Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for old house nerds. New here? Subscribe below! Today we’re doing my favorite activity: Looking at beautiful homes for sale.

I miss the days when I could count on opening Zillow to find a bevy of beautifully untouched houses priced just reasonably enough for my country-house fantasy to remain alive. It feels like all I see these days are overpriced houses that have received the same Yesteryear-ready renovation.

Well, I’m glad to say that old Zillow still exists, if you know where to look. Yes, it requires taking the time to sift through and weed out the unworthy listings, but luckily for you, I’ve done the hard work for you.

The homes I’m showcasing today—all old, all quite unrenovated—might be a little rough around the edges, but they have nothing if not soul and character. And even better: The most expensive one (by a lot) is $550,000. The last one is especially interesting.

$398,000 - 254 Juniper Swamp Road - Shushan, NY 12873

This three-bedroom on 7 acres of land, just east of Saratoga Springs and not too far from the Vermont border, is such a compelling restoration opportunity. Looks like generally good condition, and that price! Unbeatable.

The early 19th-century Colonial has a very straightforward layout typical of the period: Center hall, one room on each side, and a kitchen ell—the structure running perpendicularly off the back of the house—to the rear. Floorboards are wide, ceilings are tall, and there are three fireplaces plus one wood stove. I often like to measure a house’s worth by number of fireplaces.

The windows do seem like they may have been replaced, and the configuration of the kitchen wing understandably should be rethought, but the main rooms of the house remain, more or less, intact, and that’s what we love to see. Simple but handsome woodwork surrounds the doors and windows, and there’s a great stone foundation. I’m especially intrigued by the barn—good outbuildings are so good.

Represented by Keller Williams listing agent Heather Hamlin Martin.

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love prewar apartments, even if they were built technically during the war. If you’re new here, subscribe below! Or tap the heart to boost this post on Substack. Thank you! — Robert

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses The Gilded Age. New here? Subscribe below!

This will be a short one—I’m on Cape Cod this week with my family! At this very cute Airbnb outside of Chatham that my sister found. But I needed to hop on, because we finally have a release date for The Gilded Age Season 4!

Sunday, November 1 — Watch the teaser. Read the Vanity Fair piece with set photos, and mark! Your! Calendars!

I’ve recently been doing a bit of a rewatch of seasons 2 and 3 (The Gilded Age is perfect at any time of the day, but as a post-work, pre-dinner, martini-in-hand treat? Unmatched!) and I have to say that I think there are few shows being produced today that really understands itself as well as The Gilded Age. A truly perfect amount of self-aware campiness.

I’m curious to know your predictions for Season 4. Do you think Bertha Russell will remain true to her Alva Vanderbilt inspiration and get divorced? Will Oscar and Enid rule a new class of society with their lavender marriage? What will happen with Peggy!? The VF article teases a fabulously dramatic first episode, and I truly think that is exactly what America needs right now.

Like last year, I’ll be writing weekly recaps exclusively for premium Second Story subscribers. If you’re planning a little rewatch for yourself, here are some of my favorites:

Hi Everyone,

I’m still so energized by the response to last week’s tour of Moss Acre—not just because it’s an exceptionally beautiful house, but because of how excited you got about it. I’m so happy to have this community of Second Story readers and fellow old house lovers. Thank you!

Moss Acre made me think about another wonderfully untouched house here in NYC that I had the pleasure of touring shortly after getting into real estate. I think you’d appreciate seeing it, too.

It was a lazy June day when my colleague Pamela D’Arc rang me.

“I’m bringing a Gilded Age mansion on Riverside Drive to the market that has so much original detail—when are you free?” Truly, say no more.

The house in question was 86 Riverside Drive, on the corner of West 81st Street. The five-story, 50-foot-wide1 granite house was built around 1898 on speculation by developer-turned-architect Clarence Truce when the Upper West Side was a nascent neighborhood. It was then bought by William Carroll, who made his fortune in the fur, wool, and straw hats industry.

The house ultimately cycled through a few institutional uses before sitting essentially vacant and unused for years until coming up for sale. While that meant the condition of the house was quite delicate, it also meant the interiors had been left largely untouched, for better or for worse.

A carved stone portico with iron gate and wood ceiling welcomes you. I especially love how the iron gate over the door has 86 cut out in it.

A richly paneled entry hall with intricately carved staircase and coffered ceiling greets guests. The style of this house is a mashup of different sensibilities, but I’d call it Elizabethan Revivalist. Yes, those are sea serpents carved into the staircase bannister.

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses and weekends in Maine. New here? Subscribe below! Today’s post is a recap of the Antiques Super Bowl.

“Will we see you at the early bird hour in Blue Hill?” The charming designer Sarah Magness said over cocktails at Emily Eerdmans’s Pink Palace. “Get there early, bring cash, and have your game face on!”

Sarah was talking about the Jonathan Fisher House Antiques Show, the scrappy al fresco cousin of the Downeast Art & Antiques Show. The one-day-only sale (if you’re reading this, it’s over—mark your calendars for next year!) typically opens at 9, but anyone willing to pay a whopping $15 instead of the regular $10 gets access at 8.

Those lining up for a first bite at the apple—housed in an unused animal pen at the Blue Hill Fairground—included Gil Schafer, Alexander Widener, the aforementioned Sarah Magness (apparently we missed all the good stuff by about 15 mins, she said), Christopher Spitzmiller, and none other than Martha Stewart in a head-to-toe green ensemble topped with a straw hat. Of course, this was the day when I threw on god knows what and looked like a wayward camp kid.

Sure, there were some beautiful pieces (although many remarked that prices across the board trailed high this year), but the best part was the people watching. Unmatched!

Did you see Martha? There she is! I nearly ran her over on my way to that library stool!

Go, even if you don’t plan to buy anything. It was a highlight of our weekend in Maine, which included a visit to the most inspiring house I’ve seen in a long time. I can’t wait to tell you more.

Castine + How to get there

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses, especially if they have been loved for generations by the same family. New here? Subscribe below! Today’s post is a fun one.

I am buzzing. We just came from a house that was so good — I just have to show you all the photos I took. No, the house isn’t for sale. No, we weren’t even at the house because I was planning on writing about it! But this house was so wonderful that I turned to my partner John and just said “My newsletter for tomorrow is scrapped—I have to share this!”

This place being Moss Acre, a 19th-century shingle style mansion on 50 acres overlooking the Penobscot Bay that, yes, had recently sold for the first time in generations. But we were there because they were hosting an open-house preview of its furnishings before it all hit the auction block last night.

We had just hopped in our friends’ car after landing in Bangor when they announced we’d be making a pit stop at the preview on our way to lunch. I had no idea what was in store, so I reacted the only way a hanger-prone Taurus knows how: With tacit frustration. It was 12:30 pm, and I was concerned that I’d become a hunger-fueled terror at any moment.

But the moment we arrived, I thought to myself a la Carrie Bradshaw’s Vogue diet: I don’t know if I need lunch. This house has fed me enough to carry on until drinks at The Pink Palace!

Moss Acre was built around 1895 for William Porter, an industrialist and heir to Chicago-based Deering Harvester Company, which manufactured agricultural machinery. It was designed by Chicago-based architects Handy and Cady—but the story doesn’t get good until the house passed to William’s daughter Polly.

In the early 1910s, Polly met Molly Dewson, who was on her way to becoming a highly influential Democratic political activist. Such began an over 50-year relationship between Polly and Mary, a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt who became involved in FDR’s gubernatorial and presidential campaigns. Polly and Molly spent every summer at Moss Acre, eventually making it their full-time home when they retired in the 1950s. They were known to entertain well, hosting fabulous figures of the 20th century.

Molly passed away in 1962, and Polly died in 1972. They are buried next to each other in the Castine cemetery.

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses and New England summers. In today’s post: Great pieces from J.Press, L.L. Bean, Todd Snyder, J.Crew, LGR and more to round out a preppy Summer weekend away.

According to the friends we’re staying with this weekend, the vibe of Castine, Maine is usually very casual.

“Just pack a few polos and shorts,” they said. “Boat shoes and your boat & tote.”

Leave it to us to pick the one unusual weekend to visit. Turns out, the 78th annual Downeast Art & Antiques Show will be in town, and the Jonathan Fisher House Antiques Show is happening just 15 minutes away. Cue the cocktail parties at pink mansions (long story) and increased chances of passing Martha on the street. Seems like I’ll need to bring a few more things.

Herein is my ideal packing list for a few days of antiques-show hopping. The goal? Looking appropriately pulled together without being so polished that I’m out of place on the rocky Maine coastline.

The Accessories

Frank Clegg Signature Travel Duffle ($1,450)

I dare you to find me a more handsome duffle than the one by Frank Clegg, a heritage leatherworks company run out of Fall River, MA. I have their commuter tote and dream about expanding my collection to include a few travel bags. They come in a bunch of colors (the blue and red are especially eye catching) but the rich chestnut will go with anything.

L.L. Bean Boat & Tote ($59.95)

The perfect beach bag, but honestly so much more. I especially like the extra large Boat & Tote with long handles so you can throw it over your shoulder for when you really load it up with stuff, like hopefully good tomatoes from the farmer’s market. Mine is embroidered with PREWAR.

Anderson’s Woven Leather Belt ($145)

Don’t let the English-y name fool you. Anderson’s is an Italian company based in Parma, and their woven belts (made from leather, suede, even elastic—in a good way, I swear) are very hard to beat.

Baseball Cap ($27)

I feel like a low-key fancy antiques show in an idyllic Maine village is exactly the sort of environment that would appreciate a well-placed piece of Williams merch. Go Ephs!

Suez Sunglasses by LGR ($460)

Italian-made LGR sunglasses first came across my desk while at Departures magazine over a decade ago, and I haven’t forgotten about them since. I’m quite partial to the eternally classic “Suez”, which you’d want to be timeless when spending nearly $500 on a pair.

Terre d’Hermès ($145)

It’s a wonderful boost to the ego when people stop to ask, “What are you wearing? You smell so good.” That happens more than ever when your cologne of choice is Terre d’Hermès.

The Clothes

What Premium Subscribers Are Reading:

There’s no faster way to ruin a good room than with bad lighting. Now that we’re in a decidedly post-incandescent world (although you can still find them online and in limited quantities at some big-box stores), we’re faced all too often with LED bulbs that betray our interiors by casting a deeply unappealing and harshly cold light.

Sure, there are some clear advantages of LED bulbs, namely they last for years (in many cases, over 10), don’t emit any heat, and the amount of energy they use is so nominal that it makes no difference whether you leave them on 24/7 or turn them off every time you leave the room.

The key to finding a good LED bulb is twofold: First, pay attention to the temperature rating on the Kelvin scale. You want something around 2700—”soft white.”

Second, and most importantly, you need to choose brands wisely. After a lot of trial and error, my partner John and I have settled on two favorites that we use consistently—and which the writer Lila Allen, who pens Wrong House, a wonderful design Substack you should all subscribe to, asked about on her Instagram last week! Knowing I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to these sorts of things, she tagged me in one of the comments, and I’m here to share my lightbulb gospel.

The Best Everyday Bulb: GE Relax

If you’re looking to make a large-scale change to LED around the house and need to replace standard bulbs, look no further than GE Relax. They are affordable ($15 for a pack of 4) so you can buy them in bulk, and most importantly, the light they throw is nearly indistinguishable from incandescent. We’ve tried Philips Hue (which many swear by) but found GE Relax to be slightly warmer and thus preferable.

This is our go-to for shaded table lamps, pendant lights, semi-flushmounts, sconces, or any other typical light fixture where the bulb isn’t visible and you just need something that’s solid and dependable. If given the option, I would opt for a frosted bulb (as opposed to clear) to better diffuse the light. They’re fully dimmable, and they come in candelabra sizes if you need to outfit a chandelier. We just swapped out incandescents for these in a bathroom sconce and nobody would know unless they read this newsletter.

The main downside is that sometimes tricky to locate GE Relax bulbs if you don’t want to order them online. I’ve had the best luck either at Lowe’s or Target.

The Splurge-Worthy Bulb For Vibes: Tala, Dim to Warm

A few years ago, I put out a call on Instagram asking for LED recommendations, and a number of fancy interior designers had a common favorite: UK-based Tala.

Tala offers high-quality, stylish bulbs of different shapes and sizes, but what you want to look for is the dim-to-warm line, which starts out quite bright and cool at full brightness but dims to a lovely golden hue that is some of the best LED light you can find anywhere.

They are admittedly a splurge—a standard bulb is around $20. That said, Tala bulbs are perfect if you have a fixture with an exposed bulb in a room where you’re trying to set a specific mood or vibe. When we moved back into the Geneva house after the flood, we needed a temporary light fixture for the entryway and paired an oversized Tala bulb ($34) with a $13 flushmount fixture from Lowe’s, and the combination looked so elevated because of the stylish bulb and its soft glow.

Here’s when to not use Tala: If you need bright task lighting, like in a kitchen. That’s when you go for the GE Relax. The magic of Tala is when you have a small table lamp or chandelier that will almost always be dimmed. Then go for Tala. Otherwise, pivot back to GE.

NEED A COOL LIGHT FIXTURE FOR YOUR FABULOUS BULBS?

Look no further than SCHMATTA’s recently relaunched ultimate shopping guides, which includes one dedicated to light fixtures!

Schmatta

Where to Shop for Lighting

This is part of Schmatta’s Ultimate Home Shopping Guides. Be sure to check them all out here. For more shopping recs, check out my ShopMy page…

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a month ago · 1 like · Leonora Epstein

I have clients who recently purchased an apartment in Brooklyn that has a 2010s light fixture with exposed Edison bulbs, which are admittedly not my client’s style. They decided to swap all the bulbs with Tala on my recommendation, and they messaged me saying how much they love the look. That’s the perfect application of Tala IMO.

Honorable Mention: Electric Candle Company

This February, we rented an 18th-century stone house in Stone Ridge, NY with friends for the weekend. The library was partially illuminated by sconces that looked like candles but were really outfitted with small LED bulbs engineered to look like flames from the Electric Candle Company.

They were crazy good. But of course they were—Electric Candle Company supplies the bulbs for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s period room chandeliers!

The reason why these bulbs are so successfully deceitful is because they emit just as much light as a single flame (it literally is just 1 Watt), so to say this is a form of accent lighting is quite an understatement. You would need scores of these to fully illuminate a room, and at $36 each, they do not come cheap. That said, when we had both real candles going and electric candles turned on, if you weren’t paying too much attention, the similarity is absolutely remarkable.

Turns out LED lights don’t have to be so bad—you just need to know where to look.

Welcome to Second Story, a home & design newsletter for people who love historic architecture and prewar apartments. New here? Subscribe below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the page to boost this post on Substack. Thank you! — Robert

Standard Oil chairman Herbert L. Pratt broke records in 1915 when he signed the $30,000 lease (that’s per year, not per month) for a custom 28-room apartment on the top floor of 907 Fifth Avenue. Apartment living was still relatively new to the wealthiest New Yorkers—the previous standard being, of course, single-family houses and mansions—and no other apartment had fetched such a high price.

One glance at the floorplan, though, explains why. The sprawling layout, with 11 staff rooms, is more akin to the mansions that were quickly being demolished than the apartment houses replacing them.

The apartment was ultimately cleaved in two, a fate suffered by most of the largest prewar layouts across New York. But, lucky for us, both apartments have sold in the not-too-distant past. Let’s piece them back together and see what’s left of the fabulous twelfth-floor simplex of Herbert Pratt.

The Building: 907 Fifth Avenue

“Given ample means to have in New York the kind of home one prefers, would the choice be a private residence or apartment?” Asks a 1917 article in The New York Times. “Measured by the tendency of today, the answer is apartment.”

907 Fifth Avenue, completed in 1915 by architect J.E.R. Carpenter, catered to the market of mansion-ers who had grown weary of their albatrosses on the avenue. Not only was it costly to staff these houses that ran more like hotels, but it was a big undertaking to open and close them up as the wealthy traveled between their many homes.

Buildings like the Renaissance Revival 907 Fifth Avenue (and before it, 998 Fifth) offered a convenient alternative to the preferred city dwelling. It was just easier to staff and maintain these technically smaller—but no less grand—homes.

907 Fifth typically provided two large apartments per floor, arranged around a central courtyard that provided light and air to staff rooms and entrance galleries. Floors 2-5 offered simplexes and 6 through 11 originally offered one simplex and one duplex, although it seems the duplexes may have been split up as well.

It was not uncommon for customizations to be made for special clients looking to sign long leases1, and Herbert Pratt’s 12th floor was no exception.

The 12th Floor, Then

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses and internet research. New here? Subscribe below! Issues drop every Tuesday and Friday-ish. I’m so glad you’re here. — Robert

A few months back, I shared the resources I consistently turn to when writing my floorplan breakdowns and apartment histories. Since then, the list has grown—thanks in some cases to reader tips!—with many more ways to access primary source materials like defunct architecture periodicals, magazines, and newspapers.

If, like me, you enjoy winding down with a cocktail and some internet sleuthing, here are even more ways to deep dive on historic homes.

Pease & Elliman’s Catalog of East Side New York Apartment Plans

Open this early encyclopedia of apartment houses when you want to browse layouts from the heyday of prewar New York. Focusing mostly on buildings from in the 1920s (if you want earlier, best toggle over to Apartment Houses of the Metropolis) Pease & Elliman will deliver on most East Side (and several West Side, although you’d never know it based on the name) addresses.

Don’t have a specific building in mind? Turn to page 21, and there is a list of apartments by room count, reverse sorted so the largest apartments lead the roundup. Wonderful.

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love beautiful homes and workhorse kitchen appliances. New here? Subscribe below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the page to boost this post on Substack. Thank you! — Robert

For as much as my partner John and I entertain at our house in the Finger Lakes—we frequently host dinner for a group that ends up being 10+/-2 people—our kitchen is surprisingly bad.

A cramped footprint. Cabinets from the 1940s with insufficient storage. Minimal (formica) counters. And at the center of it all, a chintzy HotPoint electric stove that will scorch food set on even the lowest possible setting. It’s really a testament to John’s culinary chops that the food routinely comes out so beautifully.

We’ve wanted to fully redo the room since buying the house, but we’ve been busy tackling higher-priority projects that have popped up. That said, we’ve still spent hours discussing every detail of what we’d eventually like. It’s decidedly more fun to talk about farmhouse sinks and soapstone countertops than crumbling masonry.

The first order of business would be to swap out the stove for a high-quality 36” range. Which range, though, is a different, and slightly more complicated, story, because the market for 36” models is equal parts fascinating and frustrating, filled with just as many four-figure clunkers as investment-worthy appliances.

After a lot of thorough research, here’s what I’ve learned—and which models are at the top of our wishlist.

Why 36”?

Upgrading from a 30” stove to a 36” range is the culinary equivalent of switching from a full to a queen-sized bed. They’re both just 6” wider, but that difference is the line between cramped and roomy.

The extra space means going from four to six burners (or four burners + a grill!) and extra oven space for more sheet pans or a larger roast during the holidays. If you constantly find yourself juggling pans on the stovetop and jockeying for space in the oven, you’ll quickly appreciate a 36” range.

There are no good and affordable 36” ranges!

It’s easy to find a solid 30” option that’s a reasonable splurge. I love the Kitchen Aid slide-in with 5 burners ($1,799), which has been used by friends and cousins at their own homes in NYC and Boston. It’s dependable and powerful with a polished slide-in design.

The 36” category shifts into a specialized market for more avid home cooks, and I guess we have to pay a premium for our love of cooking! It’s at least $1,000 more for the most underwhelming options.

The 36” customer is presented with a false choice: Either make a big investment with a brand like Wolf ($7,000+) or try out one of the contemporary brands trying to offer the look and experience of a professional range at a fraction of the cost.

But heres the thing: The options from Thor, Kucht, and Z-Line may look nice with an equally attractive price tag ($2,500-$3,500, sometimes cheaper on sale) to match. But a quick search on Reddit will yield tales of shoddy construction, bad customer service, and calls to avoid them like the plague. It seems like it would be better to go with a solid 30” option than an entry level 36” range.

It quickly becomes clear that if you’re serious about the 36” plunge, you need to turn to the more established (and expensive) brands. Here are the ones that are on our vision board1.

The Range Wish List

BlueStar ($7,995) - My personal favorite

Consider BlueStar the closest thing to a professional-grade restaurant stove you can get in a home kitchen. BlueStar ranges are made in Pennsylvania, and they are the insider favorite for serious home cooks and professional chefs because they offer powerful “bowl” burners, even heating, and solid construction.

I confess that I didn’t learn about BlueStar until a few years ago, when I was at my best friend’s in-laws’ house in Connecticut. Her mother-in-law is a very skilled baker, and I noticed that they had a 48” BlueStar range with dual ovens. “BlueStar is the only brand where the side oven is large enough to accommodate a half sheet pan,” she told me.

After that weekend, I started to notice BlueStar ranges in the homes of those I knew who cared about quality as much as they do about cooking. They also come in almost any color and be completely customized, as Kate Rheinstein Brodsky told me after I noticed a BlueStar in her Upper East Side kitchen.

AGA Elise ($7,135) - The designer choice

I know what you might be thinking: AGA? Isn’t that the brand known for cast-iron ranges with eternally hot ovens and burners? Yes! They have a few lines in addition to the classic AGA which we’re all thinking about right now. One of those lines is the Elise, and it’s a beautiful stove that I, coincidentally, also learned about during a weekend spent in Connecticut, this time visiting the home of the architectural designer Jason VanWarren, principal at Ellsworth Home.

Jason swears by them (as does another designer friend of mine, Julie Wallach) having used Aga Elises in both his projects and personal homes. While it does come in stainless steel, there’s no denying the statement that a jewel-toned range like this would make in a kitchen.

WOLF ($9,130) - An all-around winner

In the Viking vs Wolf war, Wolf seems to win hands down as the brand worth the money. The scuttlebutt is that Viking used to be very good until they were acquired in 2012, at which point quality took a nosedive. Seems like not even fancy ranges are immune to the perils of private equity! Supposedly it’s gotten better in recent years, but who knows.

Wolf, which is operated out of Wisconsin, has built a solid reputation not only for its quality construction but, like BlueStar, for also being a favorite of serious home cooks and pros alike. A few years ago, I was invited to the Wolf/Sub-Zero showroom in NYC for a cooking demonstration, and I left positively charmed. I’d go for a model that has no frills—whenever I see a digital screen, I just think that it’s just one more thing that can break. Give me the low-tech version anyday.

A note about Facebook Marketplace

If you want a “legacy brand,” so to speak, for less money, you could always try sourcing from Facebook Marketplace. There are a few things to consider when making a second-hand purchase:

• How will you move it? This is probably the biggest limiting factor, since these ranges weigh hundreds of pounds, and often a FB Marketplace purchase will require that you figure the logistics out yourself. Sure, you could hire someone, but that will likely double the cost of the item.

• Are you able to test it? So many of the ranges are already de-installed and waiting in someone’s garage or basement. If you’re not able to test it, you’re buying a wildcard with no active warranty.

• Do you have all of the information? Make sure, if you do buy on FBM, that you have the serial number and full information so you can look up the age of the item and what will happen if/when something breaks. Sure, that 15-year old steal of a Wolf oven is in great shape now, but are the parts still made if it goes belly up soon?

Friends of mine have had varying degrees of success on Facebook—and I have come dangerously close to impulse buying a 48-inch Wolf range sitting in someone’s garage in the Finger Lakes. We even got John’s brother to secure a fork lift (?) before deciding that not only was this ridiculous, but the floor likely couldn’t support the 400lbs+ of weight. All for the best.

Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses and beautifully appointed public transit. New here? Subscribe below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the page to boost this post on Substack. Thank you! —Robert

There was once a fabulous train that carried travelers in style, directly from Manhattan’s Penn Station to Geneva, NY.

I was thinking about that longingly last night, as my partner John and I were entering hour three of our smoky drive to the Finger Lakes. I was growing more impatient by the minute.

I often get asked about how far the Finger Lakes really are from NYC, and what the best way is to get there. Honestly, 5 hours (you could do it in 4.5 if you really time it right) and by car. But it didn’t use to always be that way.

Because from the very end of the 19th through the mid-20th century, it was serviced by what was called “The handsomest train in the world”: The Black Diamond, the jewel of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.

"The Black Diamond—Ready for its first run,” headlined a May 1896 article in The Buffalo Courier, “The handsome train arrived yesterday and was visited by thousands.”

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love beautiful houses and high-quality housewares. If you like what you read, subscribe below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the screen to boost this post on Substack. Thank you! — Robert

Here’s how I know when something is worth the money: I don’t think about the price later.

I’ll be too busy appreciating how perfectly that bag goes with my outfits, remembering how cold the martinis were at that bar, or feeling happy every time I see that color on my living room wall. That’s the mark of quality—when I feel the value outweighs the cost.

In case you’re in the mood to treat yourself, and now that we’re at the beginning of yet another heat wave, I can’t think of a better excuse, here are five of my favorite indulgences (I’m a Taurus. I have many!) that I promise you will not disappoint.

Good quality hand soap

There’s no faster way to elevate a bathroom or kitchen than with a good hand soap, and my favorites don’t cost anywhere close to the fancy brands that smell like tomato leaves.

My criteria for a good soap: It shouldn’t dry out your skin, and you shouldn’t need a lot to get a good lather. The scent should be sophisticated and noticeable but not overpowering and lasting, and the packaging needs to be stylish with a good quality pump.

For the kitchen: Williams Sonoma Fleur de Sel ($16.95)

A very fresh scent that I first started buying in 2012 and continue to buy. The larger bottles seem more kitchen-y to me, but it works equally well in a bathroom.

For the bathroom: C.O. Bigelow Iconic Collection Bergamot Hand Wash ($22).

When all the other girlies were busy buying their CBK headbands, I was pushing by to get to the shockingly inexpensive-for-the-quality hand soap directly beside the tortoiseshell plastic display.

Honestly, between the sophisticated scents (I also love the Vetiver), the lusciousness of the lather, and the sturdiness of the bottle, I’m shocked they’re not charging over $30. Run, don’t walk, because I’m sure at some point they’ll catch on.

Also great: C.O. Bigelow Lime & Coriander Hand Wash ($18)

While the scents may not be as nuanced as its iconic cousin, the lower-priced collection from C.O. Bigelow still impresses with a high quality hand wash that doesn’t dry the skin out. Bonus points for the nostalgic packaging and sturdy pump. This is what’s by my kitchen sink right now.

The Thermapen

Many serious home cooks will tell you that an instant read thermometer is a kitchen essential, and they’re right! But to me, The Thermapen ($74, on sale from $115) is the only instant read thermometer worth getting.

All instant read thermometers just try to approach the precision, speed, and readability of the Thermapen. All fail. Sure, you could get an instant read from a different brand, but I would wager you’ll just be thinking to yourself “This isn’t the Thermapen” every time you use it. Why do that to yourself?

They are so good that my partner John, an exceptional home cook, has thought about getting a second, just to have on hand. Now that it’s on sale, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does.

But if you aren’t ready to take the $74 plunge, the $39 Thermopop is the move to make.

A Frank Clegg bag

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses and beautiful gardens. New here? Subscribe below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the page to boost this post on Substack. Thank you! — Robert

Ever since my partner John and I bought our house in the Finger Lakes, I’ve fantasized about transforming our shallow front beds and postage-stamp of a backyard with a bountiful array of perennials, shrubs, and flowers. It’s a wonderful way to distract from other, more unpleasant, aspects of old-home maintenance like determining how to repair crumbling masonry.

But here’s the thing: I find a beautiful garden equal parts inspiring and intimidating. And I know I’m not alone.

Just a few weeks ago, one of my best friends was telling me about how thankful she was that her mother-in-law, who has an exceptionally green thumb, could accompany her to a local nursery as they picked out new plants for my friend’s Capitol Hill backyard.

Which would work? Which wouldn’t last more than a few weeks? Full sun? Shade? There’s a difference between part sun and part shade? How does the sun come over the neighboring houses? Is the soil acidic? What zone are we in again? It’s like gardening is a science with a technical language unto itself that’s so easily mistranslated.

Not to be deterred, I knew just who to call: Garden coach Jess Zander, aka YouCanDoItGardening on Instagram and TikTok, whose calming and empowering videos with her Boston-area clients leave viewers feeling like they’re just one easily divided hosta away from getting that dream landscape started.

If you’re standing in your yard and don’t know where to begin—what should you do first?

“Identify what’s already there,” Jess told me. “It’s especially important to understand if anything in your yard is a threat or a liability.”

Something like an overgrown rhododendron can just be pruned easily. Focus on if anything looks unhealthy or, most importantly, if it’s invasive.

“I speak with my clients a lot about control,” Jess added. “In my own garden, I’m noticing bittersweet, black swallowwort, and tree of heaven. I know what I’m looking at and can deal with it very efficiently. For a beginner, it may not be so easy, and something that could be dealt with in 15 mins can suddenly become a multi-hour endeavor. You want to assess what needs action, because it can quickly get out of hand.”

Once you understand what you’re looking at, and the plants are under control, you can consider what time and budget constraints you’re working with and what you’d like to fill the space with. Jess emphasized that every garden is highly situational, and that it’s best to be very realistic with yourself about what you can handle.

How do you determine what a garden bed can support?

“Assess the light. You can’t make something that’s in full shade a sun garden and vice versa,” Jess said. “The saying is, and I didn’t make this up, ‘right plant, right place,’ and that’s absolutely true.”

“Right plant, right place” effectively translates to: Fit the natural needs of the plant to the conditions of your yard. You may want a side bed overflowing with lavender, but if that bed is mostly shady, you won’t get the desired outcome.

In terms of soil, Jess says that getting a soil test is really only worth it if you’re moving into a new build—which are often finished with soil that leaves a lot to be desired—or are planning a similarly large-scale landscaping project where you’re starting from a blank slate.

“If you’re spending thousands of dollars to fully overhaul an area, you should get a soil test. Otherwise, I’m just tweaking here or there, doing one area at a time, adding compost as I go along.”

What’s the best way to lay out a garden bed?

The basic principles: Put larger plants in the back, and smaller ones in the front. If you’re going to have a perennial garden, add interest through varying color and height. Once you have a group of plants you think works well together, repeat that same grouping down the length of the bed.

The key is to start small, in one area, and then grow—literally and figuratively—from there.

“You need to think about not only various heights but how big will something get in the future,” Jess said. “You don’t want to put a tree right next to a house or something that’s going to grow tall right under a window.”

Beware of overcrowding!

When planning for the future, make sure you’re spacing plants—especially large plants like shrubs and trees—adequately. Pay attention to the estimated full-grown size usually on the tag at the garden store.

“I’ve walked into so many properties where gardens are overcrowded and over-planted, which means somebody, at some point, overpaid. Now they’re left with a problem that requires more resources to fix.”

In short: You may not need as many arborvitaes as you think you do! You may just need to be patient and see how they fill in.

Don’t be afraid to mess up and remove a plant!

“I’ve found over the years, you make mistakes, and that does cost some money—that’s just part of gardening!”

But gardening doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor: “Divide what you already have, buy small, and be patient. Save what’s there as opposed to ripping good things out and starting from scratch. There are always economical ways of doing this.”

And if you’ve realized you made a mistake—whether that means the color isn’t right or the light is wrong or the plant just doesn’t match your personal taste—don’t feel like you have to live with it for any length of time before changing course. “I could plant something and dig it up the next day,” Jess said. “That has happened more times than I can remember. I’ll just think that’s not quite right—and out it comes.”

“I’ve gotten rid of many hydrangeas, and I have one remaining big leaf hydrangea at our cottage in New Hampshire that I’m planning to dig up,” Jess added. “It typically gets just two or three blooms and it’s unreliable. I’m pretty hardcore about acknowledging when something isn’t working and to get rid of it. You owe it to yourself—life is too short!”

Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses and floorplans. New here? Subscribe below! Or tap the heart to boost this post on Substack. Thank you! — Robert

Shortly after hitting publish on my history of Watch Hill’s most famous mansion, I got a reader tip (thank you, Derryl Lang!) that led me to the one thing I was certain did not exist: The original plans for Holiday House.

And that’s because in all of my research, poring over archival newspapers and contemporary histories, there was no mention of the architect for the home, which was commissioned by Pearl Snowden, the wealthy widow of Philadelphia oil tycoon George Grant Snowden, and is now owned by Madison Square Garden’s biggest fan.

It turns out the answer is hiding obscurely at the Baltimore Architecture Project. Holiday House was designed by the Philadelphia-area architect Robert Rodes McGoodwin, a local choice for the Snowden widow.

Lucky for us, McGoodwin published in the 1940s a monograph of his work, including the entry and first floor layouts (yes, they’re different, we’ll get into it) of Holiday House. I found the remaining floors in the archives at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. They were so kind to answer my request for a hi-res image to share with you. I’m very confident that the full original layout, as presented here, does not exist anywhere else online.

How to size up a country house

Similar to prewar apartments, country houses of a certain age can be split into three zones: Public, private, and service quarters.

Unlike most prewar apartments, though, we can understand something of the layout just by looking at the exterior. Typically, a house will have a tidy and somewhat symmetrical main block, home to the entertaining and primary sleeping areas. Then, off to the side, there will be a wing for the staff quarters. If you’re ever looking at a house that seems mostly symmetrical except for one little odd bit, chances are you’re identifying the staff quarters.

Especially savvy architects will reduce the scale of the wing and hide it behind cleverly placed landscaping to conceal it as best as possible. Holiday House is a great example.

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses and only recognize the 10-minute version of All Too Well. New here? Sign up below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the page if you like what you read. Thank you! —Robert

When Rebekah Harkness decided she was done with Watch Hill, she made a move that fell just short of setting her Rhode Island life on fire. She not only sold Holiday House, the waterfront mansion that she transformed into a seaside dorm for aspiring prima ballerinas, but she consigned it to a group that wanted to do the unthinkable: Demolish the 40-room house with its 8 kitchens and subdivide the important 5.5-acre site, which gave the tony Rhode Island enclave its name, for development.

The wrecking ball was scheduled—even a lavish party bidding farewell to the manse was thrown!—before someone came in to ensure, what would end up being more than once, that Holiday House would survive to see endless summers.

And no, that person was not Taylor Swift.

How much could a waterfront piece of land cost? $10?

“Watch Hill, beauty spot of coast, is purchased,” headlined The Westerly Sun on October 6th, 1929.

Pearl Snowden, the wealthy widow of George Snowden, had become charmed by summers spent at the nearby resort Ocean House. Not wanting to stray far, she landed the most prime—if not the most precarious—piece of waterfront real estate: the five-acre parcel known as Watch Hill. The bluff, with its high vantage point, gave the larger area its name due to its historic use by indigenous peoples as a lookout point. Later, sailors did the same.

The cost? $10 ($196 today) as reported by The Westerly Sun in a 2024 article. The special price compensated for the heavy erosion the bluff was known for.

She moved with an impressive speed that could never be replicated today: The 35-room house, architected by Robert Rhodes McGoodwin, was closed in by March 1930 and completed by August. Reports of Mrs. Snowden welcoming guests to her new mansion, which she named Holiday House, started the following year.

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love prewar apartments and fabulous Fifth Avenue mansions. New here? Subscribe below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the page to boost this post on Substack. Thank you! — Robert

One of the most beautiful mansions still standing along Fifth Avenue can be found on the corner of East 94th Street—a location that was once seen as the far edge of the world.

Built in 1915 for Oswego-born banker and diplomat Willard Straight, the neo-Georgian brick-and-marble fantasy by Delano & Aldrich rises five stories above Central Park. Now surrounded by apartment buildings, it was originally the last in a string of grand Fifth Avenue houses, almost all of which have been demolished. A few still stand, and even fewer remain in private hands. This is one of those few, owned and restored by a very private billionaire.

The interiors, as they exist today, are unknown to the public. In fact, the doors of the mansion have swung open exactly once in 111 years: In 1920, for the periodical Architecture, when Delano & Aldrich was awarded The Medal of Honor by The Architectural League of New York. A few rare photographs were snapped, and a partial floorplan accompanied the images.

After a lot of searching, I have found them all. Here’s a glimpse inside 1130 Fifth Avenue, as it originally looked over a century ago.

The Mansion to the North

The East 90s were far from the center of social gravity when 1130 Fifth Avenue was completed. While yes, the acceptable bounds of living—for the highest echelons of New York society—were slowly creeping uptown, it wasn’t until Andrew Carnegie built his brick mansion around 1902 on the corner of East 91st street, that people started to come around to the area now known as Carnegie Hill.

A little over a decade after Carnegie set up shop, Straight purchased the future site of his mansion for a reported $300,000. He tapped Delano & Aldrich, the leading firm of the day, to design a refined brick residence—apparently the northernmost on the avenue—accented by marble trim around the windows and two marble belt courses breaking the facade into three parts in a style and manner that looks nearly identical to the Knickerbocker Club about 30 blocks south, also by Delano & Aldrich in the same year.

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Welcome to Second Story a newsletter for people who love prewar apartments, especially when they have striped awnings on every window. New here? Subscribe below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the page to boost this post on Substack. Thank you! — Robert

Stroll down Fifth or Park Avenue and you’ll see a rather unexpected sight: Air-conditioners teetering on the window sills of even the most illustrious co-ops. An unfortunate, if not unsightly, reality in the world of prewar (and thus pre-central air) apartment houses as residents prepare for New York City’s notorious summertime heat.

That wasn’t always the case, though. A century ago—honestly, even as recently as 35 years ago—buildings up and down the city would guard against the rising temperatures by dusting off a practical and stylish symbol of the season: The window awning.

Typically made of striped canvas with a scalloped edge, these awnings came to replace wooden shutters in the late 19th century, keeping rooms usually 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the outside temperatures. But their ubiquity ultimately transformed them from just a seasonal accessory to a symbol of summer in the city.

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for people who love old houses and beautiful things. If you’re new here, subscribe below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the page to boost this post on Substack. — Robert

As much as I love the idea of a perfectly organized digital life, I never feel quite as together as when I write things down on paper.

Whether I’m drafting a to-do list, brainstorming future newsletters (I am trying to get to the bottom of when exactly “prewar apartment” started to be referred to as, well, prewar apartments), or just getting my feelings out, I’ve developed strong feelings over the last 20 years of journaling about the best notebooks and pens for the task.

I’ll be going to my favorite neighborhood store Janoff’s Stationery later today to get a new notebook. Here are the favorites.

Journals

For planning: Leuchtturm1917, dot paper

I first started using Leuchtturm1917 notebooks with dotted paper (instead of either lined or blank) in 2017 when I tried my hand at “bullet journaling.” The complicated daily, weekly, and monthly spreads may have been short lived, but I became hooked on the notebook, which has paper heavy enough so that ink doesn’t immediately bleed through, like when you use a Moleskine.

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Welcome to Second Story, a newsletter for lovers of prewar apartments and old houses. If you like what you read, subscribe below! Or tap the heart at the bottom of the page to boost this post on Substack! Xx Robert

One of the most impressive penthouses in New York City history was found on the corner of 102nd and Fifth Avenue, though you’d never know it today.

Custom built, as so many of the prewar palaces were, for the developer—journalist, top Hearst employee, and real estate mogul Arthur Brisbane—the triplex boasted a glassed-in conservatory, seven fireplaces, 18 bathrooms, and a 60-foot-long, two-story living room with 15-foot-tall windows overlooking Central Park.

But unlike the legendary (and now lost) living room of Preston Pope Satterwhite, memorialized in the uniquely decorative arched windows of 960 Fifth Avenue, there’s no trace of Brisbane’s remarkable residence on the facade of 1215 Fifth Avenue, known as Brisbane House. Gazing up to the top three floors reveals nothing but typical sash windows, the product of midcentury alterations after the apartment failed to find a new tenant upon the untimely passing of the grand Brisbane.

For reasons that we’ll get into, no interior photos seemingly have survived, and there’s only one clipped archival photo of 1215 Fifth Avenue showing the impressive windows that once marked Brisbane’s custom residence. Even more intriguing, a full floorplan doesn’t seem to exist. Never one to back down from a challenge, I’ve decided to piece it back together.

Who was Arthur Brisbane?

By the time Arthur Brisbane died from a heart attack in 1936, he had earned the reputation as one of the most prolific, widely read, and highest paid newspaper editors in history.

A confidant of William Randolph Hearst, he was hired in 1897 to edit The New York Journal, but penned his legacy through his column “Today,” which at its peak circulated around 20,000,000 readers. He was known for his simple yet impactful prose that ushered in the punch modern headline. At his death, it was reported that his salary was $260,000, or $6.2 million today.

Aside from his journalistic pursuits, he also dabbled in real estate development, building Ritz Tower, the (original) Ziegfeld Theater, and the Warwick Hotel, amongst other projects, one of which being the apartment house at 1215 Fifth Avenue that he would call home.

The Triplex, then

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