Family Album - Issue 56

Wallingford, CT Gerry and Suzanne Colligan

This 1920 Sears bungalow had been severely neglected for more than 30 years when we bought it in 2005. We rented an apartment around the block and lived there with our three dogs and a cat for nine months while we painstakingly gutted and refurbished the interior and exterior. The house is adjacent to the former Choate School, now Choate Rosemary Hall.

Wauwatosa, WI Sarah Bernstein and John Hallanger

Our bungalow was built in 1923 by Frank and Anna Lentz, half a block north of the Menomonee River and the railroad tracks carrying people, livestock and freight from Milwaukee to Madison and the Twin Cities. Frank worked in his family’s lumber and millwork business, once located behind our house. The Lentz family lived here until we bought it in January 2000. It is full of Lentz craftwork, including a built-in china cabinet in the dining room, leaded-glass French doors and a leaded-glass “piano” window in the living room.

Bay City, MI Gene and Judith Gillette

Our home was built in 1910 by a lumberman who insisted on “nothing but the best” — oak woodwork and floors, imported cypress panels in the dining room, coffered ceilings, diamond windows with several panes of stained glass. We have restored and redecorated each room with Arts and Crafts wallpapers and antique furnishings. Our home was featured on the 2006 Bay City Historical Society Tour of Homes. Bay City artist Jeff Ward did this illustration.

Arlington, MA Paul and Karen Dillon

We moved into our 1922 bungalow in 2004 after completing a major interior renovation, during which we were excited to uncover the home’s original blueprints in the basement. They are now framed and proudly displayed in our study. The design is reminiscent of Gothic Revival cottages built in the 1840s.

Avon, IN Paul and Michelle Cunningham

We built our home in 2005. It has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and an unfinished basement with a bathroom roughed in. The interior is master-crafted with six-inch Bruce hardwood flooring throughout. We especially love our front porch with two sitting areas. Through the summer, neighbors gather and share their evenings with us.

Snyder, NY Susie and Dave Klapper

This bungalow was built in 1910 by a builder as an office for his physician son. My husband’s grandparents bought it in 1939, and we bought it from them in 1982. We have raised two children here. In the early years, the entire second floor was used as storage in the summer and as a hen house in the winter. It still has all the original oak woodwork, leaded-glass windows and beautiful hardwood floors.

Fort Worth, TX Van Rothrock

I rescued this 1928 house from demolition by having it moved to its current location in the Fairmount Southside Historic District. I really don’t know how to classify its architecture; I suppose one would call it a side-gable bungalow. I, however, would just call it beautiful.

Columbus, OH Tom Thacker

With the exception of the kitchen and bath, this charming 1917 Aladdin kit house in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus is as near to its original state as could be hoped, with original fixtures and unpainted wood throughout. Built-ins include five-foot-wide bookcases on either side of the fireplace and a buffet in the dining room. The large living room accounts for nearly one-third of the house’s total square footage. We feel blessed to have such a warm and inviting home.