The Homer Castle

Editor's note: The Michael D. Coffeen Mansion is one of the historic homes of Homer, Illinois, a small town west of Urbana. Also known locally as "The Homer Castle," the house sat vacant for two years before it was purchased by Ray and Christine Cunningham on December 31, 1998. 

Ray and Christine Cunningham would face many challenges restoring their 1889 Victorian in Homer, Illinois. The biggest: Working up the courage to buy it.

Ray, an historical researcher by profession, and Christine, an artist, found realtors reluctant to show the once-grand home. Was the house, abandoned for 18 months, a treasure awaiting loving restoration? Or was Ray missing some major flaw in the house that would propel his family into financial disaster?

The son of a plumber and electrician, Ray had already restored three old homes. He was confident that he had the skills to restore houses. Still, he couldn't ignore the fact that most of the 120-year-old homes owners were clearly not up to the challenges of maintaining an ornate, 4,000-square-foot mansion. A steady stream of people had lost money on this house, including the original owner, M.D. Coffeen. Coffeen lived in the mansion for only five years, losing his $10,000 investment in 1894 for a $400 lumberyard lien.

Ray and Christine's initial tour started in an uninspiring dining room with ceilings covered in modern acoustic tile. Ray wondered what damage lurked beneath that false ceiling. As the tour continued, the house began to sell itself. Walking into the living room, Ray was struck by the leaded glass and one of the most beautiful fireplaces he had ever seen. The room appeared to be without damage and or renovation.  The next room was a parlor and was even more magnificent. Again, the woodwork was untouched. A painted glass panel over the large beveled glass picture window was stunning.

By the time he entered the foyer, Ray says,  "It did not matter what condition the home was in, I wanted it."

The foyer was graced by and even more elaborate fireplace, carved panels in the staircase and painted glass entry panels -- all original condition. 

"I ran my hands over the wood because the last time I saw anything like this I was in a museum and unable to touch it," he recalls.

But purchasing a home based on emotional appeal alone was not a risk the Cunninghams could afford to take. Still recovering from a $16,000 loss on a 200-year-old farmhouse in Vermont, Ray and Christine knew that their next house had to be bargain. In central Illinois, the best housing bargains are often older buildings. The Cunninghams weren't afraid to tackle walls, ceiling, roofs, plumbing and electricity. But could they afford to rehabilitate a mansion as large and ornate as this?

"I was staring at the opportunity of a lifetime but was frustrated that there was not much we could do about it," says Ray.

Detail from wood carving	Detail from stained glass panel	One of the home's fireplaces
Such fanciful features for "an odd-looking Queen Anne plastered in stucco." 1999 house photo.	This light, circa 1896, original used gas.	Stained glass panel in upstairs of house.
The Cunninghams' first outdoor project: restoring this back porch.	The same porch before restoration.	Detail of porch trim.   (For a larger view, click on any picture)

And so the house sat on the market for six months more, as the Cunninghams look at other homes. Periodically, they would re-visit the mansion, looking for some defect, some sign that would tell them "forget, it!" A house inspection revealed flaws typical of 100-year-old homes -- a dangerously antiquated electrical system and a bow in the basement wall. These were not problems Ray and Christine hadn't seen or handled before. 

Finally, on Dec. 31, 1998, the Cunninghams purchased for the mansion for $71,000. They would have to carefully budget their expenses. While interior woodwork and architectural features were in remarkably good shape, this would not be an inexpensive house to repair and maintain.

It lacked a central heating system. The electrical system was a jumble of inadequate and frayed wires; the plumbing system had supply lines of lead pipe. The roof was leaking in places and the porches sagged badly. So many windows were broken that for the first winter, the Cunninghams resorted to simply stapling up plastic. Stucco had been applied to the entire exterior in 1917, and this, too, needed repair.

So why did the Cunninghams think they could succeed where so many others had failed? "One central fact," says Ray. "We are motivated and totally committed to restoration. We will spend hours and hours on a project and we do not give up."

Consider that the Cunninghams have spent $41,000 in repairs so far -- a figure that would be considerably higher if they did not do the bulk of the work themselves. And they've endured physical hardships. They spent a winter living in two rooms, huddled around a wood stove for heat. Within a few days of closing on the house, water pipes burst, ruining the one room the family had intended to occupy. Then the toilet backed up, and Ray found himself elbow deep in sewage and silt. In January.

This kind of stress, says Ray, can turn high hopes into nightmares and marriages into bitter divorces. "The work is hard and the rewards are sometimes few," he says. "But, a specific type of person that will succeed in house restoration. If you enjoy long golfing weekends, this sort of thing is not for you. If you wake up and are thinking about what you desire to tackle first at 6 AM, well you have found your calling."

Clearly, Ray and Christine have found their calling.

Other parts of this story:  | Restoring the turret | Advice on tackling restoration projects |

All photos are courtesy of Ray and Christine Cunningham. For more details on this project, visit the Cunningham's Web site.