An abstract stained glass welcomes guests into Caleb Racicot and Daniel Vasquez’s 1902 home, and it even surprised them during their award-winning renovations.
When they began removing layers of paint, they realized the hues of the stained glass complemented the colors in the hallway and fireplace tile.
“It was like uncovering pieces of a puzzle, and you began to see how, from a design perspective, when the home was new, it was … an extremely cohesive interior design,” he said.
Credit: Text by Marena Galluccio/Photos by Christopher Oquendo
Credit: Text by Marena Galluccio/Photos by Christopher Oquendo
The stained glass was just one of the many discoveries in the residence, called the William R. McClelland Home, which received a 2018 Award of Excellence for Historic Preservation from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.
“It’s my favorite feature, and it just makes me feel very lucky to know that it survived that long,” Racicot said.
Snapshot
Residents: Caleb Racicot and Daniel Vasquez and their cats, Pugsley, Sofia, Lulu and Bibi. Racicot is a city planner and senior principal with TSW Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Vasquez is a retired performance artist and music critic.
Location: Atlanta's West End neighborhood
Size: 2,308 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths
Year built/bought: 1902/2015
Architectural style: Queen Anne and neoclassical influences
Favorite architectural elements: Front porch, original wainscoting, pocket doors
Renovations: Structural changes included rebuilding two chimneys, reinforcing the stone foundation and replacing rotted portions of the roof decking and architectural shingles. The asbestos siding was removed. The kitchen was updated. They restored the hardware with late-Victorian knobs and parts, added summer covers to fireplaces, and found gas and electric lights original to the era. They repaired the damaged plaster walls and stripped the paint to reveal original colors.
Design consultants: Jerry Davis (Park Atlanta Homes), Thomas Portis Jr. (Southwest Paint & Decorating Center), Mike Wilkinson (Chimney Mike's Chimney Sweeps)
Interior design style: Late Victorian/Edwardian
Favorite room: The reception room, because of the stained glass, wainscoting and fireplace, they said. Having separate rooms, instead of an open floor plan, gave them a way to create a unique experience in each of them and reflect their individual styles, Racicot said. "We wanted something that was more unique and so we looked at many, many homes before choosing this one," he said.
Favorite collections: Opera-related items, including century-old players, books and photographs; and Victorian period prints.
Favorite outdoor features: The front porch and yard
Resources: Antiques from Atlanta Auction Gallery. Paint by Benjamin Moore.
Tip: When renovating a historic home, seek out references from the era. For furniture ideas, they used the 1902 Sears and Roebuck catalog to vet new pieces for historic appropriateness.
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