Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Terrell Tribune Online Edition > Features > City of beautiful homes
Terrell Tribune Online Edition > Features > City of beautiful homes: "Tom and Nancy Aldinger stand in front of their historic Griffith Avenue Home. The couple, who moved from Dallas to Terrell in 2006, have worked tiredlessly to restore the house to its original charm and have worked hard to ensure its is enjoyed by the entire community."
City of beautiful homes
Tom and Nancy Aldinger stand in front of their historic Griffith Avenue Home. The couple, who moved from Dallas to Terrell in 2006, have worked tiredlessly to restore the house to its original charm and have worked hard to ensure its is enjoyed by the entire community.
Tom and Nancy Aldinger stand in front of their historic Griffith Avenue Home. The couple, who moved from Dallas to Terrell in 2006, have worked tiredlessly to restore the house to its original charm and have worked hard to ensure its is enjoyed by the entire community.
Couple restores one of community’s beloved historic homes
By Tricia Scruggs
Published: Monday, March 8, 2010 9:30 AM CST
Among the many remarkable aspects of Terrell is its housing stock.Brimming with architectural diversity, the city can lay claim to some of the state’s most historically rich residences. And, nowhere is that more evident than on tree-lined Griffith Avenue where a large, white-columned, stop-the-car Victorian anchors the boulevard of antique charmers.“It’s very unique,” said Nancy Aldinger who with her husband Tom purchased the property in 2006 after he caught a glimpse of it in a luxury real estate magazine that had been sitting in her sewing room.A little research revealed the picturesque dwelling was located in Terrell. That very day,, a rainy Saturday, the couple drove out from Dallas without so much as an address and located their future home.“I was curious to see if it was as big as it looked in the picture,” Tom recalled. “It was astounding. We drove by this thing and I went, ‘golly look at the size of it.’ It’s all porches, and that’s what makes it look so big.”Long before the Aldingers, the Cartwright family inhabited the 7,200-square-foot mansion. Originally constructed in 1883, the house was built for Matthew Cartwright and his wife Mary Davenport Cartwright.“They raised 10 children here,” Tom said as he pointed to a framed, black-and-white photograph of the family. “That picture was taken right here on the front porch, in 1905.”According to family history, the house was built of yellow pine and cypress and had no electricity, plumbing or kitchen. It was considered a “transitional hybrid of Revival and Second Empire” style. The original hardware is solid brass. Walnut trees from the Cartwright’s land were sent to St. Louis for processing into useable lumber and millwork and make up the doors, windows, frames and wainscoting. The ceilings are 12 feet high and there are nine fireplaces.
“You can’t put a price on it because it’s irreplaceable,” Tom said.According to the Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin, the Cartwright family arrived in Texas in the spring of 1820 and settled in what is now San Augustine County in East Texas. Legend has it, the elder Matthew Cartwright sent his son to Terrell to avoid retaliation after he fatally shot a man in San Augustine.Whether that tale is true or not, one thing is fact. The impressive house the younger Cartwright built remained in the family until 1995 when it was sold to Arthur and Jeanne Hendon. In 2001, Joe and Sadie Bostick took ownership before selling to the Aldinger’s in May 2006.Their labor of love began within months. It meant living with constant restoration work for nearly a year-and-a-half before calling it done. During the journey, though, they made many improvements and discoveries.One of the most needed structural betterments was installing steel supports to replace the sinking wood piers that held up the porches. Dirt-caked bottles and miles of old, aluminum wiring were found beneath the structure. It was also learned the gazebo had been relocated more than once, for reasons unknown. Along the way, the home was even modified to accommodate sisters who inherited the house.“When we first moved in there were two doorbells,” Tom said. “There are two driveways, two side entrances and there are two sewer systems. These ladies were serious. They were going to divide this place in half.”One of the guys working on the restoration even shed light on a personal connection with the Cartwright-Aldinger house.“Well, I was told by one of the painters that his grandmother lived here, upstairs, and rented a room,” Nancy said. “There are locks on everything in a fashion that would keep the rooms private and they’re all still there. I think the sisters lived downstairs and they didn’t use the upstairs so they rented it out.”These days, the Aldingers aren’t housing any boarders. They’re simply enjoying time spent with their three children and seven grand-children in what many see as a showplace, but they consider home.In 2008, the year the house turned 125, more than 1,000 people visited. Various parties, galas and fundraisers have been hosted there and drivers-by often stop to take pictures. Yet, Nancy is quick to note there are many other beautiful, historic residences in Terrell. Some restored, some not.“It’s a huge commitment,” she said. “You’ve made a commitment to the house and to the community, I believe. You don’t buy something like this and not take care of it. It’s a big personal and financial commitment.”Tom concurred.“If it’s a husband and wife team, they have to go into [a restoration project] with an understanding that they’re eyes are open, and you must prepare a budget ahead of time,” he said.“And then double it,” Nancy added with a chuckle. “We’re not kidding about that part.”
Tom and Nancy Aldinger stand in front of their historic Griffith Avenue Home. The couple, who moved from Dallas to Terrell in 2006, have worked tiredlessly to restore the house to its original charm and have worked hard to ensure its is enjoyed by the entire community.
Tom and Nancy Aldinger stand in front of their historic Griffith Avenue Home. The couple, who moved from Dallas to Terrell in 2006, have worked tiredlessly to restore the house to its original charm and have worked hard to ensure its is enjoyed by the entire community.
Couple restores one of community’s beloved historic homes
By Tricia Scruggs
Published: Monday, March 8, 2010 9:30 AM CST
Among the many remarkable aspects of Terrell is its housing stock.Brimming with architectural diversity, the city can lay claim to some of the state’s most historically rich residences. And, nowhere is that more evident than on tree-lined Griffith Avenue where a large, white-columned, stop-the-car Victorian anchors the boulevard of antique charmers.“It’s very unique,” said Nancy Aldinger who with her husband Tom purchased the property in 2006 after he caught a glimpse of it in a luxury real estate magazine that had been sitting in her sewing room.A little research revealed the picturesque dwelling was located in Terrell. That very day,, a rainy Saturday, the couple drove out from Dallas without so much as an address and located their future home.“I was curious to see if it was as big as it looked in the picture,” Tom recalled. “It was astounding. We drove by this thing and I went, ‘golly look at the size of it.’ It’s all porches, and that’s what makes it look so big.”Long before the Aldingers, the Cartwright family inhabited the 7,200-square-foot mansion. Originally constructed in 1883, the house was built for Matthew Cartwright and his wife Mary Davenport Cartwright.“They raised 10 children here,” Tom said as he pointed to a framed, black-and-white photograph of the family. “That picture was taken right here on the front porch, in 1905.”According to family history, the house was built of yellow pine and cypress and had no electricity, plumbing or kitchen. It was considered a “transitional hybrid of Revival and Second Empire” style. The original hardware is solid brass. Walnut trees from the Cartwright’s land were sent to St. Louis for processing into useable lumber and millwork and make up the doors, windows, frames and wainscoting. The ceilings are 12 feet high and there are nine fireplaces.
“You can’t put a price on it because it’s irreplaceable,” Tom said.According to the Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin, the Cartwright family arrived in Texas in the spring of 1820 and settled in what is now San Augustine County in East Texas. Legend has it, the elder Matthew Cartwright sent his son to Terrell to avoid retaliation after he fatally shot a man in San Augustine.Whether that tale is true or not, one thing is fact. The impressive house the younger Cartwright built remained in the family until 1995 when it was sold to Arthur and Jeanne Hendon. In 2001, Joe and Sadie Bostick took ownership before selling to the Aldinger’s in May 2006.Their labor of love began within months. It meant living with constant restoration work for nearly a year-and-a-half before calling it done. During the journey, though, they made many improvements and discoveries.One of the most needed structural betterments was installing steel supports to replace the sinking wood piers that held up the porches. Dirt-caked bottles and miles of old, aluminum wiring were found beneath the structure. It was also learned the gazebo had been relocated more than once, for reasons unknown. Along the way, the home was even modified to accommodate sisters who inherited the house.“When we first moved in there were two doorbells,” Tom said. “There are two driveways, two side entrances and there are two sewer systems. These ladies were serious. They were going to divide this place in half.”One of the guys working on the restoration even shed light on a personal connection with the Cartwright-Aldinger house.“Well, I was told by one of the painters that his grandmother lived here, upstairs, and rented a room,” Nancy said. “There are locks on everything in a fashion that would keep the rooms private and they’re all still there. I think the sisters lived downstairs and they didn’t use the upstairs so they rented it out.”These days, the Aldingers aren’t housing any boarders. They’re simply enjoying time spent with their three children and seven grand-children in what many see as a showplace, but they consider home.In 2008, the year the house turned 125, more than 1,000 people visited. Various parties, galas and fundraisers have been hosted there and drivers-by often stop to take pictures. Yet, Nancy is quick to note there are many other beautiful, historic residences in Terrell. Some restored, some not.“It’s a huge commitment,” she said. “You’ve made a commitment to the house and to the community, I believe. You don’t buy something like this and not take care of it. It’s a big personal and financial commitment.”Tom concurred.“If it’s a husband and wife team, they have to go into [a restoration project] with an understanding that they’re eyes are open, and you must prepare a budget ahead of time,” he said.“And then double it,” Nancy added with a chuckle. “We’re not kidding about that part.”
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