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California man returns to Cedar Rapids to restore hilltop Victorian home
10
Dec 2013

California man returns to Cedar Rapids to restore hilltop Victorian home

CEDAR RAPIDS – Mark Cardis remembers playing in the yard of the hilltop Victorian home, next door to his family’s house in northwest Cedar Rapids.

“I hit it with the wiffle ball, but I didn’t care back then,” said Cardis, who has since moved to San Diego.

He cares now.

Cardis, 46, has put his life in California on hold for the past year as he restores the 1876-built home at 1208 First Ave. NW.

Wood was rotting in the Victorian home when it was purchased in 2012. (photo courtesy of Mark Cardis)
Wood was rotting in the home when it was purchased in 2012. (photo courtesy of Mark Cardis)

“This house had been neglected for decades,” he said, noting that even support beams had been removed from the basement. “It was crumbling inside.”

Cardis won’t say how much money he has poured into the home, but the extensive improvements and his attention to detail are evident.

Every room has its own color scheme – mostly earth-tones or in wallpaper – which gives each area “its own spirit,” he said.

Cardis also is keeping the architecture authentic. Original hardwood floors have been restored as much as possible; wooden doors and windows have been stripped of layer upon layer of paint and refinished; and crown molding that was removed long ago has been painstakingly recreated.

The house is completely rewired and has new plumbing for its three bathrooms and kitchens. An awe-inspiring wraparound front porch was rebuilt, using original limestone as the base.

This fireplace was restored, while another had to be rebuilt. (photo/Mark Cardis)
This fireplace was restored, while another had to be rebuilt. (photo/Mark Cardis)

One fireplace that had decayed also was rebuilt, while another was restored. Light fixtures are not original to the house, but Cardis has been scouting for vintage looks to complement the period, along with other pieces, such as clawfoot tubs and a wood stove.

This shows the original fireplace after it was restored. (photo/Mark Cardis)
This shows the original fireplace after it was restored. (photo/Mark Cardis)

He has worked with several contractors, including Art Kollias, a neighbor who Cardis said has been essential to the restoration work and has dedicated nearly as much time to the project as Cardis.

“I thought he was crazy – still do,” Kollias said, only half-joking, as he recalled when Cardis told him about his plan to restore the home. “It was a big undertaking.”

Cardis calls the project his “gift to Cedar Rapids” and points to about a dozen Christmas trees placed in windows shortly after he purchased the house.

“I just wanted people to know the home was coming back to life,” he said.

People have noticed.

A stunning wraparound porch is among the home's features that attract passersby along First Avenue in Cedar Rapids. (photo/Mark Cardis)
A stunning wraparound porch is among the home’s features that attract passersby on First Avenue in Cedar Rapids. (photo/Mark Cardis)

Bart and Melanie Frisk are among many friends and admirers who have stopped by to have a look.

The Shueyville couple toured the home when Cardis began working on it one year ago and again this December.

“It’s fabulous,” Melanie said.

The house, a Victorian with Italianate features, was built for wealthy businessman Henry V. Ferguson – vice-president of the Cedar Rapids & Marion Railway Co. – and later used as a home by Mayor Charles Huston, said Cedar Rapids historian Mark Stoffer Hunter.

“This was part of an attempt to build a mansion hill on the west side,” he said. “It’s a pretty important house.”

Huston apparently was a popular mayor, serving from 1901-1906; 1922-1924 and 1930-1932. A park was named after him in Cedar Rapids.

An early photo provided by Cedar Rapids historian Mark Stoffer Hunter shows the home at the top of the hill as it looked in the late-1800s.
An early photo provided by Cedar Rapids historian Mark Stoffer Hunter shows the home at the top of the hill as it looked in the late-1800s.

At age 91, Pauline Miller is happy to see the home she frequented as a child making a comeback. Her grandfather was Mayor Huston and Miller often would walk up the hill from St. Patrick’s School to wait at her grandparents’ home until her dad got off work at People’s Bank.

Even then, the house was divided into apartments, with her grandparents living on the main level.

“I have lots of fond memories being there,” Miller said.

Those include her grandmother, Minnie Huston, making oatmeal cookies in the kitchen and annual New Year’s dinners at the home.

Pauline Miller of Cedar Rapids provided Mark Cardis with a copy of a photo showing her grandparents and other relatives at the home during its glory days.
Pauline Miller of Cedar Rapids provided Mark Cardis with a copy of a photo showing her grandparents and other relatives on the porch during the home’s glory days. Cardis hopes to find more photos of the home.

“We always had goose,” she said of the special meals.

Miller provided Cardis with a copy of a photo of her grandparents and other family members on the front porch of the home.

Cardis said he would like to find more photos, particularly of the interior.

He remembers the home as an apartment building during his childhood. His mother, Donna Cardis, still owns the house next door.

It was Donna who alerted her son to the home being for sale. He and a business partner from California purchased the house in 2012.

Cardis, a former equipment operator who now manages properties in San Diego, said he eventually wants to live in the home, but might rent it out – two units are upstairs and one on the main floor – if the right tenants can be found.

Anyone who lives there would have to respect the home, he noted.

In the meantime, Cardis and his team, which includes his brother, Craig Cardis, and other family members in addition to contractors, are devoting their time to restoring the Victorian to the look of its glory days.

“She’s not neglected anymore,” Cardis said. “She’s the queen of the hill again.”

Even as restoration work is ongoing inside, the Victorian home at 1208 First Ave. NW is decorated for Christmas. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Even as restoration work is ongoing inside, the Victorian home at 1208 First Ave. NW is decked out for Christmas. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Mark Cardis opens the front door to the home he is restoring in Cedar Rapids. While Cardis tries to keep the architecture authentic, some features, such as these doors were replaced if beyond repair. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Mark Cardis opens the front door to the home he is restoring in Cedar Rapids. While Cardis is keeping the architecture authentic, some features, such as the doors, were replaced when beyond repair. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The living room is seen through the beveled glass of the front door. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The living room of the Victorian home is seen through the beveled glass of the front door. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Four-year-old Izzy Cardis plays with a toy train under a Christmas tree in the home's living room. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Four-year-old Izzy Cardis plays with a toy train under a Christmas tree in her uncle’s living room. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Fire from a rebuilt fireplace reflects on the wood floors of the living room. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Fire from a rebuilt fireplace reflects on the wood floors of the living room. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A toy bear owned by Mark Cardis' late father is among the vintage details he is adding to the Victorian home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A toy bear owned by the late father of Mark Cardis is among the vintage details Cardis is adding to the Victorian home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A dozen Christmas trees are placed throughout the house to show the home was "coming back to life." (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A dozen Christmas trees are placed throughout the house to show the home was “coming back to life.” (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The home has three kitchens with new plumbing and wiring, as well as features such as vintage telephones. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The home has three kitchens with new plumbing and wiring, as well as features such as vintage telephones. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Trimwork in this bedroom was saved and replicated for other areas throughout the home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Trimwork in this bedroom was saved and replicated for other areas throughout the home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A closeup shows the wood trimwork that Cardis and contractor Art Kollias have duplicated. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A closeup shows the wood trimwork that Cardis and contractor Art Kollias have duplicated. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The grand staircase of the Victorian home is decorated for the holidays. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The grand staircase of the Victorian home is decorated for the holidays, with light from a stained glass window illuminating one wall. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A new stained glass window was made to replace one that was missing from the home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A new stained glass window was made to replace another window in the home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A wood stove is among the vintage items Mark Cardis has found for the Victorian home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A wood stove is among the vintage items Mark Cardis has found for the Victorian home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Paint and wallpaper - this in an upstairs room - give each room a unique spirit, (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Paint and wallpaper – this in an upstairs room – give each area in the home a unique spirit. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Period items, such as clawfoot tubs, were found to bring back the home's original character. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Period items, such as clawfoot tubs, were found to help restore the home’s original character. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Mark Cardis, left, and Art Kollias work on a piece of crown molding to be used above one of the fireplaces. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Mark Cardis, left, and Art Kollias work on a piece of crown molding to be used above one of the fireplaces. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The restoration is still a work in progress after a year, with more waiting to be completed. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The restoration of the Cedar Rapids home is still a work in progress after a year, with more waiting to be completed. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Donna Cardis, who lives next door to the Victorian home, stops by to visit her son in December. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Donna Cardis, who lives next door to the Victorian home, stops by to visit her son in early December. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
An original radiator is among the features that Mark Cardis is keeping in the home he is restoring. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
An original radiator is among the features that Mark Cardis is keeping in the home he is restoring. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Christmas decorations can be found throughout the home, highlighting windows that have been restored. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Christmas decorations can be found throughout the home, highlighting windows that have been restored. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
An original window latch from the late 1800s is among the items Mark Cardis has restored in the Victorian home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
An original window latch from the late 1800s is among the items Mark Cardis has restored in the Victorian home. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
First Avenue in Cedar Rapids can be seen from an attic window of the Victorian home under restoration. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
First Avenue in Cedar Rapids can be seen from an attic window of the Victorian home under restoration. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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