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Every detail, down to the doorknobs and hinges, was studied for historic accuracy. An old photograph from the late 19th century was enlarged to scrutinize the railings and walls.
The result is the award-winning Dr. James Ford Historic Home, now a museum, in Wabash.
Among those receiving a special award from the Association of Builders and Contractors Inc. of Indiana for work on the restoration project is Warsaw architect Mary Ellen Rudisel-Jordan, of Scearce Rudisel Architects Inc. The award was presented at a ceremony Sept. 27 at the Indiana Rooftop Ballroom, Indianapolis.
ABC Inc. is an association of non-union contractors. Every year contractors, who are organization members, can submit projects for awards in various categories. When contractors submit projects for awards, Rudisel-Jordan said they include notes on the project explaining special difficulties or issues they had to address.
"We won the special award (judges' award), so that was kind of cool," said Rudisel-Jordan.
Receiving the award along with Rudisel-Jordan was the contractor, Easterday Construction Co., Culver, who submitted the project for an award, and the museum owner, The Charley Creek Foundation. Easterday has an opportunity to submit the project for national competition if the company chooses.
Besides Scearce Rudisel, three other design groups worked on the project, including interior designer Rod Budny, a landscaper, and the Formations Group out of Oregon. The Formations Group specializes in museum displays.
The Dr. James Ford Historic Home, 177 W. Hill St., Wabash, is a block west of the Wabash County courthouse.
Ford was a medical doctor, an inventor and a general during the Civil War. He built the home as a one-room house, in Wabash, but added on to it later. His wife was America Holton Ford.
"He was a rather eccentric gentleman," said Rudisel-Jordan of Dr. Ford. "He also valued cleanliness, which wasn't understood during the Civil War."
Through the years, the home fell into disrepair, but his family purchased it and decided to make it a museum not only of Ford, but also of the Victorian age. "It had changed so much over the years," Rudisel-Jordan said of the home. She said their work was to restore the home to how it appeared in the 1880s.
The project started in 2002, with the museum opening in fall of 2005. The museum now is open 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. "It's just really a cool thing, a great opportunity for kids to tour," she said.
Rudisel-Jordan said they not only had to restore the home to its former self, but also make it viable for tourists of today, including an elevator that went to all four stories of the home. The elevator was incorporated by the addition of a tower and old windows.
The Warsaw Treasure Hunters Guild searched the grounds, using equipment like a metal detector, during the project to find relics, such as an old harness that was found. During the project, Rudisel-Jordan said they also uncovered old walls, columns and beams, even an old bone.
The Victorian house next to the Ford home had to be moved for a parking lot. A heating system had to be put in that did not have huge vents.
The dining room table and chairs are from the set of the 1939 movie "Gone with the Wind." There are gardens on the home grounds, and a widow's walk on the roof. On the tour of the home, viewers can see Victorian toys, clothes and a nursery. There are interactive displays and a museum shop. Cookies baking can be smelled, and a harpsichord can be heard playing. An old limestone carriage house is in the back that people can see during a tour.
"It was really fun and an honor to work on," said Rudisel-Jordan of the project.
On the Net: www.jamesfordmuseum.org
