Customer Reviews

Adventures with Old Houses

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mr. Jenrette's passion for old houses is evident in this glorious book. He is to be commended for saving these historical treasures and restoring them to their former glory. His authenticity to period American furniture and decorative arts as well as his decorating integrity exemplify his dedication. (Of course, it helps to have money) Bravo!

I bought this book for my wife who is interested in classical American design and is a student of heritage preservation. The book is generously illustrated with large colour photographs of the exteriors and interiors of Mr. Jenrette's restored historic houses. The interior designs are neither museum-like nor a snobbish show of wealth, but impeccably tasteful, eminently liveable and absolutely applicable.

The text not only explains the history of the houses, their restoration and their decoration; it conveys the love and respect with which Mr. Jenrette undertook each project. This is among my wife's favourite books, and it never stays long on the bookshelf. (As a result of reading this book, my wife has put Mr. Jenrette at the top of her "person I most want to meet" list). Highlighting American furniture styles of the early 19th century in situ at six of America's most beautiful homes, there is a strong East coast and Southern flavour reminiscent of some of the rooms at the White House.

In these days of reduced heritage funding, many irreplaceable examples of fine American architecture are being lost. Mr. Jenrette has used his personal wealth to preserve endangered American architecture and antiques for future public enjoyment. Many thanks to him for sharing them in this excellent book.

-- Erik Pedersen, Victoria, B.C.

I have been a fan of Richard Jenrette ever since I first saw the Roper House in Charleston. This year I had the opportunity to visit it and see all of the public spaces and admire the many changes since my first visit. Next spring I will be with a small group invited for coffee and a tour of Edgewater. I suspect that this may be the only other one of his houses that I get to see, but I feel as though I have been to all of them after reading his book. It is lively, amusing and quite informative, and the photographs are wonderful. Thanks Richard Jenrette for preserving these wonderful properties!

You can read glowing priase for this book and profiles of Mr. Jenrette's in House Beautiful (May 2000); Architectural Digest (March 2000); Southern Accents (July/August 2000); Old House Interiors (March 2000); Antiques Magazine, Preservation Magazine and Veranda (April 2000).

I highly recommend this to anyone fascinated w/ old houses. I enjoyed reading about Mr Jenrette's life and homes...this book is stunning.

If you believe in reincarnation and love old houses, you would surely want to "come back" as Richard Hampton Jenrette! (Who knows, maybe HE is the reinarnation of Alva Erskine Smith Vanderbilt Belmont, a peer, certainly, in the collection of wonderful houses.)

This man has the most exquisite taste, a passion for historic houses and the decorative arts, and the means to indulge a lifestyle that can simply be described as sublime.

This book is NOT a "how to" manual. It is an elegant recollection of a number of houses he has owned and obviously loved over the course of many years.

I was extremely disappointed with this purchase. The photos in the book were not focused. The colors were not sharp. I would rather have bought a copy of Architectural Digest. I would not recommend this book.

The book itself is OK. Most important, it is one of the only books dedicated to "how you and me can restore historic houses". I still have this extraordinary book: "How we made 1 million dollars recycling old houses". I read parts of this fascinating life-story once a week. First time published in 1979 by "Contemporary Books" this book might be difficult for you to find. Drop me a mail, I could lend it to you. Adventures with old houses are also a great book. You should buy it and write you own story with old houses. We write every day a new page of Château de Bois-Briand, a castle founded in 1405 and still full of lively people. "Adventures with old houses" was helpful to us even if one of the readers will want to make a better book on same topic.