The house was built in 1927 for the
Robert W. Maxwell family for the sum of $18,000. The two-story red brick
dwelling has 10 foot ceilings, plantation shutters, and crown molding in the
living room and dining room ceilings. Robert Maxwell died in 1932 and his wife
died in 1939, leaving their son, Robert W. Maxwell Jr., as the sole heir of the
Maxwell estate. Robert, Jr. was drafted into the United States Military
Service in 1941 and the home was sold in 1945 to the St. Paul Methodist Church
as a parsonage. In 1951 the church sold the house to Mr. Tom Thurman and for the
next 48 years it was used as a photographic studio, tea room, gift shop, and
office suites.
Bob and Betty Weissinger purchased the
house in 1999 and the next eighteen months were spent restoring the house to its
1920’s elegance. It was necessary to tear out partitions, restore the kitchen,
tear out an old kitchen in one of the upstairs bedrooms, and add two baths so
each bedroom would have a private bath. The original glass and brass door knobs
were well preserved but had to be cleaned and polished. The original woodwork
was intact but had to be scraped, sanded, patched and painted. It was necessary
to repair cracked plaster walls and ceilings, remove track lighting and
fluorescent lighting in every room in the house. Carpets were removed to reveal
golden oak floors which are tongue and grooved and one inch thick. Seven light
fixtures stored in the garage were retrieved and restored. The beautiful
chandelier in the dining room had to be welded back together, rewired,
polished, and all brass pins replaced as well as some prisms.
Antiques collected through the years
are evident in each room throughout the house. Burgundy and navy colors
are used in the formal living room and dining room to give a warm radiance to
the spacious rooms. Each bedroom is furnished with antique beds and
special accent pieces. I hope you will continue your journey
through our web site and get a feel of the warm welcome that awaits you.
