Restoration

H.J. Lutcher Stark originally planned to restore The W.H. Stark House prior to his death in 1965, but the discovery of extensive termite damage forced him to change his plans. It is said that he was so angered by the termite damage that he wanted to demolish the house; however, his wife, Nelda C. Stark, dissuaded him. After Lutcher Stark’s death, the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, under the direction of Nelda C. Stark, began the enormous task of restoring the home.

The 10-year renovation began in 1971 and the Stark Foundation was diligent in its effort to achieve a precise restoration. Old photographs, personal remembrances of the Stark family’s maid and nurse (who were then living), and historical guidelines of the 1920s helped ensure complete accuracy. As a result, The W.H. Stark House is listed in the national Register of Historic Places and is designated as a recorded Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission.

Exterior Restoration

Exterior renovation began on October 12, 1971, with the first weeks spent assessing the termite damage. The sills and framing were affected, with the worst damage in the Music and Breakfast Room areas. The floor lines also had to be raised four inches in some places within the home. Other exterior renovations included:

Wood: Original wood was reused where necessary, but longleaf yellow pine and cypress from Lutcher Stark’s stockpile were used as needed.
Siding: A great deal of millwork was required to replace the various types of siding; however, much of the original second floor siding is still intact.
Paint: The old paint was scraped off to match the original color, which was a special mix of two shades of green. All repainting was done by hand.
Windows: Fifty-two new window screens of red heart-cypress were added, with screens outside and 1/4-inch Plexiglas® covers, later replaced with Hyzod® panels, inside for security.
Roof: The roof was covered with new manmade slate from New Orleans, which closely matched the original slate; the restoration roofing material was replaced with rubber slate-like material in 2006.
Chimneys: Approximately 30,000 bricks were removed, numbered, and replaced in their original location.
Heating and Cooling: A specially designed heating, cooling, and humidity control system was added. Water is pumped into the house from underground, and air is blown over coils into rooms. The duct system is completely concealed.

Interior Restoration

Interior restoration of The W.H. Stark House began in early 1972. Most of the rooms were addressed one by one, with the Music Room being the last room renovated due to the excessive termite damage. Interior renovations included:

Wood Panels: The original floating curly pine panels in the hallways had been moved to the Lutcher & Moore Lumber Company offices (now the Port of Orange building) after 1936 when the family no longer lived in the home. For the restoration, new quarter-inch panels were cut from old longleaf yellow curly pine that had been stockpiled by the Stark family. The panels are held in place by the surrounding moldings.
Decorative Bosses: Circular, half-round pieces of long leaf yellow pine are over all doorways and window openings. During the time the house sat vacant, many bosses were missing, so a special tool was made during the restoration to cut new replacements.
Plaster: All plasterwork had to be restored, and old moldings and ceiling medallions were recast.
Ceilings: Most of the plasters over lathe ceilings were replaced with new ceiling material; however, the original Breakfast Room ceiling was left intact so at least one ceiling would still be in original condition.
Music Room: The ceiling mural, painted by artist E. Theo Behr, was very carefully protected during the restoration, as it could not be duplicated. The mural is oil painted on canvas applied to a type of early plywood and screwed to the ceiling joists.
Wall Fabrics: These were replaced with American and European fabrics that matched as closely to the original materials as possible.
Doors: The nine leaded glass doors were restored. Each one features original hand beveled and polished French glass in triangular shapes. All wooden doors were removed, stripped, and varnished.
Fireplaces: Mantels and surrounds were removed, stripped, and varnished. Tiles around the fireplace openings are original with the exception of the replacement tiles in the Library.