Painting Historic Homes: A Color Guide

Restoring old homes is a passion of many of us here in the Trolley District.  However, getting started and doing a good job is often a tough chore due to the knowledge that is required.

One of the most vexing problems is knowing what color to paint a home.  There are plenty examples of homes painted so plainly that they simply are overlooked.  Others are painted so wildly that they offend the eye.  For this reason I wanted to plug a book that I have found to be a great resource for color choices.

Robert Schweitzer's Bungalow Colors is a guidebook to various paint schemes that will compliment homes built from 1905-1930...the Craftsman Era.  Not every home will benefit from these colors but the book will shed enough light on the subject to let you know what does and does not work.

So if you are wondering what color to paint your Craftman home, pick up a copy of this book today.

NOTE:  If your home is unpainted brick and you are tempted to paint it, contact one of us before you do so.  There may be another way to bring the brick back to life without damaging it forever.

Happy Restoring!

Trolley Tussle Threatens Transoportation

The Standard Examiner reported on a Weber Area Council Of Governments (WACOG) meeting at the county building recently.  The subject of the meeting was the dilemma of funding a Downtown Circulator route AND still preserve funds for the much larger WSU-Downtown line proposed by UTA.  Here are some excerpts:

(Ogden's mayor) Godfrey came back to WACOG Monday to answer more questions about the project after last month’s meeting, although he said he was not asking for the group to vote on whether to approve funds.

Ogden has a pretty small chance of getting a $21.4 Federal Transit Administration grant for the downtown streetcar circulator, he said, so if the city got the money he would then come back to get funding approval.     

WACOG would have to approve the estimated $5.1 million in matching f u n d s , o b t a i n e d from a quarter-cent sales tax approved by Weber voters in 2007.    

They also would have to approve between $750,000 and   $1 million a year in maintenance fees for the streetcar route.    Those numbers worried Weber County Commissioner Ken Bischoff. He said WACOG has been more focused on a long-term streetcar project connecting downtown Ogden with Weber State University and McKay-Dee Hospital Center.      

“Going out 10 years, we’ve got $10 million less in funding to build the route to the hospital,” he said, referring to the ongoing maintenance costs that would be coming from the transportation tax money.

Obviously, there has to be money in place to fund both projects.  It appears, given the scarcity of resources available, that this debate may come down deciding which project is more important.  If there is a way to make the Downtown Circulator work AND still build the WSU-Downtown line, then everyone wins.  However, if it comes down to making the hard choice, it may be wiser to continue pressing forward with the WSU-Downtown line given the time and energy already spent on bringing it to fruition.  It would be unfortunate to have recent efforts made to fund the Downtown Circulator sabatoge the promise of the WSU line.   

They're Putting Snow On 25th Street

For the first Ogden Winterfest, 25th street is being covered in snow for a variety of sports.

"It’s Ogden’s first Winterfest! We are hauling in and making snow to transform downtown into the ultimate winter celebration location. Toboggan parades, block parties, snowmobile street drag races, fireworks, concerts and skiing, snowboard and snowshoe sports demos are all part of the new tradition. This two-day celebration will play host to events like skijoring (skiing behind horses), snow sculpturing, a 5K race, as well as humorous competitions including human snow bowling, human dog sled races, and doggy look alike contests. Come participate or watch. The best part is—it’s free!"

For more information visit the 25th street web site.

Trolley District in the News

Residents of the Trolley District would like to commend the Standard Examiner for their January 31, 2010 Editorial regarding the proposed Downtown-WSU streetcar project.  We agree! UTA needs to hear from the public at large regarding this proposal!  Stay tuned to find out more about upcoming public meetings and events relating to this issue.

Trolley Research trip pictures

Meet the Larsens

This story appeared on the cover of last week's Standard Examiner.  It is a great story about something that Travis and I have worked very hard on for the last 8-years - our home and our community!  As you can see from the photos, we have quite a bit of work left to finish - including putting the fretwork back up on the front porch!

ogden-couple-turns-blackened-shell-old-house-place-live

The story is by Charles F. Trentelman, and the photos (including the one shown here) by Beth Schlanker.

UHF Advocates 26th/25th Street Streetcar

Here is a link to a great article by Kirk Huffaker, executive director of the Utah Heritage Foundation, regarding the Downtown-WSU transit corridor.  UHF is a critical organization advocating historic preservation throughout the entire state of Utah.  Most importantly, they really understand the impacts that a streetcar would have on our historic districts - and they are beneficial impacts!  It's an excellent read!