Heritage restoration
904 East Martin Luther King Boulevard
A full restoration of a stately historic residence carrying more than a century of architecture and story, two doors down from its Georgian neighbour.
East Martin Luther King Boulevard, Chattanooga, TN
The work
Restoring a house of this age is mostly a series of decisions about what to keep. The original plaster crown molding was preserved rather than pulled down and reproduced, and the white oak strip flooring underneath was brought back rather than covered over. Both are the kind of thing that is quick to replace and impossible to get back once it is gone.
The formal living room needed an anchor, and the fireplace became it: a fully bespoke arched surround in hand-textured plaster, set on a marble hearth. It is new work, made to sit inside a hundred-year-old room without pretending to be older than it is.
Elsewhere the house got the services and the rooms a family actually uses. The entry hall keeps its white spindle staircase over refinished oak. Upstairs the landing balustrade and stair detail are original. The bathroom is contemporary and unapologetic about it, with a floating white oak vanity, brass fixtures and a marble-tiled walk-in shower.
Kept, not copied
Original plaster crown molding preserved in place and the original white oak strip flooring restored rather than replaced.
The plaster fireplace
A bespoke arched surround in hand-textured plaster on a marble hearth, built new for the formal living room.
The porch
Front porch restored with its original transom and house number, back to being the part of the house you see first.
6 photographs
A closer look at the detail
What this job involved
Thinking about something like this?
Every project starts with a conversation. We give you a detailed written estimate before any work begins.