Dear all,

What a great forum you have here.

I am from Barcelona, Spain and come from a big family of architects. I grew up with my older brothers glued to Frank L. Wright and other A&C architects, so it was present in my life from an early age.

We moved to this country a year ago and we were very lucky to find this very nice home that I wan to share with you today. The home was made in 1907 and it's made of the most solid heavy brick I have seen in my live. It's called Purington Brick and they had the yards here in Galesburg...
I have been doing quite a bit of research as we'd like to preserve the home as original as possible, but we have quite a road ahead of us.
So I guess I will be coming back for your advice with many small and big issues...
I know that I am going to need a new roof soon. Any suggestions?

Also, can you give me your opinion as to what the style of the home is?

here are some links to both the outside and inside.

<broken links>

All the best Nick Gabarro

Welcome, and what a great home!

I have done some looking around on the internet for info on the Purington Brick Company and Galesburg, IL. It looks like the streets were paved with Purington brick.

The company made paving bricks until they switched to "face brick" used for buildings in 1948. Your home must have been built with pavers. The pavers weigh 9 lbs each!. It must be a solid place indeed.

Looking forward to seeing your progress, it looks like the place is nicely preserved.

Lauren

WoW!.....nice home. welcome. bien venido ....Looking very much along the line of a craftsman style house with other influences.

You probably already figuered that out though from the looks of the furniture.

Absolutely beautiful!



RiCO

Nick -

The style of your home is pretty eclectic as so many early 20th century American homes are. The overall detail and woodwork clearly marks it as an Arts & Crafts style though.

There are several elements that hint at a strong English tradition including the Tudor-esque arch over the porch stairs, the use of the beams that are almost half-timbered but seem more for emphasis, and the use of the diamond-paned windows. The brick work really grounds it and makes it feel classic.

The roof is pretty interesting the way the rafters extend over the gable ends.

Is the siding on the second story brick and stucco? It's hard to tell how it's composed. The overall effect is quite wonderful. It's unusual to see three different siding techniques combined to such pleasant effect.

Calling most homes a particular style is pretty subjective, so other forum members might have additional thoughts to share.

Congratulations on your new home! We'll be looking forward to seeing your improvements as time goes by.

Rikki

Hi Nick,
I see A&C in many of your interior details i.e. the coffered ceilings, built-ins and especially your beautiful staircase and the windows in the stairwell. However the white corbel looks out of place and probably not original.The rock on the fireplace, while nice, also looks added in later years. Sometimes the county accessors office will have photos for tax purposes ging back many years. Good luck with your project and welcome!
George V