Category: News

The trend to save these delightful relics What is a Carriage Barn? A carriage barn (also called a carriage house) is a building constructed near a larger home to store horse-drawn carriages. They   sometimes housed the coachman or caretaker on the upper floor.  Today there is a growing trend to repurpose these buildings into small second homes, garage apartments or guest houses [caption id="attachment_27940" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Chamberlin Carriage House in Hartford, Connecticut built in 1871[/caption] Carriage House Origins: Carriage houses came about in the era of the horse-drawn carriage in Great Britain.  Owning a horse-drawn carriage in the 1700s was a status symbol for wealthy families and they built carriage houses close to the house along with the necessary gear and operators. Homes that were built in the country…

In Memoriam... the first of my Lost American Architecture Series It's hard to fathom that this beautifully crafted Italian Renaissance Revival masterpiece that was built in the Victorian era and took ten years to construct, is now lost forever. Built to last in Amherst sandstone, the Detroit City Hall, in the state of Michigan, was the center of life in Detroit for almost 100 years. In fact I am currently putting the finishing touching on a painting that tells this very story. Paintings of other tragic architectural losses will follow, but this will be the first in my In Memoriam: Lost American Architecture series. The fate of this building that hosted eight presidents (Cleveland, McKinley, Taft, Wilson, Hoover, both Roosevelts and Truman) was sealed in 1961, when it became yet…

 My defining moment. Why did they tear it down? Every building with history has its own story and precious memories. Those of you who have witnessed the sudden disappearance of a home or building very dear to you, will understand the emotional impact and loss I felt that day. It was a defining moment I will always remember. It was the moment when I realized I had to tell the stories of beautiful historic structures through my art …. before it was too late.  The day started out well. I had traveled back home to New Zealand to see family and also take a nostalgic journey, re-tracing my artistic roots in Auckland, the city I grew up in and where I created my very first paintings of architectural subjects. My…

Road trip from Florida to Michigan Leaving Florida a few days ago, we continued our road trip heading north, through Kentucky and into South Carolina. This state is one of my favorites, with it’s diverse natural landscapes -- from Table Rock Mountain to the Chattanooga River to vast rolling farmland. Its architecture is equally varied due to early colonial influences, with roots to England. The architecture also reflects the impact that the African Slaves and other immigrants, such as the French Calvanist Huguenots, had on the state. History tells us that before the Civil War, the structures in South Carolina were mostly utilitarian and ornamentation was mostly absent. As towns and cities grew after the war the style trends widened and significant changes were seen in the architecture. Sadly, as…

How do historic homes become abandoned? When circumstances unexpectedly changed last month, my husband Bruce and I had no choice but to leave our beloved home in the delightful historic East Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids MI.  Rather than face the drudgery of finding a new home right away, we put our belongings in storage (once again) and hit the road.  We headed south for warmer weather, only barely escaping the frigid cold of Michigan that was beginning to creep in. On our road trips we always make it our mission to take off-the-main-road excursions from time to time and we are never disappointed.  Driving down Michigan and then into Ohio, besides enjoying the lovely countryside and the beauty of summer turning into fall, I could not help but notice the ever-growing…