Just saw this thread, it's a cool one.
I have a weakness for 1920's houses. My two favorites are from that era -- my Pasadena bungalow and my current house.
I lived in a house built in 1900 for a while, it was a weird one. Probably a farmhouse originally, very basic and boxy. It had undergone waves of remodeling though and I was never able to piece together what was original and what was added when.
Recently I (re-) dound some documents from when our house was buitl (1904), where it really is mentioned that it was built during a war: the Herero War (another German genocide).
(G-uncle, as a reserve officer [navy surgeon] made some 'imperial-patriotic' remarks about that.)
Which reminds me: during WWII [in 19444/5], our house was the private residence of a Rumanian divisonal commander [though he had no soldiers at all] and from March 28 till April 1, 1945, the HQ of the 750th [US] Tank Batallion.
Walter wrote, Our house was the private residence of a Rumanian divisional commander [though he had no soldiers at all]
That reminds me that; in Argentina they had hundreds of Admirals but few ships. Most had never been to sea.
Back to topic:
Looking for long term secure lockup file storage I bought an old barn, the farmhouse having long since gone.
The roof was covered in tin sheet, the walls in wood lap. Linoleum on the floor and shutters nailed over the windows. I thought it strange that although it had not one but two chimneys, there was no trace of the fireplaces; and what were chimneys doing on a barn anyway?
Cut to the chase
Under the dirty floor covering was a wood block floor of what they tell me is Canadian maple. Under the tin roof is one of slate; behind the plaster are three fireplaces; one of which is walk-in, with great wooden lintel, complete with a bake oven. The old wood planks were hiding brick and stone walls almost 3 foot thick. At the end of the bricked up add on porch was what turned out to be a 12 foot rounded top Georgian window.
The annex has a stone floor and is single story, and so I believe was the original building. The huge beams in the roof still have bark on them in places, hand cut and held by wooden pegs.
As for the war period, who can tell? Renovations continue.
Paaskynen wrote:I am with Walter that for many European cities the credo isn't during what war a house was built, but rather what war(s) it survived.
My house survived 1848 revolution, the Franco-Prussian war 1870-71, WWI and WW2.
Tryagain wrote:Walter wrote, Our house was the private residence of a Rumanian divisional commander [though he had no soldiers at all]
That reminds me that; in Argentina they had hundreds of Admirals but few ships. Most had never been to sea.
Well, those poor (and perhaps stupid) Rumanians who were on the German side mostly died in this terrific war.
As did this Rumanian oficer, when he became commander of some German troops and was bombed in Paderborn.
