Our friend and advisor Giovanna went to Kingston Public Record Department and requested the property record cards for our house. The cards are quite small so the photographs are probably 2″ square, hence why the quality isn’t that great when enlarged. That said it’s great to see the house looking finer in earlier years. Thank you Giovanna.
By 1994 the house is looking a little sad and it’s pretty much been downhill from there 🙁 I feel we are still going downhill but Aimee and I have our heels down and dug in [spfx: sparks flying] and are trying to decelerate the decline.
The date of the photograph with all the sun shades is unknown, the 1956 and 1994 property cards all have a list of owners and dates, so maybe this card is a precursor.
Update 5-28-18 I was talking to the Mama Dot who is the lady who lives opposite. Mama Dot has been living in the same house for 60 odd years and she remembers the house when it has sun shades, which is around 1958.
The sun shades in the undated photograph were probably installed to keep the rooms cool and it would be interesting to know how well they worked. I like this simple approach that people had before electrical AC took over. Maybe we can try something similar.
We are appealing for any photographs people may have of this house. One of next projects is an enquiring letter to all people with the surname of Gill listed in our local public property tax roll.
The first picture took my breath away! It’s gorgeous! If you are able to restore the intricate detailing in the front, please please don’t cover it with awnings! I actually love awnings, but I love the facade more. Just my humble opinion ;). You can do this! It’s a marathon not a sprint ;). I love seeing these types of pictures and this makes me want to find pictures of our own house built in 1936.
Hi Sarah, thank you for your reply. Yes the scroll work etc on the front of the is special and it will be restored at some point and trust me we won’t do anything to spoil the house 🙂 I’m really looking forward to working on the balcony but that will have to wait until we sort out some of the bigger issues.
Concerning photos of your house, see if there are any local history books on your neighbourhood and doesn’t the one next door have a historical plaque? Also local historical societies may be able to help you. Good luck!!!!