On Summit

People often buy old houses because they love the quality materials and period details. Fixtures, doors, trim, and hardware can all serve as selling points as one considers buying an older home. From that perspective, efforts to update an older house are often viewed as harmful, especially when the remodeling work can't be reversed. Countless French windows, pocket doors, swinging doors, light fixtures, mantels, tiles, and trim have been lost to time in the name of modern "upgrades". The saying "It's only original once" speaks to the precarity of maintaining a house in its initial state. Still, in the history of any 100 year old house, remodeling happens. It's a rare house that can remain completely unmolested over decades and generations. And sometimes, as we discovered at the Akron almost-mansion, the remodeling efforts become part of the house's story. That's what we found in the pink, first floor powder room. The almost-mansion was built in 1...