Historic Preservation

The Dr. James Ford Historic Home Restoration Project

Restoration of the home included conducting research on the property and studying the construction to determine phasing and history. Early letters, diaries, and abstracts were reviewed to understand the probable timelines.

In 2003 when the project started, the home had been divided into two apartments. The brick had been painted, linoleum had been installed over the original wood floors, and multiple layers of wallpaper and paint had been applied to the walls. Remnants of original roofing, wallpaper, and household items were found and added to the museum display.

In preparing the home to be a museum, public restrooms, an automatic fire protection system, an elevator, modern heating and air conditioning and a catering kitchen were added with minimal visible effect. An elevator shaft with matching brick was added at the rear of the home. A high velocity heating and cooling system was chosen to minimize duct work and diffuser openings.

Complete rewiring was accomplished with minimal damage to the old lathe and plaster. The baseboard and trim were then restored. The sprinkler heads of the fire protection system were concealed in ceiling details, and piping was threaded through walls and ceiling passages. Faux slate shingles with copper accents were added to replicate the 1870s slate roof.

The site work was equally challenging. A 5,500 square foot Queen Anne house, which had been built alongside, was moved across a state highway to a new location one block away, making room for gardens and parking. The entire site was checked with metal detectors to find artifacts which were identified and placed in the changing exhibit room. Two cisterns and a well were discovered. The vegetable and medicinal herb gardens are planted according to what was originally grown, as described in correspondence. A stone barn has been restored and contains a buggy, sleigh, tack, and tools. A replica of Dr. Ford's faithful horse Barney has been ordered, and his story of taking Dr. Ford on housecalls, to Butler University trustees meetings (two and a half days each way), and two tours of the Civil War, will be told.

A photo of the home taken in 1878 was used to guide the restoration. The porch columns in the front were custom made to match an original column found in the rear. Windows and masonry were restored. Working shutters for the windows were custom made and the widow's walk and porch railings were replicated.

This Old House

Dr. James Ford designed and built three to five additions to this house. The back four rooms of the second story were added by the 1850s. The lastest changes -- and insight into Dr. Ford's renovations -- came with the restoration completed in 2004.

Building codes and Indiana rules for rehabilitating historic buildings guided the restoration process. Along the way, important questions arose about how the building was originally used, what period in time the restoration should represnt, and how the building will be used in the future.

New additions -- such as visitor restrooms and access for people with disabilities -- were carefully integrated to preserve historic materials and maintain the integrity of the original features of the property.

This house is restored to look as it did between 1865 and 1885.

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