In 1986, Roger and Kim built a 6400 sq ft super-insulated home near Park City, Utah, that Kim designed.
Roger has 16 patents and 27 publications (some peer reviewed) in the field of quartz crystal technology. In 1994, he received the C.B. Sawyer Memorial Award, and in 1996 he received the Piezoelectric Devices “Man of the Year” Award—the two highest awards in the field of quartz crystal devices and frequency control. In 2006, McMurry University presented him the “Science and Math Wall of Honor” Award—the first student from McMurry to receive this award.
Kim remained busy caring for Eric and her daughter, Tara Deanne, who was born on 12 February 1975. Roger adopted Tara. In her “spare” time, Kim attended college in Colorado, Florida, and Utah, finally earning her BS in biology (1991) and psychology (1993) from the University of Utah. Kim then entered graduate school at the U of U to pursue her goal of an advanced degree in neuroscience. Kim spent a year at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where she was in Dr. Charles Schultz’ psychology department. Kim returned to Utah and completed her MS degree in neuroscience and anatomy at the U of U in 2001. Because of Roger’s early retirement and their purchase of Estemere, Kim has not been able to fulfill her dream of researching the causes of schizophrenia.
In 1998, Kim became acquainted with Jina Pierce, whose husband Mike was doing some yard work at Estemere. Jina was actively involved in the local art scene. Jina mentioned to Kim her vision of having a Palmer Lake art center for local artists to create and display their art, and that a suitable building, the old Kaiser-Fraser building, had just come on the market. Kim holds the first deed of trust for the building which is currently owned by the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts—a 501C3 non-profit organized by Jina and a few other local artists.
The Ward’s son, Eric, married Crystal Baxter in 2003 at Estemere. It was a Renaissance-themed wedding. Afterward, being a “modern” couple, they changed their surname to “Waters”—WA from Ward and TER from Baxter, with the S added to sound better.
Included on the DVD is a 32 minute video Roger made at Estemere on 08 August 1998. It archives how the Estate looked prior to the Ward’s beginning most of their restoration.
More items related to this chapter are on the DVD.
Eric and Crystal Waters—2003.
Kim, Eric, Crystal, and Roger.
Chapter 13
Interior Restoration
(1998-2011)
The Interior Restoration of Estemere
In addition to the exterior restoration of Estemere, we also “restored” the interior—not to its original condition, but modernized with 21st Century “necessities” while keeping its 19th Century charm. After all, we did not want to cook on a wood-fired stove nor read by kerosene lanterns.
When Kim and Roger bought Estemere, the interior was in a moderate state of disrepair. The electrical system had been amateurishly re-done 30 years previously and was inadequate by modern standards. Wallpaper was in need of replacement. The Kitchen was 1960s “funk” with linoleum floors, harvest green appliances, and plain Formica countertops. In 1991, Jim Peterson had wall-to-wall pale-blue plush carpet installed on most of the floors, thereby hiding the historical damage to the floors.
Insufficient information exists to know what the interior looked like during Dr. Thompson’s, or even Eben Smith’s, tenure. Instead, we restored the interior to be “of the 1885-1920” era. This was necessitated by both monetary and practical considerations. For example, authentic 1880s wallpaper is extremely expensive and difficult to find. Instead, Kim selected wallpapers that were similar to “Victorian” wallpaper. However, since Victorian wallpapers were often quite dark, she chose brighter, lighter styles to lighten the house. In addition, since we did not want to return to wood cook stoves, coal-burning fireplaces, and gas lights, modern conveniences were updated or added—including a “turn-of-the-century” television. (Don’t laugh, it just encourages me!)
This chapter will show the interior as we purchased it in 1989 and the way it looks today. A few photos of earlier times are shown, where available. In addition, dimensions of the rooms and interesting details are presented.
Duane Hanson’s 1977 photos illustrate the condition of the interior during the Leonard tenancy. They may be seen on the DVD.
Heating and Insulation
When we purchased Estemere there were two post-flood 1965-era 165,000 BTU forced-air Coleman furnaces in the basement that fired simultaneously. These furnaces were probably 65-70% efficient. We replaced them with a single +90% Lennox 120,000 BTU furnace.
We spent Christmas 1998 at Estemere. As we drove into Palmer Lake from Park City, Utah, the temperature was -12˚F (-24˚C). Our new high efficiency Lennox furnace in the basement ran 23 hours a day to get the house to 63˚F (18˚C)—because, as we soon discovered, there was virtually no insulation in the entire house! The natural gas bill for that month was $450—and the house was heated above 45˚F (7 ˚C) for only a week of that month. We later had Icynene™ foamed into the rafters. To insulate the outside walls of the house it was necessary to have 2 inch (5 cm) diameter holes drilled into the lathe and plaster walls (two in each studbay) and Insulsafe™ fiberglass insulation blown in. Then all of the holes had to be repaired. What a mess! But our monthly gas bills were reduced to below $200 the next winter—with us living there full time.
The Old Basement
The old, original basement under the structure of Estemere II had a dirt floor and a nominal six-foot (1.8 m) headroom. Structural supports for the house above consisted of assorted old railroad ties, stacks of rocks, portions of tree trunks, and 2X4s nailed together. We had earlier added a few screw-jacks and steel I-beams for structural strength. In 2004 we decided to dig out the basement to give us a nominal 6½ foot (2.2 m) clearance with a concrete floor. This would allow one to walk around in the basement while standing upright, and it would give us lots of great, clean storage space.
Removing the dirt to lower the floor a foot (30 cm) was a dirty, tiring project. The dirt consisted of decomposed Rocky Mountain granite. There were little pea-sized and larger rocks surrounded by pulverized granite dust. We had to use a pick and jackhammer to loosen the dirt. Then, we shoveled it into five-gallon (20 l) buckets and carried it out the cellar door. Our arms grew longer and our legs grew shorter! Shoveling the dirt into buckets created lots of very fine dust particles that drifted throughout the house above. We left a 12 inch (30 cm) dirt berm around the perimeter to avoid undercutting the rock walls. Then we removed most of the old supports and replaced them with steel screw-jacks with concrete footers under them. Next, a 6-inch (15 cm) by 6-inch thick concrete “curb” was poured around the perimeter. Finally, a 3-inch thick concrete floor was poured.
[Local rumor has it that at one time there was a tunnel between The Rocklands Hotel and Estamere—in case of Indian raids, gambling raids, prostitution? We have found no evidence of a tunnel in the basement, but some locals insist they can see where an opening in the stone wall in the basement has been rocked over. Of course, Eben Smith had many mining connections, so he could have had a tunnel built, but there is no record of this.]
The dual Coleman furnaces in 1998; Icynene™ in the attic.
The old basement prepped for its cement curb and floor; the finished project.
Wallpaper
The majority of the rooms had five or more layers of wallpaper. Kim stripped off all but the last layer (which, if removed, causes the plaster from the lathe-and-plaster walls to fall off), patched the walls, added a coating of sealer, and re-wallpapered. It would have been nice to return to the original wallpapers, but obviously they could not be salvaged. However, we took photos of a few of the oldest layers.
Original wallpaper—the right one is a golden honeycomb with bees.
More original wallpaper.
Kim installed much of the new wallpaper herself, but she balked at the 14 foot wall in the stairway. She hired Jordan Patrick to install it. He begged to be allowed to paper a bedroom to
show off his expertise. He did such a fabulous job that Kim allowed him to paper the upper floors.
Electrical Wiring
The RomexTM wiring throughout the house was 14-2 with reduced ground. [In other words, the conductors were one gauge smaller than they should have been for modern homes.] There were splices in the walls that were not in junction boxes (which is against code, as this constitutes a fire hazard). The five upstairs bedrooms, even though they had Romex™ wiring, had only one electrical outlet in each room—in the light switch. Today, with computers, TVs, cell phones that need recharging, etc., obviously that was unsatisfactory. Kim contacted Whitney Electric in Colorado Springs to re-wire the house. Whitney sent Rick Jarrett as the main journeyman electrician to do the work. Rick used several different assistants over the months he worked at Estemere. Rick was very meticulous in his work, and the results were fabulous.
One interesting incident occurred: During one inspection by the El Paso County electrical inspector, he noted that we were not putting the required number of outlets in the Billiard Room. Kim pointed out the 120 year-old wainscoting on the walls and the new ash hardwood floors. She said there was no way that she would cut into the walls or the floors to install outlets! She would allow outlets ONLY in the two light switches. The inspector said that since we were re-wiring more than 40% of the house we had to bring it 100% up to code—so, we HAD to put outlets every six feet in the Billiard Room!! Kim and Rick pointed out that we were re-wiring with 12-2 Romex™ with full ground (which is much more difficult to work with than 14-2 with reduced ground) and that every other room was being brought up to code. The inspector insisted—and Kim insisted. Finally the inspector called his boss and explained the situation, and said he had an obstinate homeowner who was asking for a variance. The boss, understanding the problem, asked the inspector if the Billiard Room had a door to the outside. The inspector responded affirmatively. The boss then declared the Billiard Room was a “foyer” and therefore did not require outlets every six feet. So, the Billiard Room is now officially the largest foyer in town!
Imagine the difficulty in pulling wires through lathe-and-plaster walls, through old attics, and through the old floors and ceilings. The house was built with true “dimensional” 2X4s (a real two inches by four inches) that had hardened from age, making them very difficult to drill through or drive a nail or screw into. It often took Rick and his assistant du jour all day to install one outlet or light switch. Rick ultimately re-wired the two-car garage, the chapel, the Carriage House, the cottage, the Shed, and many of the new lampposts we added along the driveway. In addition, the electrical service from the street had to be upgraded.
The Floors
Most historic accounts of Estemere say that it was fully carpeted even back to Thompson’s days. The house was nearly fully carpeted when we purchased it in 1998. The carpet Jim Peterson had installed was listed as “Silver Lining,” but it was more blue than silver. Desiring to have wood floors, we pulled up the carpets to have the floors refinished. To our surprise, we found that most of the floors throughout the house were in rather bad shape. Near the Kitchen, particle board had been used to repair one 1965 flood-damaged area. The particle board had swelled and separated. In other areas mismatched wood had been used to make repairs. In the upstairs bedrooms the floors had been cut open to allow for natural-gas pipes to be installed for new gas lights in the rooms below. Repairs were again poorly made, probably because they knew that carpeting would cover the repairs.
Upon finding the flooring problems we contacted Fashion Hardwood Floors in Colorado Springs. The owner, Carlos Fernandez, is an expert hardwood floor “artist.” We decided to replace about 85% of the floors with ash, stained to look similar to how the original yellow-pine floors would have looked. The floors were, in many cases, not level—due primarily to the house not being built plumb, level, or square. So, part of the re-flooring involved leveling the floors. This often meant that there were small offsets from one room to the next. During this process, we made repairs to the flooring trusses. We also added cross-bracing, metal ties, and other structural elements where required. In the basement we added three steel I-beams and other structural supports. Carlos did some beautiful decorative inlays around the border of the parlor, around the billiard table, and in doorways.
The wooden floors of the main entry and the guest bathroom were replaced with natural stone.
Light Fixtures
When we purchased Estemere in 1998, nearly all of the light fixtures were either 1960s style or were simple “keyless” fixtures contractors use during construction. After many visits to antique stores, flea markets, and garage sales, plus a few reproduction fixtures we purchased, we were able to replace all of the modern light fixtures.
We used two general styles of light fixtures. If the light bulb points upward, the fixture originally used gas but it has been wired for use with AC electricity. If the bulb points downward, the fixture is an AC fixture. However, during the transitional period when AC was just becoming available, apparently it was not too reliable, as a number of combined gas and AC fixtures can be found. An example of a combination fixture is shown below.
A combination gas and electric light fixture.
The Conservatory
In 2000, we built the Conservatory, the first room to be added to the main house since Eben Smith added the main-floor Master Bedroom (in 1900). Designed entirely by Kim, it was built by Eddie Meredith Construction of Colorado Springs.
The multi-glazed windows were suggested by the windows in the East Office. The leaded beveled glass transom was found in the basement covered with mud. There is no opening in the house where this item originally could have been located so we assume it was probably a purchase by the Leonards. It is quite old as evidenced by the thickness of the glass and that the glass pieces were hand beveled.
Kim commissioned Judy Wisdom (then of Beulah, Colorado; now of Honolulu, Hawaii) to construct 12 stained-glass panels for the ceiling of the Conservatory, again based upon Kim’s designs.
The Conservatory in 2010.
The beveled glass transom.
The Fireplaces
There are seven fireplaces in the house. They range from ornate mantels with bas-relief inserts and colorful tile (Dining Room and parlor) to painted plain-metal mantels (office). Soon after purchasing Estemere we noticed mold on a painting hanging above the mantel in the office. We discovered the mold was caused by moisture penetrating the wall behind the painting. We called a chimney sweep who determined that several chimneys were filled with raccoon nests and debris. He cleaned all the chimneys and installed caps to prevent a recurrence of the problem. Even though he proclaimed the fireplaces safe to use, we opted not to do so and instead sealed off the flues to reduce heat loss.
Many visitors, during our open house tours, enquired if the tiles on the mantels and hearths were from the Van Briggle Pottery and Tile Company in Colorado Springs. Research shows that Van Briggle did not begin manufacturing until 1899, thus postdating the construction of all but the master bedroom’s fireplace (1900 by Eben Smith). Some insist that the tile on that fireplace is Van Briggle; others insist Van Briggle never made tile of that color—you decide.
In 2003, during work in the Dining Room, we removed the fireplace mantel. Behind it we found notes written on the wall by the Leonards in August 1969 indicating that they had papered the house that year. The mantel itself had “Hart” hand lettered on it and the number 4076 was stamped into the wood. No dates or other information were found.
Kim standing in front of the Dining Room fireplace; notes from the Leonards in 1969.
The Main Floor
The dimensions of the rooms are shown in Table 1:
Room
Approximate Dimensions (feet)
Entry
9 X 11
Sitting
11 X 12
Parlor
13 X 25 + 4 X 10
Dining
12 X 19
Workou
t
14 X 15
TV
11 X 13
Kitchen
10 X 20
[New Kitchen]
[16 X 20]
[Conservatory]
[16 foot octagon]
Music
13 X 13
Billiard
17 X 19 + 9 X 10 + 7 X 2½ [6 X 9]
Smoking
12 X 14
Office
11 X 13
Master
13 X 22
An 1880s Victorian Mansion in the Colorado Rockies: The Estemere Estate at Palmer Lake Page 25
