"When I first toured Rose
Hill with my real estate agent I was told that she was built in
1914 (I have since learned that it was 1910) and she looked it. I
was enchanted by her stately pillars and a bit leery of her
rotting porch. I was excited to see the grand pocket doors from
foyer to parlor and parlor to dining room. I just wished that they
would open and close so that I could get the full impact. The
floor had settled so much in some areas that a walk down the hall
was reminiscent of a carnival fun house. Her walls had been
sprayed with texture coat that she was attempting to shed at every
seam. I could tell that she had good bones. She just had a touch
of osteoporosis. I couldn't wait to call her mine.
"The house was built on part
of an old farming tract belonging to the Gish family. The original
Gish farmhouse still stands as part of Highland Park and is home
to Old Southwest, Inc., a historic preservation neighborhood group
and other non-profit associations. As far as I can tell from city
records, she was a single-family home for many decades. Then, in
the 1960's, the owner opened her home to elderly veterans. I
understand that there were cots on every floor and in every nook
and cranny. The city demanded that the owner put in a fire
sprinkler system that still exists today. Perhaps not terribly
aesthetic but still part of the history of the house.
"In the 80's Rose Hill was
again a private home, then an insurance office, apartments and
again a single-family home when I bought her in January of 2006.
If you would like to hear more about the renovation and
restoration of Rose Hill, sit back, grab a cup of tea and read on
as I will share with you the adventures I chronicled in emails
back home to family and friends in California. Then, come and pay
her a visit and see how it all turned out. I think Rose is proud
of her new finery and she can't wait to show it off. I am hoping
that by fall, as the surrounding hills burn with the fire of a
thousand colors, Rose Hill will be ready to open her doors--yes
they do open now--and welcome you to the enchantments I have found
in the Roanoke Valley."
