Eaton House slowly coming back to life
Plainfield — The 1725 Joseph Eaton House on Academy Hill is about to undergo an extensive renovation that will harken to pre-Revolutionary War days and accounts of George Washington and Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette staying over at the nearby Eaton Tavern.
The history is enough to spark enthusiasm from the home's new owner, builder Michael Driscoll of Sterling, and Stonington designer Victoria Scott, who is tasked with bringing the look of another age back to life. The home is part of the Plainfield Historic District, which is on both the Connecticut and National Historic Registers.
Scott said she will be trying to replicate the look of the 18th century home, though unfortunately the original antiques, wallhangings and pictures are long gone.
"If the walls could talk, I'd love to hear what this house says," said Scott, whose company is Victoria Scott Interior Design.
Scott and Driscoll believe people who stay over at the 2,400-square-foot historic house, once it is back up and running later this year, will enjoy the feel of history implicit in the home's wide-plank floors, plaster walls, carved fireplaces and beautiful dentil moldings. Driscoll intends to rent the entire house to families wanting to use it as an airbnb or similar lodging facility.
The house needs a good deal of work, including the replacement of a rotten front door, repair of a nearby bowed wall and the relocation of the kitchen. Modern windows will be replaced with ones that are more historically accurate, and radiators will give way to less obtrusive radiant heating.
Because of the home's history, Driscoll plans not to include televisions in the four bedrooms. But the home will have WiFi, he said, as well as air conditioning in the summer.
"We're going to try to keep everything as old and unique as possible," Driscoll added. "When you walk through the door, you're going to step back in time."
The Joseph Eaton House actually predates the famed 1768 Eaton Tavern at Gallup Street and Norwich Road, where Washington stayed in 1776 and 1781, and where Lafayette slept in 1824, according to local legend. The tavern is no longer standing, leaving Eaton's home as the last connection to the Revolutionary War stopover between New York and Boston.
Driscoll, who runs Michael Driscoll Building & Remodeling, bought the home about two months ago in a foreclosure and hopes to have it completedly renovated in six to nine months. The home includes what is purportedly the original tombstone of Joseph Eaton, who died in 1785, according to the inscription.
Scott said she wants to keep the design simple and homey. She is in the sketching stage of determining the layout, colors and design.
"All colors in the room are true to the original," Scott said.
Driscoll marveled at how well built a house it was considering the work was all done by hand.
"It's not production-line stuff," he said.
BUSINESS SNAPSHOT
What: Victoria Scott Interior Design
Who: Victoria Scott, owner
Website: https://victoria-scott-oeju.squarespace.com/
Phone: (240) 529-7996
Email: VictoriaScott0207@gmail.com
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