Dr. Thomas Johnson, who has owned the house since 1975, has undertaken many projects to restore and enhance the remarkable craftsmanship and intricate detail throughout the home. “Each room is a piece of art,” Johnson said.
The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Recognizing its historic value, Johnson undertook various projects to return the home to its 1895 luster. The gas and electric light fixtures and chandeliers he found in the attic were refurbished, and now proudly hang in the home. He reinstalled a marble sink in one of the upstairs rooms. When the house was built, every bedroom had its own marble sink. His top renovation project was turning the hayloft on the second floor of the attached carriage house into a 575-square-foot modern library and conference room.
The three-story tower with a conical roof is the home’s signature feature. Facing east, it provides stunning views toward Lewiston. The tower’s interior workmanship is remarkable.
The rich craftsmanship found throughout the home is equally stunning. No attention to detail was spared, from the curved windows and radiators in the tower to the lace curtains, the multiple stained-glass windows, and the delicately carved patterns in the woodwork, fireplaces, door frames, window frames and balusters.
The home was a wedding present to Holman Day and his wife from his wife’s father. Day lived in the home from 1895 to 1914. A prolific writer, Day wrote the majority of his 30 novels and 300 short stories and poetry at the residence. Day also worked as a columnist for the Lewiston Evening Journal and managing editor of the Lewiston Daily Sun.
The house is on the market for just the second time in 90 years; Johnson is seeking a like-minded “steward” who will continue to preserve the building’s history.
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