THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702080090
SECTION: HOME & GARDEN PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 135 lines
SALA CLARK grew up around the antiques business. In college she studied interior design, art history and architecture. Now she's living her dream, restoring a Queen Anne-style house at the crest of Smithfield's Wharf Hill.
By early summer, she plans to open the refurbished Victorian house and grounds as a bed and breakfast. It will once again be called ``Mansion on Main,'' the lofty title bestowed by the town's citizens when the house was built in 1889.
``At the time, it was one of the largest houses in town,'' said Clark, 25.
When Clark purchased the property in May 1995, the house was in disrepair. Exterior paint was peeling, giving it the look of a haunted house.
After 19 months of research and painstaking restoration on the once-stately home, Clark is beginning to see her vision come to life.
Much of the arduous task has been ``up close and personal.'' She has stripped paint, repaired cracks, painted walls, hung wallpaper and made window treatments.
She also has enlisted the help of close friends and her mother, Betty Clark. And periodically called in contractors for specialized work.
Knowledgeable in Victorian architecture, Clark has done historical research on the house. Located at the intersection of Main and Church streets, the three-story, gabled house sits on ground elevated above a retaining wall.
``The house was built by Richard Thomas, a prominent lawyer and town historian,'' Clark said. ``At that time, there was no road beside the house. Virginia Route 10 was built in the 1930s, and I think an injustice was done to the house.''
The Thomases had no children, so their property was inherited by a great-nephew who sold it in 1921. Four other families owned the house before Clark acquired it.
When the bed and breakfast opens, guests will be greeted by the original golden mustard-colored exterior with gingerbread trim painted brick-red, a color discovered by painters scraping the eaves.
Inside, Clark plans to recapture the house's elegance by furnishing it with antiques and reproductions.
A Smithfield native, Clark was exposed to the world of antique shows and collectors at an early age.
``Sala grew up in the antique business,'' said Betty Clark, who owns the Collector's Corner at the Antique Center on Smithfield's Main Street. ``I've been doing antique shows since 1978. To keep Sala and her two older brothers from complaining, I had them start a collection.''
One collection led to another for Sala: first, china and glass horses; then antique books dating before 1900; stamps; and satin glass popular during the Victorian era.
Clark graduated from Isle of Wight Academy and Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., where she received a bachelor's degree in interior design with a minor in art history and a concentration in architecture.
After college, she remained in Raleigh for a year, before moving back and beginning the restoration. Since returning, she has lectured on restoration and preservation to students from Paul D. Camp Community College.
Throughout the past year, Clark has experienced some pitfalls. Last summer, three storms wreaked havoc on a portion of the roof and caused a bedroom ceiling to fall.
``The first storm loosened the ceiling, the second one brought it down, and the third one caused a pretty waterfall,'' she said. ``I'm planning for a summer opening, but in dealing with an old house you never know what you'll come up with.
``Because I've studied architecture and restoration, I could handle it when the ceiling fell, but no one informed me of the hassle with contractors. The heat, air conditioning and electricity were supposed to be working in two months. It was 10 months in August, and I've been trying to catch up with the workmen ever since.''
She has taken care of most of the major problems in the house, she said, and already has given tours of the house to interested groups.
Even though most of the interior woodwork is unfinished, the decorative carvings on doors and cornices is impressive.
``It was the way of artists of that day,'' Clark said. ``You don't find detail like it today. Houses don't seem to be built now to last that long.''
Bed and breakfast guests will enter through doors with original stained-glass panels. A massive, black-lacquered, Napoleonic sideboard with decorative fretwork and solid brass mountings dominates the 10-foot wide hall. A broad staircase sweeps up one wall lined with portraits of Clark's grandparents and great-grandparents.
Already, Clark has received inquiries about renting the only upstairs bedroom that is ready for company. Painted a tomato red, the room is enhanced by a pine fireplace, original wooden shutters, lace curtains and formal, striped drapes. Two Eastlake-style beds are covered with bedspreads crocheted by Clark's grandmother.
In the adjoining bathroom, there is a matching red, claw-footed tub with brass fixtures. A shower curtain drapes softly from a circular, crown fixture near the ceiling.
The master bedroom's crystal chandelier and ornate mahogany bed with its tufted plum-colored velvet headboard are elegant. A French gilded screen with glass panes features matching plum velvet panels. The tall wardrobe with glass doors was purchased in England.
``The bed came through Sotheby's auction in New York City,'' Clark said. ``The large master bath could have been a room to bathe in or a nursery, if the Thomases had had children.
``A room adjoining the master bedroom will be rented as a suite or offered as a separate bedroom.''
The front parlor and library, which feature oriental rugs and furnishings in deep burgundy, blue, gold and tan brocades and velvets, are in a state of semi-readiness. The Clarks lavishly decorated the rooms for Christmas, even though the heart pine floors still need to be cleaned and the wallpaper replaced. Plans are to decorate a tree for every room next Christmas, Clark said.
``We have discussed a faux leather for the library walls. The floors are in relatively good condition and will be a last project. I don't want to strip them or they'll lose their patina.''
The original crown moldings and medallions in the center of each room have been preserved, and most rooms have their original light fixtures.
``Victorians looked at styles of the past,'' Clark said, ``and the fancier they were, the more they liked them. They gilded or black-lacquered furniture, but they rarely painted the woodwork. These slate mantels were fauxed to look like marble.''
The lengthy banquet table in the dining room will seat 10 guests for breakfast. From the dining room, guests can step out through the double floor-to-ceiling windows onto a recessed front porch.
``I believe the Thomases entertained a lot, and the windows were used as doors to keep the flow of circulation moving,'' Clark said.
She said she enjoys cooking and looks forward to her new endeavor. ``I haven't come up with a menu yet, but I plan to serve my guests a traditional-type breakfast. . . including Smithfield ham biscuits.'' MEMO: For updates on the anticipated opening date, room rates or other
information, call Sala Clark at 357-0006. ILLUSTRATION: Color Photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II/The Virginian-Pilot
[ABOVE: One upstairs bedroom is painted tomato red...
BELOW: Sala Clark says the Queen Anne-style house, built in 1889...]
[For complete copy of cutlines, see microfilm]
Photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II/The Virginian-Pilot
Sala Clark lights candles on the black-lacquered, Napoleonic
sideboard in the 10-foot wide hall.