2004 Bywater Home Tour

SCHMIDT HOUSE

This Greek Revival style, Double Shotgun was built in 1863 by the Schmidt family, in which it stayed until 1981. The current owners are the fourth owners of the house. Five rooms in the house have faux bois woodwork, which is original, with the double parlor on the 1002 side having it on the floor also. The faux bois process used on the woodwork was: the woodwork was painted with white lead paint; then it was covered with an oil based stain; and finally, a comb was pulled through the wet stain giving it a wood grained look.

The front parlor on the 1000 side was a barbershop that was run by the Schmidt's, and there is a dip and oil stain in the middle of floor where the barber chair sat. The windows in double parlor on the 1002 side have interior screens which was a German invention. During the Great Depression, the barber accepted chickens in trade for a haircut; the rumor was that the Schmidt's had far more chickens than they could use. The bricks and granite for the garden patio came from the streets and sidewalks when they were "modernized" in the 1950's.