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By Beth S. Buxbaum
For 150 years this charming Victorian, known to many Doylestown residents as the yellow house, has graced Doylestown’s residential area. Built soon after the Civil War and designed in the Second Empire Victorian style, this notable structure is part of Doylestown’s historic development. Changed throughout its long history, the building was recently renovated once more. From a residence first built in 1870, to a tavern and then an office building, with an upstairs apartment; this structure was most recently known as Vista Travel. Familiar to all who stroll around Doylestown, the facade has been virtually unchanged, but the interior has seen its share of transformation.
Built for Marie Antoinette Ely, the widow of Brevet Major General John Ely, commander of the Pennsylvania volunteer infantry during the civil war, this centuries-old building was designed by Quaker architect Thomas Lester Cernea. Appointed with distinctive Victorian architectural elements, these features defined its age. This three-story home’s exterior accents feature a concave mansard roof with matching arched-top dormer windows, molded cornices, decorative brackets, 2- over-2 windows with paneled and louvered shutters, and two tall windows on the first floor. The entrance has a small gabled hood porch with Doric columns framing the entryway with the original double doors. Throughout all of its years and functions, the exterior Victorian elements have been maintained.
In the fall of 2017 the owner of the building decided to renovate and update the yellow house and sell it as a private residence. He contracted with Jarrett Vaughan Builders and Ellen Happ Architects, both Doylestown-based, to orchestrate the renovation. With a focus on removing and re-doing a 1940-1950 addition on the back of the house, the team began to map out the project. “In this conversion our goal was to save the original 1870 front section,” explains Ellen Happ. With an eye to maintaining and showcasing the original structure’s elegant spaces and architectural finery, they left the front untouched. Structurally sound and well maintained, the first floor front section features a living room with a bay window, curved walls, high ceilings, and a wood-burning Mercer tile fireplace, as well as a dining room.
Many of the original elements guided the blue print in the renovation. “I was inspired by the elegance of the curved walls, bay windows and high ceilings,” Ellen remarks. Taken by those graceful touches, she carried over the curved walls and high ceilings in the plans for the renovation of the back of the house. “This back addition was a simplified version of the existing structure, with a less elegant feel. We let the original house be our guide, but created our own quieter statement, incorporating several of the original features into the design of the new addition,” Ellen explains.
After dismantling the old addition, the plans were in place to rebuild. The blueprint for the new addition included a state-of-the art kitchen, mud room, pantry and bar area, and second floor master suite, as well as a refurbished finished basement. According to builder Brian Vaughan, of Jarrett Vaughan Builders, the house needed some upgrading and repair. “There were some challenges with this restoration,” he explains, “we had to do a lot of remedial work.” Brian notes that the building was structurally sound. “Nothing was falling apart and none of the repairs were monumental,” he adds. They added a new roof, new windows, excavated and re-plastered the basement and upgraded the heating and cooling system. In addition, the millwork was restored and they preserved the original Mercer tile fireplace in the front living room.
“We took the whole back of the house down to rebuild the addition,” he continues. Brian describes how this renovation project redefined the second and third floors. “We moved walls, took out ceilings, rearranged hallways, gutted bathrooms and added a new stairway to the lower level,” Brian explains. “We didn’t gut the old addition,” Brian continues, “but we got pretty close. Part of the challenge was connecting the old and the new. Working closely with Ellen Happ, the addition was designed and built with all modern appointments and functionality, while respecting the architectural elements of the original structure.
Ellen speaks to the original design features that she incorporated into the new addition. “I loved the handsome bay window on the east side of the house,” she adds, “and added a similar treatment in the back of house that frames the eating nook.” Above this space, where they added a new master suite, Ellen also designed a bay window. Another aspect of the original Victorian styling was the use of curved walls. “There is an elegance to a curved wall instead of square corners,” Ellen describes. When they added an elevator they used the curved wall, in the original dining room, to construct the elevator shaft. Ellen also incorporated the curved wall in the new stairway. Another feature of the original structure that Ellen replicate in the new design was the high ceilings, carrying through the high ceiling in the kitchen. Appreciating the graceful interior footprint of the original section allowed Ellen to add those features into her new blueprint.
From blueprint to construction, the structural elements were not in place, ready for the next step. As the new addition took shape, the team collaborated with Celeste Callaghan, of Callaghan Interior Design, to appoint the new spaces with cabinetry, flooring and light fixtures. “We were looking to accommodate today’s taste, style and function,” Celeste explains, “and make it as family-friendly as possible.” Working closely with the architect and builder, Celeste confirmed the importance of the design. “Our goal was for the architectural elements to be designed for flexibility in terms of the functionality of the space,” she explains. In acknowledging that a home’s use of space is very personal, she worked with the team to create spaces with multi-functions. In the kitchen, they designed a cozy seating area to be interactive and invite gatherings during the meal preparation, as well as during the meals.
In appointing the kitchen, Celeste describes her choices as traditional, to fit in with the original house’s features seen in this space, like the cove and crown moldings and recessed panel doors. “My selection of oak flooring in the kitchen was done to blend with the other oak floors in the adjacent rooms,” she adds. Kitchen elements overflow with a crisp, clean line of custom, hand-crafted white cabinetry. Celeste chose all natural materials for the counter tops, including a man-made gray quartz topping the center island’s charcoal-toned, custom wood base. Keeping with the crisp white theme, Celeste infused this space with more contemporary light fixtures, in addition to the more modern recessed lighting. In the eating nook she selected a minimalist design, with a disk-shaped white fixture. Her choice was more understated to blend with the space. Unique use of space was also designed in the passageway from the kitchen area into the dining room. A tiny bar area, with a see-
through opening, was created as a connection from the newer part of the house to the original section.
Detailing the original rooms with new fixtures was also a challenge. As a design statement, Celeste added a few non-traditional features. For instance, in selecting a new fixture for the original living room, Celeste chose a modern fixture to illuminate the space. The contrast was created with the fixture’s placement in the center of the Victorian-styled rosette adorning the ceiling. “I wanted to create some tension between the historical and the clean and modern,” she explains, “by adding an unexpected contemporary light fixture.” Both Celeste and Ellen enjoyed inserting the unexpected. An unexpected space was created in the new master bedroom design, adding a tiny seating area in the bay window alcove. Ellen’s intent was similar to the cozy gathering spot she created in the kitchen, for another unexpected and inviting spot to relax within the larger function of the room.
Aside from designing unexpected areas, the team’s vision was to create a seamless movement from old to new. Together they orchestrated the new living space. Architect, builder and interior designer each had a hand in the flowing footprint, blending the new features with the earlier Victorian stylings. With an artful collaboration, the team respected all the original elements, while incorporating the modern amenities for today’s lifestyle. In its original form, this quaint Victorian did not lose any of its charm. “Living here, you have the best of both worlds,” adds Celeste, “in a residential area with other stately and elegant historical homes, and just a stroll to the bustle of downtown Doylestown.”
For more information about this Doylestown home, call Art Mazzei at Addison Wolfe Real Estate 215-862-5500 or his cell 610-428-4885 or visit https://amazzei.addisonwolfe.com/.