that spell checker recognizes.

David Barksdale receives National Preservation Award

David Barksdale is the face of preservation and history in New Albany. It’s his passion. To know Dave is to know he shares many characteristics with the Energizer bunny – he just keeps going and going.

If there’s anything going on in New Albany concerning preservation or history, Dave most likely organized it, promoted it, ran it and then starts planning to do it again.

Prior to yesterday’s Mansion Row Walking Tour (the last local event of Preservation Month) the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution recognized this fact by awarding him their Historic Preservation Medal. The Painkeshaw Chapter of the DAR are caretakers of Scribner House, which was the perfect location for the award presentation.

The national award is presented to individuals or groups whose study and/or promotion of some aspect of American history-on the regional or national level-has significantly advanced the understanding of America’s past.

Good job Dave!

Installment 5 – (Progress report on Ted’s House) “If one more G—Damn thing hits me on the head….” & Lofty Ideas Downtown Walking Tour

I have a solid memory of the first time I heard my father curse. Dad piddled around a lot in the garage and yard (he still does). I was 8 or 9 at the time and was in his shadow most of the time.

Setting the scene - He was in the garage. I was asking goofy questions about what he was doing, why he was doing it, what was for lunch, why is the sky blue, etc.

I know he was looking for something but I don’t recall what. He was pulling stuff off a shelf and a hammer fell on his head. I imagine it must have been rather painful, but the piddling went on unabated. A few minutes later, I’ll be darned if a box of junk didn’t fall off another shelf and land square on top of his head.

The pain must have been pretty bad, because I remember him opening the overhead garage door and heading outside in an obvious effort to “walk it off” and not blurt the inevitable expletive that was to come. At that moment, the garage door came off its hinges and, you guessed it, hit him on the head.

It was then that he said, “If one more G—Damned thing hits me on the head....”.
It was one of those opened ended statements that we’ve all made at one time or another. I didn’t stick around to see what would happen if one more thing did hit him the head.

Even at that young age, I had an appreciation of good slapstick humor which I probably obtained from reruns of the Three Stooges. I laughed long and hard then and I’m laughing long and hard now.

What’s this got to do with work on my house? I hit my head three times when walking under the scaffolding set up on the front of my house. It hurt badly each time. However, I didn’t use an expletive but did chuckle to myself because of that memory.
Time was short this weekend (I sure say that a lot lately). But I did get some paint stripped. My painter did some work too. Progress is progress I suppose. And besides, I’ve got a three day weekend coming up! Yippee!

The Downtown Walking Tour was a huge success

The head count was 52 attendees for the “Lofty Ideas” Downtown walking tour this past Saturday – a National Preservation Month event. The weather was great. The tours were great. See a full spread of photographs here: Preservation Month Photographs - Lofty Ideas

The Cardinal Ritter Birthplace - blight removal

The before and after photographs are impressive. The first shot is from about 4 years ago. The second from last week.

It's hard to believe it's the same home - the Cardinal Ritter Birthplace - at 13th and Oak Street. Progress has been admittedly slow. But you can help speed it up by opening up the check book a little. Read all about the project at the Cardinal Ritter Birthplace Foundation website. Click on the "contact us" tab for donation information.

The Mission - taken from the Foundation website: "The Cardinal Ritter Birthplace Foundation aims to renovate the highly endangered birthplace and childhood home of Cardinal Joseph Elmer Ritter in New Albany, Indiana."

"...to develop the Ritter house into a dynamic community center that can provide a range of social services to residents both within the immediate neighborhood and the greater community."

"Funds are being sought to stabilize and restore the exterior of this landmark property to ensure its survival. Additional funds are also sought to ensure the building's future."

Installment 4 (reports on progress on my house restoration): Part 1 - Take it off, take it all off & Part 2 – Won’t you be my neighbor?

Part 1: Take it off, take it all off...

Time was short this weekend, but I did manage to hit the cornice work around the front porch. The old paint, which is alligatored and failing, is all coming off. I’m stripping, one provocative inch after another.

Part 2: Won’t you be my neighbor?

The home next door to me (844 Cedar Bough Place) is hitting the market soon. It has been vacant for over a year. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good house on a good street. If you’re up for a challenge, please call an agent and schedule a showing.

Beware that there’s a Ted lien against the property. I’ve been cutting the grass there for three years. The new owner will need to pay up with dinner at a local eatery of my choice and all the beer I can drink. I’ll consider the debt paid after that.

Here's a shot of the main stair through the front door. The original fireplaces are intact. There's a lot of original fabric left in the house.

The view from my front porch.

The "Bough" is calling for someone.....

Installment 3: Porno for Preservationists – and it’s Preservation Month

Home security is important. I’ll not deny that. The screen door that was on my house when I bought it was a “security” door. The security door, along with the monochrome vinyl, gave the house a distinct cell block feel. I was not fond of that at all.

Was the door necessary? Keep in mind that there are six foot windows around the entire house that a potential burglar could literally break and walk through. Perhaps the door was a bit of overkill?

Regardless, the door is gone, no doubt being melted down as I write this to supplement humvee armor in Iraq.
The replacement screen door is up. It’s a wooden door purchased from http://www.vintagedoors.com/. It’s my favorite house project to date. I love looking at it as I pull in the driveway. I love looking out of it from the inside. I love the way the stained glass glows through it at night. I love this door so much, I may ask it to marry me.

The gable on front of the house received its first top coat of paint this weekend. The return is nearly complete. It’s quite a contrast.

Don’t forget about Preservation Month activities. Check the right sidebar for more information. The first event is this Thursday, May 10th.