Restoring Victorian all about love

Sometimes it's the tiniest things that make you fall in love with a large Victorian house.

The Elgin painted lady owned by Susan Tyler and Carlos Rivera boasts a turret, stained-glass windows, a brand new kitchen and lots of antiques.

But the dreamy figural tiles on the fireplace in the ladies' parlor demand a second look.

The 19th century tile work in delicate burgundy and green includes classical renditions of women and children.

And just the concept of a ladies' parlor with pocket doors to the gentlemen's parlor floats visions of eras gone by.

The tiles in the gentleman's parlor depict dogs and deer.

The rooms' fireplaces back up to each other. They were closed up, and a raccoon family had colonized the chimney. Rivera and Tyler give John Crowe, a local craftsman, credit for repairing it.

Another notable detail is the exotic fish design cast on the large brass hinges and other hardware of the heavy oak doors.

This home has been a labor of love for the couple. Tyler, who majored in art, selected the paint colors for the exterior from the multitude of stained-glass windows.

"We found out the house had been green originally but we're not sure what shade," she said. "I tried 35 different colors, putting them on the back of the house. I wanted to accent the singles and show where they change from one style to another."

She ended up mainly with colors in the Sherwin Williams Rookwood collection --terra cotta, red, dark green and amber.

This was after members of the NorthEast Neighborhood Association helped tear off the old gray asphalt siding and mid-century windows.

Rivera, who has been in construction for many years and recently started a business called Homework Construction Services, Inc., has done much of the work on the house himself, including the remodeling of the kitchen.

The new cabinets and granite countertops gleam, but visitors can't help notice the Aga range, burgundy to match the home's color scheme.

"I wanted one that didn't look so modern and I like dark ones, earthy tones," said Tyler.

Another of Rivera's coups is the second-floor bath. He enlarged the room into the old second-floor kitchen to accommodate a whirlpool tub, and hung a chandelier over the sink.

The loss the couple mourns most is an elaborate Eastlake oak railing on the front staircase -- victim of the home's conversion to a two-flat in the 1950s.

A short remnant remains, and Rivera said Dan Miller, who is active in Elgin old house circles, will help him make pieces to restore the staircase.

One advantage they have is the extensive woodwork and doors in the house were never painted.

The home was built in 1894 for John T. Jencks, who was in insurance, real estate and home loans.

It served as a parsonage for St. John's Lutheran Church from 1919 through 1947.

One woman told Tyler and Rivera that her father, the minister, practiced his sermons on the wrap-around front porch, and congregants would eavesdrop to get an idea whether it would be worth getting out of bed for Sunday morning's message.

In 1947, the church sold the house to Fred and Amanda Thies, and it stayed in the family until Tyler and Rivera purchased it in 1996.

The two had lived in Chicago but made many trips to the flea market at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles, where they bought much of the Victorian furniture in their home.

Pieces include a huge carved dark sideboard in the front parlor, where the couch, chair and loveseat are also very Victorian.

"We've always had an interest in old houses," said Rivera.

Tyler points out pieces bought for a previous house that fit here, such as the fretwork arch hung between two parlors.

"We don't buy as many things as we used to. I guess we're running out of room," she said.