Toured a big east side rowhouse yesterday with a friend who bought a carved
marble mantle ($10,000) from the renovation contractor.

The house was built in 1881 by the Lynd Brothers, who specialized in putting
up tip-top end spec rowhouses, just shy of mansion status.  The house, as
delivered to Mr. and Mrs. Recent Purchaser had three visible episodes:

1881 - near-complete brownstone exterior, with Eastlake style carving;
inside, the original Herter-style cabinet-work: burled walnut, birds-eye
maple [possible motto?], bottle-end interior glazing, Tiffany-style
gemglass-encrusted overmantle, etc. - this was 80% intact and well cared for
by prior owner

1899 - "french-style" redecoration campaign: iron vestibule doors, new
painted-panel parlor with "lighter" carved work, installation of salvaged
European mantles in some of the principal rooms without disturbing the bulk
of the 1881 woodwork (this campaign undertaken for Mr. 1899 Buyer, an
emerging real estate investor who soon developed prominent buildings in NYC
with unusual architects)

1936 - Gropius-style alteration of a single secondary room, all straight
lines and plain white, with inset backlit cabinet for curio collection (this
campaign undertaken by daughter of Mr. 1899 Buyer, who was an important
cultural figure in NYC at mid-century).  This alteration was carried out by
the son of Owner B, an important architect-engineer, who financed-designed
other architectural significant modernist projects in NYC.  At an upper
(secondary) floor, this designer removed two of the heavy brownstone window
surrounds, inserting a broad band of steel-casement sash, to me a piquant
addition to an otherwise intact 1881 brownstone addition.

Based on an interview with the restoration supervisor, Mr. and Mrs. Recent
Purchaser have decided that they want to "preserve" the house, and "restore"
it to its "original condition", even though for the affected areas, they have
only the vaguest idea of what that original condition is, and this
restoration will involve wholesale forgery of large elements and even entire
rooms.  As I walked through the decoration of the 1899 and 1936 campaigns was
being trashed.

So what they bought was a house with multiple layers of interest and
complexity, which they are power-sanding out in favor of a uniform finish.

Sign me,  Open Coat