Geiger-Easley Victorian

Restore America : Episode RAM-304 -- More Projects »
Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma's founding father, Henry Geiger, built a stately Victorian Eastlake home in the city in 1889, the year Washington became a state. Almost a hundred years later, as Skip and Jane Easley looked for a new house in Tacoma, they came across the Geiger home, now abandoned and in bad shape. The house had been repaired enough so that the Easley family could move in, but they knew the restoration would be extensive. To save money, they decided to do as many of the repairs as possible themselves.

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Skip started by glazing and replacing glass in all 47 windows, and Jane looked into paint schemes to cover the cracked exterior paint. They studied other homes in the area and tested paint samples for several months before settling on seven different Victorian colors. They tried to stay with the original pallet that the house would have had, using yellows and other natural colors.

After the exterior was complete, Skip tackled the woodwork inside, starting with the Eastlake stairway. Because it had so many coats of paint, Skip took apart the stairway, including the balusters. Then, he enlisted the help of his family and a friend to heat-gun, strip and neutralize the pieces, revealing beautiful wood that had been covered for decades.

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Since there was so much painted woodwork in the house, the Easleys decided to use an approach developed by the Victorians. Instead of stripping all the wood, they covered the lead paint with a faux finish that imitated more expensive wood--birds-eye maple, walnut, pine, redwood, etc.

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Decorative painting took on a greater dimension when Skip and Jane added a strong Victorian element to the ceiling of the master bedroom.

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A local artist hand-painted murals with mythical images of "the four seasons" in the sitting room and "the four elements of nature" in the bedroom.

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The Easleys tried to incorporate salvaged materials into much of the house, but, in the kitchen, the biggest problem was locating cabinets that were appropriate for the period. The couple found two sets of 1920s cabinetry at a local salvage shop, which they stripped and painted. They then cut doors and inserted glass in some of the cabinets, and their son designed a stained glass panel to go in one of the window inserts.

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Through their hard work and dedication the Easleys have proven that one family can make a difference.

(Architect Valerie Sivinski and homeowners Skip, Jane and Amy Easley have requested that their contact information remain private.)

Resources
City of Tacoma Web Site
City of Tacoma Web Site
Phone: 253-573-2489
Email: webmgr@ci.tacoma.wa.us
URL: www.cityoftacoma.org

Washington State Historical Society
Washington State Historical Society
1911 Pacific Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: 253-272-9747
Toll Free Phone: 888-238-4373
Email: web@wshs.wa.gov
URL: www.wshs.org
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