This week at the Rapp Houses there was more plaster demolition and a good deal of plastering. Plastering is going to go on for a while because there are 20 rooms on the first floor, many of which are going to be plastered. The electric is also still in the process of being updated. Below [...]
There has always been some question about whether a staircase was ever built in the dining room of the George Rapp House. It shows up on all four of the original 1820s floor plans, but the staircase for that part of the house has always seemed to have been in the hallway next to the [...]
Work has definitely begun on the Rapp Houses. The old electric is being removed and new electric is being installed. Two "old" doors are being closed up, and two "new" doors are being opened up, or we should actually say "re-opened." A wall has been straightened and unkeyed plaster is being torn out. See the [...]
Since the Rapp Houses restoration has been going on (a lot) longer than this blog, we're going to play catch-up. The following photographs tell the story of design work and choices that have been done along the way, as well as some structural investigation and work in the houses that has been going on. There [...]
On December 4, 2012 the Rapp Houses closed to the public. That week a team of movers removed all of the large artifacts and put them in storage on site. Structural work began on December 17th. Contractors removed floor boards in the Trustees room, the main hallway of the George Rapp House, and the former [...]
The large house or mansion which we know today as the Rapp House is actually not one but two houses. The first was completed in January 1826 for Harmony Society founder and leader George Rapp. The second was built in 1828 and attached to the first for George’s adopted son Frederick Rapp. The houses have [...]
The Rapp Houses restoration project is about to get underway this coming Monday, December 16th. This blog will be a place where you can see what’s happening in the building. While we’re waiting for the project to get into full swing, there will be things to look at on this blog that include artwork and [...]