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Silk swag and jabot window treatments complement Barratta’s collection of antiques and military art in the living room.
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The simple, elegant proportions and classical details of the foyer are the quintessence of Federal period architecture.
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Parterre gardens at the front of the house are filled with boxwoods and bulbs.
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The Federal period house boasts Flemish-bond brickwork, rusticated plaster flat arches over the windows and a distinctive mouse-tooth brick cornice.
Julie Rautio jokes that people seeking to undertake the renovation of a historic structure should first pass a battery of tests to assess their financial stability and mental fortitude.
Actually, she’s not joking.
“You don’t really know what you’re getting until you start taking [a house] apart,” she says. “There were a lot of surprises here, and there always are more surprises you have to factor in.”
Rautio and Robert Barratta began looking for a house together on Church Hill in the early 2010s. Barratta was living on 27th Street, and Rautio wanted to join him.
“We both had a thing for old properties,” Rautio says, noting that she had been through a total renovation of a house in Williamsburg and had been involved in the renovation of the Lucky Strike complex on Tobacco Row.
The couple’s real estate agent, Jennie Dotts, guided them to 2302 E. Grace St. Built in 1813-14 — the date was confirmed by a dendrological study — the structure is known as the Hilary Baker House, after its first owner, a relocated Philadelphia lawyer. Fortuitously, the house is on the famous “Pilot Block” of Church Hill, where, in 1956, Historic Richmond Foundation (HRF, today known as Historic Richmond) undertook restorations of historic homes that were in danger of being lost to disrepair and neglect. That renovation was on display when Historic Garden Week first showcased Church Hill in 1963. The home was scheduled to be open again during this year's Garden Week tours, but the event has been canceled amid coronavirus concerns.
After HRF saved the property, it was bought by three sisters, one of whom, Marguerite Crumley, co-authored a book about Church Hill history in 1991. One of the Crumley sisters was still living there when Rautio and Barratta first saw the house.
Thanks to decades of ownership by one family, the house had been well maintained, Rautio says, but it needed updating to add features that she and Barratta wanted. Additionally, the couple would have to accommodate a two-story addition from the 1890s that would remain.
The couple purchased the house in November 2012 and began renovating, following guidelines of the Federal Historic Tax Credit Program. The credit helped soften the blow of some of the surprises that were unearthed.
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Antique mahogany shield-back chairs and a double pedestal dining table from Barratta's collection are among the period appropriate furnishings in the dining room.
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The master bath, which boasts a large marble walk-in shower, was designed with respect for the home’s historic character.
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The bedroom is painted a soft blue in keeping with the muted blues popular at the time the house was built.
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A collection of antique black basaltware pops against the vivid goldenrod walls.
The home has two fireplaces on its west side, but one had been hidden behind a wall. Excited by the prospect of two working fireplaces in the basement, Rautio and Barratta agreed to reline both chimney stacks.
As work progressed, however, it became clear that one fireplace would have to suffice.
“We had to use all the material planned for both stacks in the kitchen fireplace,” Rautio says. “The cost of repairing both became the cost of repairing one.”
All the house’s windows were removed and restored, a painstaking and expensive process. Charred wires were found behind baseboards, necessitating an electrical overhaul. The basement floor was dug out to make way for a “huge” water management system to address persistent moisture issues. In the attic, “every single beam” had to be “sistered” — or reinforced — to ensure the roof’s stability, Rautio says.
There were good surprises, too. The couple was happy to see intricate woodwork revealed as layers of paint were removed. Exposed brick in the basement shows evidence of whitewash, indicating that the lowest floor was “clearly a living space,” Barratta says. Now the basement has a cozy family room at the front of the house and the kitchen at the rear. Separated by a partial wall, the two spaces flow easily and enjoy shared light from ground-level windows.
The formal first floor — what Rautio refers to as the “museum” floor — has living and dining rooms filled with Barratta’s collection of military art and antiques.
The second floor has the master bedroom, as well as a library for Barratta’s collection of rare books. Two additional bedrooms are located on the third floor, referred to as the “Buzzard’s Roost” thanks to an old letter found in the attic during the restoration.
Beyond the main house, the property includes a fully restored two-story dependency. Originally housing the kitchen as well as enslaved workers, over the years it became a carriage house and later a residence for artists willing to live without heat or running water. Now the structure has both, as well as a living space on the first floor and a bedroom and bathroom upstairs.
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Crafted with wood and aged copper at the stove, the modern kitchen virtually fades into the background.
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The second floor library was designed for Barratta’s collection of rare and antique books.
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Plantings along the poolside include Taylor Juniper, a cultivar of Virginia native cedar, camellia and gardenia.
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Many of the bricks used to create new garden paths were sourced in the garden itself, discovered by the workers preparing the soil for planting.
When it came to the exterior, Rautio and Barratta turned to landscape architect Anna Aquino, who was excited to have a blank canvas.
“It’s a quirky, wonky backyard,” Aquino says. “You want a habitable space, but there are circulation issues, and you need access to a bunch of different doors.” The finished product includes two parterre gardens at the front, filled with boxwoods and bulbs. The back features a pool with an endless lap lane for Rautio, flanked by five columnar conifers for privacy, as well as camellia and gardenia for their scent. A seating area and a gas grill make for easy entertaining.
“You can respect or reference a historic context or setting and still make it feel up to date,” Aquino says. “You can provide the 21st-century amenities and still have a composition that feels appropriate.”
For their part, Rautio and Barratta are pleased with the outcome.
“It’s the nature of the beast” for challenges to be revealed, Rautio says. “Our goal was to restore it for its next 100 years.”
