 WHALEY HISTORICAL HOUSE RESTORATION
Project Description:
The Whaley Historical House Association is in the process of raising $280,000 for the final phase of restoration of the Whaley Historical House Museum to its 1885 appearance. Architects have recreated the size and layout as close as possible to its original appearance by using plat maps and photos. The exterior will be restored to match the original house with the aid of documented photos.
The demolition of the west wing and the return of the decorative bay window will conserve energy by removing a poorly insulated, high ceiling space with a newly renovated energy friendly addition on the rear of the house.
As part of the restoration, a rear addition will be added to the house to meet today’s needs. The current kitchen will become a classroom /meeting room to accommodate visitors using the house. The laundry room will become an office for the Association and the pantry will become an ADA compliant bathroom to serve the public. In addition a new ramp to the house will help make the first floor available to everyone. Woodwork, plaster, and flooring will replicate materials used in the construction of the house in 1885.
The use of the summer kitchen as a classroom will facilitate the Association’s goal of conducting educational programming for schools and scouting groups in history, architecture, and genealogy; and will provide the opportunity to increase workshops for adults without harming the fabric of the original house.
With over 75 percent of the funds in hand or pledged, Sewick Construction was contracted to begin the rear addition in May 2005 with the understanding that the remaining portion of the restoration project can be added to the contract once money had been obtained or pledged. These projects will end the restoration phase of the Whaley House and allow the Association to address maintenance and programming in the future.
Project Details:
- Construction of the rear addition (summer kitchen) to match the original house. Rooms in the addition will include a bathroom, office, and classroom. This brick structure will have a simulated slate tile roof.
- Infill doors and windows put in by McFarlan Home that were not original.
- Demolition of the west wing of the house and infill the basement.
- Rebuild the west wall, restoring a decorative bay window on the second floor master bedroom per original photos.
- Restore the original first floor bathroom.
- Re-roof main house with faux slate.
- Repair front porch.
- Paint the entire house with original paint colors.
- Build the brick base for the eventual installation of an antique greenhouse donated by Gordon Anthony Florist
- The project goal is to complete the restoration of the house; adaptively reuse the summer kitchen as a classroom; and provide an ADA compliant restroom.
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History:
Whaley Historical House was the home of Robert and Mary Whaley from 1885 until their deaths in the 1920s. Mr. Whaley, the longest serving President of the Citizens Bank, is recognized for loaning William C. Durant funds to start the Flint Road Cart Company in 1886 which eventually lead to Mr. Durant’s founding of the General Motors Company here in Flint in 1908.
Whaley House is the last Victorian era home left on a street once lined with Flint pioneers’ homes. It sits strategically between the University of Michigan Flint campus and the Flint Cultural Center campus. On the opposite end of the Cultural Center is the home of Charles S. Mott, Applewood.
Upon Mrs. Whaley’s death in 1925, she set the house up as a home for elderly women naming it in honor of her family, The McFarlan Home. In 1928, McFarlan Home did major renovation to the house that removed a rear section of the house and added a western addition. In building the western addition to meet the needs of the elderly ladies, an ornate bay and original bathroom were removed from the west end of the house.
In the 1940s the house was connected to the Whiting House directly to the west of the house for additional space. When the I-475 expressway came through in 1972, the Whiting house was demolished for the service drive of the expressway. A new McFarlan home residence was built on the Whaley property to the east of the original home. The house was donated to the Whaley Historical House Association in 1976 by McFarlan Home Inc. to be used as a historic house museum.
The Association has been successful in operating the house as a Victorian house museum since 1976. It has gathered a rich collection of Victorian furnishings, including a sizable collection original to the house from relatives of the Whaley family. Rooms that were divided up to offer more bedrooms and modern conveniences for the elderly women have been restored to their original condition. Original wallpaper and stenciled ceilings have been restored replicating the original designs found during the restoration and in photos. The porches were restored to their 1885 appearance and a decorative railing replaced on the library bay. A complete heating and cooling system replaced the 1936 steam system put in by the McFarlan home and insulation was added to assist in the conservation of energy. The Association is now able to control the environment year round to care for the museum furnishings.
General Information:
The museum is open by appointment during the week and on the Third Saturday of each month from noon to 3 p.m. The house is available for weddings, receptions, parties, and meetings.
For Additional information Contact:
810-235-6841
www.whaleyhouse.com |
