This old farmhouse on the Charles River, although remodeled and added to in many ways, still retains the distinguishing characteristics of the 
Colonial home of its type. Among the exterior changes were the building of new verandas and the substituting of stout board shutters for the 
ordinary window blinds * 
Transforming the Old House 
HOW THE PROBLEM OF REMODELING AN OLD FARMHOUSE IN NEW ENGLAND WAS SOLVED WITHOUT 
SACRIFICING COLONIAL PRECEDENT-THE PROPER TREATMENT OF WOODWORK, WALLS AND FURNITURE 
by Mary H. Northend 
Photographs by the Author 
I N the problem of re¬ 
modeling an old Co¬ 
lonial house one fact 
stands out with especial 
prominence: it is a diffi¬ 
cult thing to transform 
such a house successfully 
unless care is given to 
the Colonial precedents. 
There are certain conven¬ 
tions in regard to details 
as well as room arrange¬ 
ment to be followed, but 
there is one advantage in 
remodeling these old 
houses. They were erect¬ 
ed at a period of our his¬ 
tory when lumber was 
plentiful and cheap, and 
labor was done by the day. 
The frame was hand- 
hewn, and many of the 
beams still show the 
marks of the axe on then- 
faces. While some of these old houses have come down to the 
present day practically unchanged, many of them have been added 
to in order to meet a 
growing family, and ells, 
and rooms have been 
thrown out here and there,, 
disregarding all idea of 
architectural effect. 
To the house-owner, 
rather than the architect, 
houses such as these are 
the harder to correct; that 
is, unless a careful study 
has been made of periods. 
A good example of 
what can be done success¬ 
fully to remodel an old 
farmhouse is found at 
Charles River. Massachu¬ 
setts. It is the summer 
home of Mr. Frederick H. 
Curtis, of Boston and 
Charles River. When the 
house was first purchased, 
not many years ago, it was 
a simple little building, 
showing a square roof and gables, but with good lines. It stood 
exactly where it does to-day, back from the road, on all sides- 
1 he dining-room shows harmony of furnishing and color, the exposed ceiling 
beams carrying out the effect of solidness 
(150) 
