In our 1904 historic home, The Den has many unique characteristics! The fireplace is the focal point of the room. It is decorated with Delft tile, an oak mantel and the overmantel made of leather. The walls are paneled with flemish oak that are connected together with bow tie joints. The study’s bay window has a relaxing builtin seating area. The room has oak sliding pocket doors. One of the most interesting features of this room is it has a staircase that leads down to a servant’s area, the Buffet. There seems to be a Dutch style elements in this room with the Delft tile and flemish oak.
The Den Prior to Restoration
Picture from MLS page prior to purchasing the house
Once I purchased the house, I started doing research on it. I was very lucky to come across original blueprints of the house. They were donated to Wright State University. The builder of the home was a prominent architect, Albert Pretzinger of Peters, Burns & Pretzinger.
The Den was beautiful in its original state when we bought the house, but what this picture does not show is the major issues that needed to be addressed.
- Holes in the ceiling from a water line break (the plumbing had duck tape holding it together)
- Old knob & tube wiring
- Ductwork that was disconnected
- The walls and ceiling were in pretty bad shape
So the remodeling began. Two years later, The Den is still under construction. Here are some things we have done in that time.
I believe that all the lighting in the Den is original to the house. The sconces were almost black when I purchased the house. I took them to Granger Lighting in Kentucky, they restored the finish and rewired them. Now you can see the beautiful colors on the sconces.