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FEDERAL HILL PRESERVED, REBORN History, with all the comforts

June 29, 2007 12:35 am

BY RICHARD AMRHINE

Its third century of existence looks promising for Federal Hill, the 1790 Fredericksburg mansion that's been restored under new private ownership.

The original beaded clapboards are gleaming white, the highly detailed wood trim and door hardware look just as they did 200 years ago, and the additions of 1906 and 2007 are now serving as extended living space for a 21st-century family.

Charles and Stephanie Maurer, who closed on the property at 504 Hanover St. in September 2005, called on Charles Aquino, a Richmond architect, and Fred Ecker of Tidewater Preservation Inc., based in Fredericksburg, to carry out the home's restoration.

Federal Hill is already listed on the National Register and the Virginia Landmarks Register, qualifying its restoration for tax credits through the state Department of Historic Resources. The credits are key to reducing the cost of the project, with significant documentation and approval required for the project to proceed.

Built prior to the houses around it, Federal Hill is situated sideways on Hanover Street. The front overlooks Mill Race Commons down the hill, while the rear faces a neighboring church.

Owner Charles Maurer said the expertise Ecker and Aquino brought to the project has been key to its success.

"They brought different eyes to the project and saw different things. In the end it was a better project because of how they were able to work together," he said.

Maurer credited Ecker's top-notch subcontractors for all the utility systems and the millwork that have gone into the house.

"It was a lot of effort, but Federal Hill has always been a personal residence and we felt it should stay that way," Maurer said, adding that there are just so many "museum" homes like Kenmore that a working city such as Fredericksburg would want.

Maurer said his initial overture to buy Federal Hill was made in July 2004, but various roadblocks along the way threatened to unravel the deal. One of those was having to call 15 homeowner insurance providers before finding one willing to underwrite the property.

Ecker, Tidewater's owner and president, describes Federal Hill's architecture as transitional, blending aspects of Georgian and Federal styles. The basic center hall design is shared by both styles, as are the stacked rooms and balanced, symmetrical arrangement of the doors and windows.

But the differences are evident when comparing the stately, all-brick Kenmore, built in 1770 and a classic example of Georgian style, with the less formal Federal Hill, built 20 years later with clapboard siding, a columned two-story portico, an arched transom over the front door and other exterior architectural details.

"Federal Hill has a more classical, straightforward appearance," said Ecker, pointing to the brightwork, or unpainted mahogany trim, on the staircase. At Kenmore, such trim is painted. Also unlike Kenmore, there are no plaster ceiling medallions in Federal Hill.

Between Federal Hill's outer and inner walls is brick nogging, which served as an early form of insulation, and filled space that might otherwise have been occupied by rodents.

Ecker freely points out the results of the restoration effort that are all around--from the repaired and richly painted plaster walls, extensive wainscoting, the hand-refinished heart pine floors, and the stripped and repainted dentil moldings, mantels and unique hand-carved trim found in every room of the original house.

He said some new touches, such as the inlaid wood floor registers, help the requirements of modern living blend in.

Architect Aquino said that when he arrived on the scene early last year it was clear a strategy needed to be developed.

"This was a dysfunctional home for a modern family," he said.

He said a three-pronged effort was undertaken: To provide a comfortable home for the Maurers, to leave the historical integrity of the house undisturbed by the restoration process, and to generate the documentation needed to gain tax credit approval for the restoration plans.

The plan was to let the original, historic portion of the house be just that, while updating the 1906 addition, finishing the attic and basement, and building a new addition to provide living quarters for the family.

The 1906 addition received a new, modern kitchen and breakfast area on the main level, a new master suite upstairs, and updated bathrooms throughout. A new sunroom and deck were added.

The kitchen's island and counters are covered in Virginia soapstone, Ecker noted, and the cabinetry is filled with convenience features. Matching cabinet fronts will be used to help the new, top-of-the-line appliances blend in. Cork flooring, chosen for its cushioning effect and its renewability as a resource, was used in the kitchen and sunroom.

The sunroom opens to a deck of indestructible South American ipey lumber. Above the sunroom is a porch accessible from the master suite.

The home is now handicapped-accessible, with a chair lift built onto the rear deck and an elevator inside.

The third story, originally an attic, has been converted into children's bedrooms, with the front and rear dormers retained. One large room includes a brick-front arched opening, still with its original wood form in place, that is the confluence of flues from the lower levels to one of the home's two chimneys. The house has eight working fireplaces.

The basement, which had not been previously used as living space, is also being finished off for the family's use. To make that possible, the perimeter of the house was excavated and the basement was waterproofed. It will include a media room, hobby room, a quarry-tiled bathroom and a game room that will leave the ceiling's rough-hewn beams exposed.

Though the house now has a five-zone heating and air-conditioning system, the intricate controls from a former system--an early version of in-floor radiant heating with a valve for every room in the house--will be left intact.

There are two outbuildings on the property that are also slated for restoration. One is a smokehouse, and the other is a summerhouse. The rare summerhouse is an octagonal structure with slatted sides that allow the free flow of air, and a cedar shake roof.

Ecker and Aquino echoed the sentiment that the Maurers made a commendable decision in becoming the property's new stewards and embarking on the restoration. They said keeping the house maintained will require an ongoing commitment.

When opportunities arise, such as with candlelight or garden tours, the Maurers expect to make the local historic landmark open to the public.