Built in the Queen Anne style, the John and Alice Edmiston House in Cane Hill, Arkansas, exhibits some of the finest examples of Victorian design and decoration. Rehabilitation and restoration of the house is key to Historic Cane Hill’s mission to preserve historic properties that embody the history of Cane Hill. The Edmiston house sits in a prominent location on the hill at the entrance to Cane Hill township. Even though there was not a pressing need for Historic Cane Hill to occupy the house immediately, the deterioration of these important materials made this project extremely important to push forward with the exterior restoration so the house could be preserved.

The scope of the exterior restoration included roof replacement and repairs, masonry chimney repairs, exterior repainting, and siding repairs. The existing deteriorated asphalt shingle roof and metal gutters were replaced with historically appropriate wood shingle roof and copper gutters and downspouts. The masonry chimneys were in very poor condition – the tops had been either removed or blown off. The chimneys were rebuilt down to the roof membrane with new flashing, salvaged bricks and matching replacement bricks.

The restoration of the exterior also included the repair of rotten and damaged trim and wooden elements, prep and paint of the entire house, repair of the porch flooring and trim, removal of modern storm windows and doors, and repair of historic wood windows and doors. The house was left in a state of disrepair in the 1930’s and 40s, allowing the original paint to peel and fade, leaving scant evidence of the original paint treatments. WER conducted a historic paint investigation, but it did not reveal enough information for an accurate replication of the original paint colors. The design team worked with the client to present a color scheme that blended colors found on other dwellings in Cane Hill but, more importantly, would have exemplified the Queen Anne style in a multi-color scheme to highlight the decorative elements on the house.

The John Edmiston House is the only Queen Anne-style structure in Cane Hill. It is a crucial part of the built environment of Cane Hill that helps illustrate the region’s history, particularly related to the apple industry. The rehabilitation of the Edmiston House will allow Historic Cane Hill to interpret this history and provide much-needed visitor accommodations to further the development of the town and surrounding community.