Zimmerman house

Plain vs decorative

• Plain areas would correspond to service zones. Later, with the elimination of servants, these were changed to be more usable as core parts of the family home. This means that area may be upgraded, which would entail making it more ornate and less plain. However, it is very unlikely that it would be devolved to be more plain and less ornate. As a result, over time, areas that are more plain may be understood to be older service areas and among the most original parts of the house.

Handmade vs machine made

• Woodwork by hand is characterized by slight variations in width over long lengths. This makes it easier to identify trim that may be done by hand.

• Woodwork done by hand may be understood as older and corresponds to perhaps the original phase of the house. Woodwork produced by machines would be newer, likely installed from the 1930s onward or even the 1890s onward.

The main entrance would have likely been slightly more plain, as evidenced by several key features. This is surprising, as the stairs themselves are a stunning feature of the house.

• The foyer had almost no space for hanging paintings. This suggests that it was not intended for visitors to spend significant amounts of time.

• The foyer is actually quite small, suggesting it was not intended for gatherings of people.

• The stairs are designed to totally conceal the upstairs, suggesting it was viewed in large part as an interface between domains (public and family; indoor and outdoor) rather than a major domain in and of itself.

• The stairs lead directly into the doorways for the entertaining spaces, rather than serving as venues for dramatic entries on the steps themselves.

• The present-day doorway under the stairs likely opened onto a space for servants, as described later.

From the main entrance are two rooms. Facing the stairs, there is a northwest room to the left, and a southwest room to the right.

Northwest room.

• This was likely a formal drawing room for entertaining visitors.

• It contains a south door leading to the foyer, north and west windows facing the road, and an east door leading to the dining room.

• The doors and windows all have identical casing. Also, doors are identical, and handmade, with the same style on either side.

Northeast room.

• The northeast room was likely a dining room.

• It opens onto its own patio, which would have been an expert feature for entertaining guests before and after dinner.

• It has a doorway leading onto the breezeway, which would have connected the basement kitchen with the dining room.

• The Gregorys installed a kitchen and a pantry after the dining room. If these small rooms were original at all, they likely served as a butler’s pantry (now the kitchen) and a small servant’s room (now the pantry) where a servant could sleep overnight to guard the silverware.

The southwest room was likely a music room.

• There was a nook, perhaps for a chamber orchestra.

The southeast room was likely an office or library.

• There is a closet in the room, which would have been useful for certain items like jackets.

• The southeast room had access to the service stairs.
  


Northwest bedroom.

Northeast bedroom and upper north patio

Southwest bedroom.

Southeast bedroom.

Family sitting room

Upper west patio

Solarium

Service stairs

• The service stairs have undergone the greatest changes in the the 21st CENT.
  


Breezeway

Basement

Courtyard

Kitchen and pantry

Lower breezeway

Basement

Door and window casing

• The moulding around the doors and windows are characterized throughout by the use of plinth blocks and rosettes, as opposed to any miter joints. (Although the exterior does make use of architraves.) The mouldings come in several types.

• Fluted casing.

• Cavetto casing.

• Tray and reed. This was used in the northwest room uniformly

• Plain plinth

• Rosettes.

Doors

• The doors in the house are mostly split into two categories.

• There are handmade doors without the use of nails, and without applied details.

• There are produced doors with nails and applied details which show some degree of separation.

Baseboard

• The baseboard is totally uniform throughout the house, with two components: a lower baseboard that is flat, and an upper baseboard that is more decorative.

• The lower flat baseboard should be examined for indications of handmade work.

• The upper decorative baseboard should be examined for indications of whether it was handmade.

Crown moulding

Ceilings

Fireplaces

Light fixtures