Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House In Historic West Haven – Part 2

Posted on August 16, 2017 by

 

The war was still reverberating in 1946 when the former editor of Fortune magazine, Eric Hodgins, wrote the novel Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. There was a national housing shortage. The American dream of the returning G.I.’s included home ownership. The film correctly read the mood of those who wanted to move on to pursue the American dream. (See Part 1 for further information on the genesis of the Dream Houses.)

In 1988 Marianne Stanley Farris & David Farris bought Mr. Blandings Dream Home from Sam Arrington’s estate to become the second owners. Their daughter, Kate, was 8 years old at that time. (Above, The Dream House photograph as it appeared in 1988.) The Farris’ began to modernize the house while keeping in mind its architectural integrity. It took six months to redo the interior, lay a brick path to the front door, add a porch roof over the front door. (SEE PHOTOGRAPHS OF TODAY’S HOUSE IN PART ONE)  The photograph to the right is of young Kate, with her parents. She could not have imagined that one day her own darling daughters,  Mari Robin and Frances, would be playing in the back garden in their own playhouse.   

In 2004, James & Kate Tharin were expecting their 1st child when they bought the Dream Home from Kate’s parents. I have written before that I believe we find the memories of the caretakers of a home floating forever in the dust motes seen in the sunlight through the windows. In Mr. Blandings Dream Home the Arrington family, Marianne & David, James & Kate, will always be found.  Mr. Blandings Dream House represents all of our dreams of living a life of peace and prosperity, of those we love, family, and friends around us, our children playing safe and free.

There is a PS: to this story. Kate Tharin, who grew up in this house tells us that the kitchen knives remain in the same drawer and that she and James have no plans in upcoming improvements to remove the radiator covers from the walls in spite of the fact that they are no longer in use. Best of all, the piano that sat in the living room of Kate’s childhood is coming back home and will be placed in the same corner. James Tharin and his family are living their particular dreams in a special house with a unique history. The 8-year-old girl grew up and cast her own spell on the interior design of her childhood home which deserves a magazine spread. James Tharin, handsome and good humored, is a fine stand-in for Cary Grant as Mr. Blanding. The Dream House is yet another reason to appreciate the West Haven Historic District in Rocky Mount, NC.

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Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House In Historic West Haven – Part 1

Posted on August 15, 2017 by

There is nothing better than watching an old Cary Grant movie, and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, a 1948 comedy, is no exception. The film is based on the novel Eric Hodgins published in 1946, a fictionalized account of a house Hodgins built in New Milford, Connecticut.

Movie mogul David O. Selznick and his publicity man, Paul Macnamara, a former editor of Cosmopolitan, came up with an idea to promote their new film. They would build replicas of the Dream Home and raffle them the night of the premiere in each city. They planned to build 100 houses. RKO’s publicity department sent blueprints of a four bedroom colonial to contractors across the country.  73 ‘dream houses’  were built, two in North Carolina; one in Greensboro and one in Rocky Mount. (I must add that one home was built in Evanston, IL. where I grew up, which I never knew about until researching this story.) If you’re interested, the original plans are still available on the internet.  Selznick involved General Electric in this promotion who showcased their appliances in the dream home kitchens. A fine advertising opportunity, local businesses contributed their products to the building of these houses. Upon completion, the houses were open to the public to tour, the price of admission given to local charities. The dream homes were sold by raffle or lottery.

As a party game, I know you’ve been asked what famous people you would like to sit next to at a dinner party or marooned with on an island. In connection with this Mr. Blandings Dream House story, I have invited a short, but meaningful list of wonderful people to spend time with.

We will begin with James and Kate Farris Tharin, along with their daughters, Mari Robin and Frances who are the current owners and caretakers of the Rocky Mount Dream House built in Historic West Haven on Lafayette Road. Here is a wonderful, talented couple that grew up in Rocky Mount, NC and after college returned to nourish the deep roots they have here. They are perfect stewards of the house, committed to preserving the architectural integrity of the original home while slowly making changes that suit their family’s dreams. Take a moment and CLICK HERE to watch a short PBS Video on The Dream Houses.

Here is Mr. Blandings Dream House as you will find it today. The front porch roof and pillars were added by Marianne & David Farris when they bought the house in 1988 from Sam Arrington’s estate. Sam and his wife were the 1st occupants.

  

 

 

 

JOIN ME TOMORROW FOR PART TWO

 

I INVITE YOU TO FOLLOW THE BLOG AND NEVER MISS A POST

 

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Who Lived at 206 Villa in the Villa Place Historic District? Getting Ready for the Villa Place Walking Tour Oct 21, 2017

Posted on August 8, 2017 by

Do you remember this wonderful song? Grab your coat and get your hat, leave your worries on the doorstep, just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street…I’ve been singing this lately thinking about the Villa Place Historic District Walking Tour on October 21, 1-4 pm. The organization, Preservation Rocky Mount, is hosting this event along with the residents of this charming neighborhood and the City of Rocky Mount while celebrating its 150th anniversary. The Tour will highlight Architecture and Preservation and give you a renewed appreciation for this neighborhood within walking distance of downtown. Be sure to mark your calendar!

PREPARING FOR THE TOUR….WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?

In the photograph above you are looking at the Harper House. The frame, one-story, three-bay hipped roof bungalow features a tin roof, plain siding, exposed rafter tails, a hip dormer with three Union Jack paned casements, one-over-one sash windows, a glazed and paneled door, and an engaged porch with paired and triple battered posts on brick bases with cross braces. The house was built circa 1917 for John A. Harper, the assistant secretary of the YMCA in Rocky Mount who is the earliest known occupant of the house in 1930.

Fannie Gorman, a beloved and esteemed educator, lived in the house for many years. Here is young Patsy Gorham (great niece) and Charles Dunn (great nephew) unveiling “Miss Fannie’s” portrait upon her retirement in 1955. All these years later we are all indebted to Charles for his Facebook page, Rocky Mount Way Back When. In the spring of 1953, Edgemont School was renamed Fannie W. Gorham School to honor its beloved principal. Two years later, on the occasion of Miss Gorham’s retirement, the PTA presented two special gifts to the school; a lovely oil painting of “Miss Fannie,” which was placed on the front wall of the auditorium. The second gift was a bronze plaque, placed to the right of the front entrance, and inscribed with these words:

FANNIE W. GORHAM
SCHOOL
Named in Honor Of
Fannie Whitfield Gorham
Principal 1917-1955
“She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her
tongue is the law of kindness.” Proverbs 31:26

Miss Fannie died in 1980 at age 93. In delivering her funeral eulogy, her pastor declared, “I think I am well within bounds when I say that there have been presidents and governors and mayors and congressmen who have exerted less influence on the present shape of our city and its quality of life than was exerted by Miss Fannie Gorham.” In 2005 she was inducted into the Twin County Hall of Fame. On the Walking Tour, be sure to tip your hat at Miss Fannie’s door, remembered with great affection, and think of her enjoying the home she occupied for many years.

“Old buildings whisper to us in the creaking of floorboards and rattling of windowpanes.”
 Fennel Hudson, A Meaningful Life – Fennel’s Journal – No. 1

 

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Following Up-The Rocky Mount Telegram Leads to A Great Book

Posted on July 31, 2017 by

The other day I posted a two part series on The Rocky Mount Telegram which led me to a new author and book because I used a quotation from The Imperfectionists. If you have an interest in journalism you will LOVE this novel. I write another blog, Stephenyhoughtlin.com with reviews of books, about writing, gardening, travel, and more…passions of mine. I decided to reprint a part of the review for my Main Street readers in case it calls to them. And thanks for the feedback on the Telegram posts. To read the entire review click here.

I am never without a book, I read every day, though more often than not propped up in bed after 11:00 PM. A great book can last until two in the morning. Recently, I needed a quote for the other blog I write, Mainstreetrockymount.com – a two part series about The Rocky Mount Telegram newspaper. Some research led me to a quote I liked, but who was Tom Rachman and what was this novel, The Imperfectionists? I certainly didn’t want to quote someone who turned out to be an embarrassment to my literary sensibilities. The blurb was intriguing, so much so that I bought the book…free shipping Amazon Prime!

…Tom Rachman graduated from the Columbia School of Journalism and has been a foreign correspondent for the AP, stationed in Rome and worked as an editor at the International Herald Tribune in Paris. He lives in Rome. And can he write…..

The Imperfectionists (2010) is Rachman’s debut novel that follows the private lives of the reporters, editors, and executives of an international English-language newspaper in Rome as they struggle to keep it and themselves going. Each chapter reads like a short story as the characters are brought forward. Fifty years and many changes later, the paper founded by a millionaire from Atlanta resides in a dingy office with stains on the carpet. Nothing about the editor, the lazy obituary writer, the financial officer, a freelance writer that makes up news in order to get noticed, disappoint for they are but a few of the compelling, interesting, funny, pathetic, brilliant people I wouldn’t have missed for the world. I can’t say enough positive things about this story, this writer, this experience of entering Rachman’s world of journalism fictionalized by an author with credentials that make this a delightful, authentic read. I’ll leave you with a quote that particularly amused me.
“Nigel, an attorney-at-rest since they left D.C. more than two years earlier, thrives on this life: reading nonsense on the Internet, buying high-end groceries, decrying the Bush administration at dinner, wearing his role of househusband as a badge of progressive politics. By this hour, he’s normally fulminating: that the CIA invented crack cocaine; that Cheney is a war criminal; that the September 11 attacks were conceived by agents of Big Oil. (He talks a lot of shit about politics. She has to smack him down intellectually once a week or he becomes unbearable.) This evening, however, Nigel is restrained, “Good day?” he asks.”                         I can’t resist adding one more quote…

“For many, especially those in remote locales, the paper is their only link to the greater world, to the big cities they left, or the big cities they have never seen, only built in their minds. The readers constitute a sort of fellowship that never meets, united by loved and loathed bylines, by screwed-up photo captions, by the glorious corrections box.”

Hope you don’t mind this departure from the usual Main Street posts, but I keep telling you, one thing leads to another and the Telegram posts led me to a great read I wanted to share with you.

 

 

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Celebrating The Two-Year Anniversary of Main Street Rocky Mount With Evan Chavez

Posted on July 26, 2017 by

The first post I wrote for Main Street Rocky Mount, July 27, 2015,  featured Evan Covington Chavez. I said then and I say now, that this bright and capable woman is the poster child for this blog because she holds in her hands a two-sided coin. One side represents the past, and the other, the future. She is Capitol Broadcasting Company’s Development Manager for the Rocky Mount Mills. I think of Evan stepping onto a bridge that is under construction, and when the bridge is complete, she will have helped span the gap between once upon a time and what will be. Her dedication and hard work guarantee that her name will be remembered when the future story of the Rocky Mount Mills is told. (Read Opening Post)

Evan’s hands are always open to possibilities. I’m thinking of having buttons made she can hand out with the slogan, Why Not! which reflects her approach to everything she does. Evan’s past career of helping transform neighborhoods has escalated into changing the future of a city. The first time I went to talk with Evan, she and Tim Bailey were the only people on the site. Now she has a partner “in crime” Scott Roberts, General Manager, and together, with the rest of a wonderful team, the future is already happening. 

Evan and this talented group are now shepherding the transformation that is taking place at the Rocky Mount Mills. The addition of hardscape and landscaping are the newest surprises you’ll find when you arrive. If you are a person who must see something to believe, this summer is the perfect time to come and join the fun and energy being generated by each new business that opens their doors. Rocky Mount Mills opens its arms to diversity, to helping an entrepreneur’s dreams come true. Everyone is welcome to come and play, to invest in a lifestyle that offers a sense of place, a historical backdrop that is painstakingly being preserved.

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes the community of Rocky Mount to believe in what Capitol Broadcasting Company and others are doing. It cannot be done in isolation. We all have to do our part, whether you are City Government or born and raised here, old-timers, newcomers, whatever generation you claim. If you are wondering, “What can I do?” TALK THE TALK! Enjoy the excitement of every new piece of the puzzle that is being put in place, spend some money, and for heaven’s sake, don’t prejudge the outcome of all that is happening, but believe!  Realize that Rocky Mount is not just a place on the way to somewhere else, but IS SOMEWHERE. We click our heels and salute Evan Covington Chavez and all her merry band. A hug around the neck to all the readers of Main Street Rocky Mount over these past two years. If you are not already, I invite you to FOLLOW the blog and keep me company on Main Street.

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Posted in The Launch of Main Street - Rocky Mount | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Imagining a New Rocky Mount Telegram – Part 2

Posted on July 19, 2017 by

“The greatest influence over content was a necessity–they had holes to fill on every page and jammed in any vaguely newsworthy string of words, provided it didn’t include expletives, which they were apparently saving for their own use around the office.”                            Tom Rachman, The Imperfectionists

Next week, this blog, Main Street Rocky Mount, will be celebrating its 2nd anniversary. If there is one thing I have learned in the time I’ve been publishing,  Rocky Mount DESERVES and NEEDS a newspaper that promotes a positive approach every day to the community. There is no need for filling the holes in the paper with people we don’t know, with stories that aren’t ours. Perhaps reporting what the local High School football teams have for breakfast on game day is a step too far, (Click Here for Part I) but I am certain that growing the paper’s circulation, which attracts advertising, will only happen by rethinking the content of the Telegram. We need to expand our weekly dedicated columns to re-engage readers because it is OUR area news, about OUR area neighbors, all speaking to the stability of the community. We need a reinvigorated newspaper that helps create a positive image that will encourage new people to move here, entice new businesses, and provide a rationale to spend money here rather than elsewhere.

Let’s start with a cardinal rule…the front page will always shine the best light on the community. There is nothing wrong with publishing a Telegram that is unabashedly proud of the people, places, and the accomplishments of its readers and advertisers. We need columns that everyone looks forward to reading that appear at least once a week if not daily. Let’s feature our historic district neighborhoods, our architecture, the residents past and present who have interesting stories to share. We need a column that educates the public about the benefits of preservation. A daily business column that pays tribute to our reliable long time businesses and gives expanded coverage on everything new. Our organizations should not have to rely on submitting a single photograph with a bit of explanation, but a regular column that touts their good works, the significant contributions they make every day. There are endless cultural items for a column on the arts, theater, and music. We need a restaurant column now, a Mill column, a great real estate column that tells a story of the property for sale, its architectural significance, its place in the neighborhood. What about a column that is written by and for high school students?  I could go on….It isn’t that today’s newspaper doesn’t touch on the things I’ve mentioned, but it all gets lost, surrounded by excess filler that is of no interest to us. Our local sense of place and character has to fight its way onto people’s radar screen. People are no longer reading newspapers for their political content, so fed up with bias and unreliability, so I contend that emphasis on local content, with an eye on putting our best foot forward, will be good for what ails the Telegram and be invaluable to the community.

One last thing….We need to get a grip on the impact our crime reporting has. It has definitely improved, keeping that news off the front page, but let’s always report it further back in the paper in the same place, easily found for those who read such things.  We have enough problems with people who are whistling an unexamined old tune about the ”dangerous’ downtown, in spite of statistics to prove otherwise. It really isn’t necessary to shoot ourselves in the foot every time bad people do bad things. Rocky Mount NEEDS a renewed partnership with their newspaper sharing a common mission. You help us tell a positive story of Rocky Mount and her surroundings, and we’ll provide a new, engaged readership. There are knowledgeable people here who would provide these columns as sweat equity in the revitalization process of the entire area until the paper turns around and revenues are up. I promise to deliver them!  It’s the best offer you are going to get today. I’d rather see a newspaper printed once a week filled with our great story in a positive light than a declining readership that has lost interest in other people’s news.

 

Wonder how Main Street readers feel about a more localized newspaper? Leave a comment below or be in touch.

 

 

 

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Posted in Stepheny's Rocky Mount Reflections | Tagged | 10 Comments

Imagining a New Rocky Mount Telegram – Part 1

Posted on July 18, 2017 by

Woman reading newspaper in a gold room. Francesco Nétti (Italian artist, 1832- 1894).

I intended to major in journalism. It never worked out. It didn’t help that my junior year in high school I was turned down for a staff position on the Evanstonian, the school paper. Miss Stephens, the sponsor for the paper told me my grades weren’t quite good enough, and for my sake, all the extra work on the newspaper wasn’t a good idea. I was crushed. Undeterred, I left for the University of Kentucky to major in journalism. I got side-tracked by the head of the Sociology Department, who was also my freshman college advisor, a wonderful old gentleman, who reeled in many a student to his discipline, including me.

Though I grew up reading the Chicago Tribune, my real education in the newspaper business began in my first life living in Cadiz, Kentucky reading The Cadiz Record.  In those days, a southern local newspaper printed the names of those who were visiting in town, details of the brides wedding dress, and what the high school football team ate for breakfast on the morning of the game. It was all wonderful. My only working experience for a newspaper was on a newly launched weekly in Oldham County, Kentucky called, The Country Gentleman. It was a two-woman operation: Maggie wrote the copy, I sold the advertising.

You and I could have a rousing discussion on what in the hell has happened to the newspaper business, but instead, I recommend you read My Paper Chase – The stories of Vanished Times by Harold Evans. You won’t put it down. Evans became the editor for the Sunday Times and The Times of London, and among other things in a long illustrious career was a book publisher acquiring the memoirs of people like Colin Powell, Marlon Brando, Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon. My Paper Chase is a poignant reminder of all that newspapers once were, and all they could be again.

Which brings me to The Rocky Mount Telegram. I have spoken several times in jest to my writing group about staging a coup and taking the paper over because I think we are uniquely qualified to make some needed improvements. Unfortunately, the writing group that could bring different skills to this endeavor, seem otherwise, occupied. It’s a shame!

So it is up to me to state my case. In light of the revitalization going on in the Rocky Mount area, we need a newspaper that carries the flag for the community with renewed energy and enthusiasm. The new mission statement for the paper should be SAYING YES TO ROCKY MOUNT AND THE AREA EVERY DAY!  In imagining this new version of the Telegram, I’d like to fill it with columns that return once again to featuring our own local news…. forget reading about the teacher of the year in Wake Forest and other fillers that leave us drumming our fingers in frustration on the breakfast room table. After all, we have our own great teachers to write about. I’ll explain more tomorrow.

PART TWO TOMORROW

 

 

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