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FeedGrandeur Restored: A Profile of the Owners of the 2009 ASID/Joslyn Castle Trust Designer Showhouse
With all the discussion these days about modernization: modernizing health care, modernizing the educational system, and the energy grid and infrastructure,
it would be easy to think that anything created in the past has no stake in the future. Not so, of course: The 2009 Designer Showhouse holds space for those who cherish classic construction and historic architecture. This year’s featured home is the Brandeis Mansion, which provides the best of both worlds: old world craftsmanship blended seamlessly with modern design, appliances and amenities.
Experienced with the upkeep of older homes, Al and Delores Maser purchased the Brandeis Mansion in 2008 with the knowledge that there would be an extensive amount of work needed to restore the home to its original glory.
“All of the homes we’ve owned were older, and a bit on the bigger size,” Delores mentions. “And along with the bigger size comes a bit more maintenance and effort on the part of whomever owns the home. Thankfully, we’ve had an amazing team to help us through that process here.”
Constructed in 1904, the Brandeis Mansion was built within a year of the Joslyn Castle, and is located only a few blocks away from each other in the Blackstone Neighborhood. The Joslyn Castle Trust will be the beneficiary of the money raised through ticket sales while the Brandeis Mansion is open to the public. In doing so, visitors will be supporting and refurbishing two historic Omaha landmarks in one fell swoop.
The question could be raised on whether or not an investment of this size would be worth it. Being designated as a Designer Showhouse would help the Maser’s raise funds for the restoration of a historical structure; however, in the economic climate downturn, would the cost of a ticket be feasible for the community?
The answer was a resounding yes!
During the sneak-peak weekend, the Brandeis Mansion had more than 3,000 visitors walk through its doorway. As if that weekend alone wasn’t enough to put the Maser’s slight trepidation at ease, the 2009 Designer Showhouse has already pre-sold 1,000 tickets for the string of events at the mansion ranging from the patron party on September 16th to the last day of the home’s exhibition on October 4th.
Much like the Joslyn Castle, the Maser’s wanted to keep the Jacobethan Revival styling that had been the inspiration of the Brandeis Mansion’s original architect. Spreading over a three-story floor plan, the mansion would present itself as a daunting remodeling project for any homeowner. But, with a cast of 25 different design firms, each with their own designated space within the home, the Maser’s had found a way to divvy up the reconstruction in manageable pieces.
“There were a few things that had to be fixed right away when we purchased the home,” Delores notes. “Like with most houses, there was a leak here or there that had to patched, but the major project that had to be completed, before the designers could take over, was the electrical and plumbing restoration.”
The Maser’s ultimate goal is to use the Brandeis Mansion as their retirement home. After originally contemplating condominiums and smaller housing options elsewhere, both Al and Delores realized that their love of Omaha’s rich cultural community and historic architecture was inimitable. However, retrofitting the Brandeis Mansion with modern amenities for a couple enjoying their golden years (an elevator and wheelchair accessible showers for example) required taking the interior down to studs and bare plaster.
This appealed to the Showhouse designers, considering they would be given a blank canvas on which to create. And their blank canvas was a sizeable one- with nine rooms on the first floor, twelve rooms on the second floor and four rooms on the third floor; this year’s Designer Showhouse is a far cry from the average size family home. Each of the 25 designers have chosen colors and patterns as varied as their individual backgrounds. The unifying points throughout the home present themselves in rich, deep colors and ornate, fleur-de-lis styled patterns on the wall, floor and fabric spaces.
With a home of this size, it can easily take the better part of an afternoon to explore from top to bottom. In order to make that time even more enjoyable, the lower level of the home will host the Brandeis Boutique (featuring items from Voila! in Dundee), and the Brandeis Café with catered food from Wheatfields Eatery & Bakery (Wheatfields has even designed a signature bread for the event at the Mansion to celebrate).
“We are just so excited to show the finished product to everyone who comes through the house,” Delores exclaims. “In the end, everyone’s hard work finally comes together to create something great for the entire Omaha community.”
