This lovely Victorian home, built in ca. 1865, is a rare example of 2nd French Empire architecture with her cedar-shingled Mansard roof and nine gables, two bay windows, three porches (including two front porches and one large covered veranda in back), original curved and intricately spindled staircase, 12-foot ceilings, period lighting, hand-painted ceiling medallions, crown moldin
gs, original, old-growth 3/4" tongue-and-groove fir floors, and lovely Victorian gardens. Not counting the home's large attic, this sweet 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home measures 1491 square feet. A double-size carriage house is also accessible from the back entrance to the property's double lot.
Presently owned and lovingly restored by Holly Tsur, the home is known by neighborhood children as "the birthday cake house". Holly purchased the the Lelia B. in November, 2005 from George and Charlene Gal who owned the home for ten years.
George, a Romanian-born Gypsy who immigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was 14, is an intensely colorful man in more ways than one. While living in the Lelia B., he spent five years stripping away layer upon layer of lead-based paint from the home's exterior. He then painstakingly re-painted the old girl in true "painted lady" fashion with an opulent but tasteful combination of mint-green,
deep rose, light pink, dove gray, and white. Inside, George painted the home's impressive interior with a voluptuous array of historically correct colors ranging from a combination of deep claret and deep rose walls in the parlor, to lavender walls accented with floral wallpaper in forest green and lavender tones in the dining room, to rich green and white walls and paneled cupboards in the kitchen. Each room of the ho
use exudes its own, unique personality with a different color that blends vividly yet harmoniously from one room to t
he next. George spent so much time working on the Lelia B's restorations that Char often accused the house of being "the other woman".George and Char also installed a gorgeous array of period lighting fixtures ranging from the crystal chandelier that hangs from the hand-painted rose ceiling medallion in the dining room to the pink and white fixture in the kitchen that contains hand-painted pastoral scenes inset within the glass.
In addition, George and Char constructed the double-car-sized carriage house in the middle of the property's double lot, complete with Blue Heron weather vane that sits atop the high roof line. Just prior to taking possession of the home, Holly recalls Char saying to her, "See that weather vane. That's Gracie. We named her after the song, Amazing Grace."
When Holly purchased the home from the Gals in 2005, she hired a building inspector who gave her a laundry list of restorations necessary to put the Lelia B in top condition. After that, Holly diligently began checking off all the needed restorations on the list. The most critical item (as well as the most expensive) included replacement of the Lelia B's decrepit, old, black composition roof that seemed to be shedding more and more asphalt shingles with each windstorm. Not knowing the difference between a fascia board and a rafter tail, Holly set out to obtain estimates from local roofing contractors.
The historic city of Forest Grove, whose founding dates back to the early 1850s, features an unusual number of historic homes that are highly treasured by the community. These homes are so treasu
red that the city's Historic Landmarks Board meets monthly to approve federal and city grant funding for external restorations to historic homes to help local owners keep them in good repair. The main stipulation is that those repairs must be historically correct for funding to be approved, which generally translates to more expensive. Often lots more expensive. Holly was informed by the board that when her home was built in 1865, its four-sided Mansard roof would have been constructed from cedar shingles, which are much thinner, less crude, and more expensive than shakes because they're hand hewn. But, luckily, the board pledged to grant Holly up to $3000 or half the cost of her roof's restoration, whichever was less. They also agreed to allow her to instruct her roofers to knock down the top of the Lelia B's aging chimney, which hadn't been used for years and which no longer met code because it was too short. The board agreed with Holly that removal of the chimney, no doubt, would help to prevent potential fire damage if a future owner took the misguided notion to install a woodstove in the home for heating--particularly since the home was to have a cedar roof.So $15,000 later, Holly was able to give the Lelia B her new "cedar hat"--one that helped immeasurably to bring the old girl back to her original opulence, not to mention save the home from future water damage. Holly will never forget that warm September morning when her roofing contractor and his 
crew of half a dozen strapping young men arrived with their ladders and scaffolds and giant dumpster to set to work at ripping off what turned out to be two layers of ragged black composition roofing that covered a third layer of brittle cedar shingles that had easily been protecting the home since at least the early 1900s. This was certain because the square nails that secured the old cedar shingles were not manufactured past 1910.
Holly's roofing contractor had estimated that it would take his crew about four days to complete the roof's installation. But as the week progressed, those four days turned into five and then six, seven, and eight. The Lelia B's nine gables and four-sided French Mansard roofline proved to be quite the challenge for the roofing crew, the complexity of which they had never encountered before.
Once the roof was complete, Holly's next improvements to the Lelia B involved installation of new K-style gutters around the three porches and the carriage house. The following summer, as her finances recovered, she hired a crew to install old-fashioned half-round gutters around the home's upper roofline because the unique curving eaves did not allow fascia boards to be installed for securing standard K-style gutters. She also hired a crew to install new beadboards around the outer portion of the home's eaves because years of rainy weather had caused the old ones to sag and rot around the edges. Special tongue-and-grooved beadboard had to be hand milled because the size needed for the job was unavailable.
Note that back in 1865 when the Lelia B was built, she likely did not even have gutters. Back in those days, gutters were either made of wood or non-existent, which meant that rain and snow just ran off the edges of the cedar shingled roofs. But, Forest Grove's Historic Landmarks Board frequently offers funding for gutters on any home, whatever its age, because gutters prolong the life of homes by preventing weather damage. The board's main focus is to prolong the life of Forest Grove's historic homes while encouraging owners to keep their homes as historically correct as possible.
In addition, one of the ornate turned posts on the larger of the home's front porches had to be replaced due to rot that took place over the years. Holly found a local carpenter, who had immigrated from Russia, who owned a lathe large enough to hand turn a new replacement post. Once finished and re-installed between the porch decking and ceiling, Holly primed and carefully painted the post using the white, dove gray, and deep rose that matched the remaining posts. In doing so, she developed a keen, new respect for the infinitely patient and detailed painting abilities of the Victorians.
In addition, the house needed some pressure-treated piers replaced in the crawlspace below to repair the beginnings of dry rot where the piers met their concrete footings. The house had to be raised slightly using hydrolic jacks in order to insert and secure the new piers. But, in the end, there was no harm done and Holly was relieved knowing that the Lelia B once again had "great bones" when the work was complete.
Additional restorations initiated by Holly included replacement of the worn wallpaper running up the Lelia B's curved staircase during the summer of 2006. Also, in the summer of 2008, Holly hired contractors to replace the utility room floor after a "slow leak" from a faulty water heater had caused some water damage to the floor.
When Holly purchase
d the home from the Gals in 2005, outside there was only one aging semi-dwarf maple tree in the front yard surrounded by what seemed like an endless lawn. So, during the summer of 2006, she and friends proceeded to turn the yard into a Victorian garden, complete with perennial beds overflowing with English cabbage roses, delphiniums, foxgloves, dahlias, peonies, and salvia. They also installed cedar raised beds made by Oregon manufacturer Naturalyards for vegetable plantings. And, they planted several trees including two flowering cherries in th
e front yard, a pink dogwood and a mimosa tree between the house and carriage house, and row of fruit trees behind the carriage house. They also planted a row of blueberries and raspberries and a raised bed filled with strawberries. Holly's landscaping philosophy had one overriding rule: "If it doesn't grow pretty flowers, you have to be able to eat from it." So, no evergreens were allowed except for a row of boxwood that frames the edge of her perennial garden. In addition, Holly limited flower colors to pinks, whites, burgundies, blues, and purples (No yellow or orange flowers allowed except for the sunflowers that frame the vegetable garden!) so that color blending would be a "no brainer". Holly also arranged for installation of two retired French oak wine barrels that had been retrofitted with brass spigots for harvesting water that runs down the carriage house's gutter downspouts. The barrels, purchased from Portland-based Natural Oak Rain Barrels, connect to soaker hoses that keep the perennial garden hydrated with rainwater in summer.
Besides giving the home's gardens a Victorian flair and making the necessary restorations to bring the Lelia B to tip-top condition, Holly has taken a great deal of pride in furnishing her home with period-correct antiques and antique reproductions. Furnishings range from the large French aubusson-style and Chinese-style rugs that grace the original fir floors in the parlor and dining room, to a spectacularly carved Belgian oak china hutch with beveled and leaded glass doors and marble top in the dining room, to a hand-painted Bombay chest in the parlor that features a pastoral scene complete with lovers wooing each other in the grass. Holly also displays a large collection of cherubs throughout the home that take the form of both porcelain figurines on tabletops as well as reproductions of famous Victorian artworks that hang from the home's many picture rails. In addition, Holly's mother's handmade quilts grace many of the Lelia B's colorful walls.
crew of half a dozen strapping young men arrived with their ladders and scaffolds and giant dumpster to set to work at ripping off what turned out to be two layers of ragged black composition roofing that covered a third layer of brittle cedar shingles that had easily been protecting the home since at least the early 1900s. This was certain because the square nails that secured the old cedar shingles were not manufactured past 1910.Holly's roofing contractor had estimated that it would take his crew about four days to complete the roof's installation. But as the week progressed, those four days turned into five and then six, seven, and eight. The Lelia B's nine gables and four-sided French Mansard roofline proved to be quite the challenge for the roofing crew, the complexity of which they had never encountered before.
Once the roof was complete, Holly's next improvements to the Lelia B involved installation of new K-style gutters around the three porches and the carriage house. The following summer, as her finances recovered, she hired a crew to install old-fashioned half-round gutters around the home's upper roofline because the unique curving eaves did not allow fascia boards to be installed for securing standard K-style gutters. She also hired a crew to install new beadboards around the outer portion of the home's eaves because years of rainy weather had caused the old ones to sag and rot around the edges. Special tongue-and-grooved beadboard had to be hand milled because the size needed for the job was unavailable.
Note that back in 1865 when the Lelia B was built, she likely did not even have gutters. Back in those days, gutters were either made of wood or non-existent, which meant that rain and snow just ran off the edges of the cedar shingled roofs. But, Forest Grove's Historic Landmarks Board frequently offers funding for gutters on any home, whatever its age, because gutters prolong the life of homes by preventing weather damage. The board's main focus is to prolong the life of Forest Grove's historic homes while encouraging owners to keep their homes as historically correct as possible.
In addition, one of the ornate turned posts on the larger of the home's front porches had to be replaced due to rot that took place over the years. Holly found a local carpenter, who had immigrated from Russia, who owned a lathe large enough to hand turn a new replacement post. Once finished and re-installed between the porch decking and ceiling, Holly primed and carefully painted the post using the white, dove gray, and deep rose that matched the remaining posts. In doing so, she developed a keen, new respect for the infinitely patient and detailed painting abilities of the Victorians.
In addition, the house needed some pressure-treated piers replaced in the crawlspace below to repair the beginnings of dry rot where the piers met their concrete footings. The house had to be raised slightly using hydrolic jacks in order to insert and secure the new piers. But, in the end, there was no harm done and Holly was relieved knowing that the Lelia B once again had "great bones" when the work was complete.
Additional restorations initiated by Holly included replacement of the worn wallpaper running up the Lelia B's curved staircase during the summer of 2006. Also, in the summer of 2008, Holly hired contractors to replace the utility room floor after a "slow leak" from a faulty water heater had caused some water damage to the floor.
When Holly purchase
d the home from the Gals in 2005, outside there was only one aging semi-dwarf maple tree in the front yard surrounded by what seemed like an endless lawn. So, during the summer of 2006, she and friends proceeded to turn the yard into a Victorian garden, complete with perennial beds overflowing with English cabbage roses, delphiniums, foxgloves, dahlias, peonies, and salvia. They also installed cedar raised beds made by Oregon manufacturer Naturalyards for vegetable plantings. And, they planted several trees including two flowering cherries in th
e front yard, a pink dogwood and a mimosa tree between the house and carriage house, and row of fruit trees behind the carriage house. They also planted a row of blueberries and raspberries and a raised bed filled with strawberries. Holly's landscaping philosophy had one overriding rule: "If it doesn't grow pretty flowers, you have to be able to eat from it." So, no evergreens were allowed except for a row of boxwood that frames the edge of her perennial garden. In addition, Holly limited flower colors to pinks, whites, burgundies, blues, and purples (No yellow or orange flowers allowed except for the sunflowers that frame the vegetable garden!) so that color blending would be a "no brainer". Holly also arranged for installation of two retired French oak wine barrels that had been retrofitted with brass spigots for harvesting water that runs down the carriage house's gutter downspouts. The barrels, purchased from Portland-based Natural Oak Rain Barrels, connect to soaker hoses that keep the perennial garden hydrated with rainwater in summer.Besides giving the home's gardens a Victorian flair and making the necessary restorations to bring the Lelia B to tip-top condition, Holly has taken a great deal of pride in furnishing her home with period-correct antiques and antique reproductions. Furnishings range from the large French aubusson-style and Chinese-style rugs that grace the original fir floors in the parlor and dining room, to a spectacularly carved Belgian oak china hutch with beveled and leaded glass doors and marble top in the dining room, to a hand-painted Bombay chest in the parlor that features a pastoral scene complete with lovers wooing each other in the grass. Holly also displays a large collection of cherubs throughout the home that take the form of both porcelain figurines on tabletops as well as reproductions of famous Victorian artworks that hang from the home's many picture rails. In addition, Holly's mother's handmade quilts grace many of the Lelia B's colorful walls.
