Original oil painting by: Grandfather’s wife
One of the most influential people in Grandfather’s life as he was growing up was his maternal grandfather, Mr. James F. Miller.
He lived for many years in an elegant old home in Saginaw, Michigan; a relic from the days when Michigan’s virgin timber was harvested and the people who owned it were building impressive homes for themselves.
Among other things, it had massive oak woodwork which influenced Grandfather’s woodworking taste for the rest of his life. And it had golden stained glass bullseye windows in the front hall.
When Mr. Miller grew too old to remain at home (more about that later) the neighborhood was deteriorating and the house stood vacant; a target for vandalism and liability exposure.
Mr. Miller’s attorneys authorized Grandfather to take what he could salvage from the house. After that it was torn down, but the bullseye windows survived and are now installed in a farmhouse Grandfather’s son and his wife restored, modernized, and expanded:
One of Great Grandfather’s bullseye windows during the day (left), and at night.
Why did Mr. Miller have to leave his house in his old age? Because all of the entrances to the house were by way of long flights of steps. His inability to navigate steps; that’s all it took to run him out.
So Grandfather remembered that when he built the house he’s lived in for forty years, now.
It has three entrances, all on grade – no steps.
So Grandfather happily (in a manner of speaking) trundles his firewood into the house in a little cart, and continues to do everything else “flatwise” too.
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is an octogenarian in West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
They’re lovely, Dave. It’s nice that the workmanship survives long past the worker who made them.
And speaking of steps, our “new” place has only one step access, which could easily be converted to a ramp if necessary.
Before we bought this place, we considered building on a twenty-some acre lot that was given to us by my mother. I spent a lot of time reading about universal design, in case either one of us required a wheelchair at some point.
Universal design doesn’t require special things. It just needs the architect to consider all possibilities. Wider doorways, no stairs, turning space, and other things make the home accessible for whoever lives there, whatever their condition.
We don’t require wheelchairs here, at least not yet, but I sure wouldn’t want to hoof up the thirteen large steps we had in our last house, a large Victorian-style farmhouse built in the 1860’s, that had 12-foot ceilings.
Gee, your 1860’s farmhouse sounds alot like Great-Grandfather’s house.
It was a great house when I was raising the kids. They could get far enough away that I didn’t have to hear their noise!
I spent twenty years working on it. The last project was a paint job. I’d do one side every summer, starting with a power wash, then repairing little cracks, killing the wasps in the wall, before I’d do a coat of primer and two topcoats. Fifteen years later, the paint still looks great.
And I almost forgot the six-over-six windows! My hubbie would take one six section out and replace it with a piece of plywood. Then I’d take all the glass out, brush it clean, then primer, two top-coats, and then replace the glass with fresh glazing.
In retrospect, I guess I really didn’t enjoy that part so much, but, boy, did the windows look great.
Gee, because of your good taste and hard work, one more elegant old residence can survive in good condition for the next generation. I hope the house is located so as not to be overtaken by “progressive” events, as my Grandfather’s was.
The house that I grew up in had 6 steps to get to the front door. I can still remember Thanksgiving dinner in the mid 1990’s. I was 5 or 6 at the time, and every year my Great Grandfather’s sister, Aunt Dawn (born in 1902) would come over. Every year she’d lecture my father about why he should never have bought, “an old place like this. Set up so high.”
Good for Aunt Dawn! Us crusty old folks can get away with those edicts …
But I sympathize with your father. The house suited him (and you) just fine at the time, didn’t it?
Sadly for me, my parents stopped coming to my home a few years ago because my dad could no longer navigate the stairs. Our home was designed such that all of the bathrooms require climbing at least one half-flight of stairs to access them. The Honeybee and I never considered the potential issues that would have for older people when we bought the house 22 years ago … it probably wouldn’t have made a difference, but my eyes have since been opened up that it is important to consider these things.
Len, my house has proven well adapted to life as I’ve aged and one important “life-long planning” feature is that the house is laid out in what you might call three modules, separated by upper and lower and/or doors.
The great room and lower level below it (kid’s bedrooms, before they flew the coop) are shut off by two doors and, as old folks, Tatjana and I now live mostly in the third “module” which is accessible from the outside by double doors and, inside, has wide doors and archways which allow easy appliance and furniture replacement, etc. and wheelchair passage.
The living room, master bedroom (sorry, women’s libbers), kitchen, laundry-utility room and a bathroom off the bedroom are in this “module”. A half-bath is in the front entrance hall, just off the Kitchen.
If you like, I can post my “architectural drawings”. They’re good for a laugh, I think …
Perhaps you can include it as part of another Grandfather Says pearl of wisdom? (I said hopefully!) 😏
Hi!!
Love your post. It’s really amazing . I like the way you explain the affection towards the house & your memories with us, i love reading this blog. Keep sharing! 😍
Thank You
Ankita
Thank you Ankita!
It’s easier to keep chugging along when we share mutual appreciation.
“Perhaps (Grandfather can show ‘architectural drawings’ of his house in it’s prospective phase) as part of another Grandfather Says pearl of wisdom? (I said hopefully!)” – Len
Well, that stimulates Grandfather’s oyster and the pearl will be produced “in due course”.
The smartest housing is one where Everyone has access. I am buying a new place in about 2 weeks, biggest reason I am moving is the new place has NO steps and all the land is almost flat. The previous owner never had to leave the house due to her infirmity. She was 91 and crippled with RA and was able to continue to live on her own until her last few weeks of life. That is what I want for myself. The cost savings for not needing to be “taken care of” means a better life in retirement
You are a kindred soul, Debbie.
It’s always a blessing to find one.
Thanks for writing.