 David Lanterman, owner of the houses, gave a part of his afternoon
to share what has been accomplished and what is yet on the horizon.
The home at 625 Pulaski is completed and very nearly ready for
tenants.
The home on the corner, 629, is just starting the process.
Lanterman's current goal is to have the roof replaced in order to
close it in over the winter months, thereby preventing any further
weather-related damage.
Overall plans being developed for 629 are to bring the house back
to the Victorian beauty she was in her day. This one will have more
of the "gingerbreading" than her sister, making them similar and yet
different.
One very good find early in the process was how well they were
built. The framing was done with both quality and craftsmanship.
Anyone who has remodeled knows that the biggest scare is what's
under the drywall. When this level of construction was found, there
was a sigh of relief for a lot of people.
You can't talk long with Lanterman about one house but what he
mentions the other house. While called twins, they are more like
mirrored opposites. As Lanterman pointed out, when facing them,
there are bump-outs on the left of 629 and on the right of 625. That
is because both the houses had exterior stairways as entrances. The
original structures had their stairways facing Pulaski Street. The
625 location currently has the upstairs apartment stairway in the
rear of the property.
The porches on both homes had been added at a later date. When
discovered at the 625 remodeling, the upstairs center window had a
beautifully curved base sweeping down until flush with the front of
the house. That detail was re-created, and the porch on this home
reflects more what the original would have been.
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Additional windows in this structure were replaced with modern
windows. The replacement windows were sized to the openings, those
being taller than conventional windows. Lanterman wanted this
feature to keep the home fitting with its past.
Original to its construction was the newly re-created ram's-crown
molding that tops and trims out the windows' exterior.
The early plans for porches on 629 will keep the style of the
present front porch, again adding more Victorian details. The former
upstairs entrance will be completed with a railed walk-out porch,
allowing the inhabitants a wonderful crow's-nest to enjoy a morning
cup of coffee. The entrance to the upstairs dwelling will be in the
rear as well.
Fencing between the fronts of the two homes will create a private
courtyard, making for a shared common space.
Each of the two buildings will consist of two flats. Each flat
will have two bedrooms and total approximately 800 square feet.
While Lincoln Community High School students in the building
trades program did the bulk of the restoration on 625, much of 629
will involve contractors. To date, all the contractors have been
local businesses.
When it's all said and done, Pulaski and Hamilton will be
something that downtown Lincoln can be proud of. It's a long
process, but that's what it takes to get to something better.
[By ROY LOGAN] |
