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A PIECE OF ART
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Salem resident restoring 1884 Victorian home
The structure has a varied past.
SALEM — Chris Clark has put a twist on his old house.
The new chimneys put on the house at 207 S. Ellsworth Ave. this week are spiral, not an original box of red bricks.
“That was my own twist,” Clark said. “It was a lot of fun to build.”
He added that without the twists, “It all looks the same [as before].”
Clark learned masonry by working under James F. Mayhew of New Life Masonry in Boardman.
Mayhew, who also has been working on the building, said, “This [house] will be a piece of art when it’s done.”
Clark, of Salem, and now a sergeant stationed at Fort Bragg, Ga., has been restoring the building for some time. He said he started on the house about eight years ago, and expects it will take another five years to finish it.
He said he will eventually end his career in the military and retire to the house with his family. He has a wife, Kelly; a son, Rafe, 17; and a daughter, Dare, 11.
But what a house. The Victorian structure has 6,500 square feet of space with three floors and a basement. The house was built in 1884 and has a varied past.
It had been a doctor’s office, a home and a boarding house for women who worked in local factories when men were away fighting during World War II.
Clark said he packs parachutes. That actually means he jumps out of planes with them. His brother, Aaron Clark, an Army warrant officer, is member of the Golden Knights parachute team. Clark says he is getting ready to apply to join the elite unit.
Clark has been working on the house over the years while on leave.
He has fixed the roof, which he said was the main cause of the wear and tear on the building.
Because of age and neglect to the house, “parts of the trim actually fell off,” he said.
But Clark began his career by going to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
Among the things he learned was how to make molds to replace the wood trim on the house. He would find the pieces, which were often painted. He would strip them, make new impressions, and then make synthetic trim that is unlikely to fall apart.
The structure drew flack several years ago when members of the Chamber of Commerce in Norwalk, Ohio, said in an evaluation program that it was an eyesore. Local chamber members explained that duty had called Clark away from the project.
Mayor Jerry Wolford recently had Clark remove part of the worn porch roof, which Clark said increased water getting into the building.
Wolford explained to Clark that the city is cracking down on dilapidated homes.
The mayor said he recalled a woman telling him she was married in the house many years ago.
“I’m happy with what he’s doing,” Wolford added.
wilkinson@vindy.com