Restoration

For over 40 years before we began work, the Dutton Farmhouse had been relegated to migrant labor housing. The elegant and comfortable parlors were filled with military style bunk beds and metal lockers. The original kitchen had been gutted and lined with a metallic panelling; the windows here were replaced by modern casement windows. A dormitory sized bathroom was installed in the shed and contained multiple showers, toilets, urinals, and sinks. The principal upstairs bedroom was used for karate practice.

While it is general Landmark practice to recognize the continuum of history in a building and to leave historical changes, we make exceptions when the quality of later work is markedly inferior to the original. That was clearly the case for the Dutton Farmhouse and so we began to peel away modern finishes.

Amazingly, a great deal of original fabric remained. Underneath modern finishes we discovered in almost every room clues to the original decorations. Every room retained at least some original plaster. Underneath vinyl and modern strip flooring we found the original floorboards. The room layout of the rear ground floor was revealed in the ceiling and floor framing and even the location of shelves in the pantry was clear from the corner post.

After weeks of this delving into the fabric, we determined the layout. Upstairs the only structural change was to the rear north bedroom. Here the wall facing onto the rear hall had been removed and the room shortened by the insertion of a bathroom (which, by the time we acquired the farm, had no fixtures). The present floor plan is the original.

Downstairs the structural changes were restricted to the kitchen and rear service rooms. Inspection revealed the original floor plan to which we returned. We converted one of these spaces into a bathroom.

The decorative scheme for the house included bold colors and striking wallpapers. We returned to this as much as possible including custom wallpaper for the front hallway; the reproduction paper even includes mica powder in the paint which imparts a sheen. The front parlor paper is a very close match to the earliest layer that we discovered. The rear upstairs hallway wallpaper is remarkably similar to the earliest that we discovered here under a modern door casing.

Today Asa Dutton's Farmhouse is again as vibrant and elegant as it was in 1840. It was a privilege to be involved in the rescue of this fine building and a privilege it will be to stay here.