| Mystery House | ||||||
Is this house a Victorian? |
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"This house belongs to my brother and sister-in-law. It is located in northwestern Illinois. It was built in 1913, and some of the wood trim they've removed to do work has markings that indicated it was shipped by train. They live in a small town, and the railroad is two blocks away. They seem to think it is some type of kit house, but I feel it is too large (roughly 2300 square feet). I have done some research on the Internet, and it looks to me that around that time it was common for builders to have the trim shipped by rail, even though the house was stick-built. When they purchased the home, the home inspector called it a Victorian flair, but I have never heard of that type of home. I do believe it is some type of Victorian, although the outside really has no features of a typical Victorian, like a porch, stained glass, or those tower-looking things. I have also been unable to find any pictures of existing houses that look like theirs. "The downstairs has a foyer, open staircase, living room, dining room, and kitchen with a pantry and room with a toilet, as well as an extra room that used to be the kitchen before they added on the newer kitchen about fifty years ago. There is some beautiful woodwork between the living room and what used to be the dining room. The doorway between has never had doors. And the ceilings are about 10-12 feet. The upstairs used to have four bedrooms and a small bath, but the bath and a bedroom were combined years ago, making a large bathroom and leaving three bedrooms. There is a small staircase that leads from the bathroom up to the attic. "My sister-in-law and I are interested in decorating, and would like to somewhat stay with period colors and ideas, but without knowing what to look to for inspiration, we are stuck." ~ beckyandbrad2001 Photo copyright © the homeowner |
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