From Vestibule to Man Cave to Porch Nook

During World War II, a second entrance was added to the Eden Street side of The Big Yellow House to provide access to the second floor apartment.  While it is known that Mrs. Brown, now a widow, re-purchased The Big Yellow House as a rental from Samuel  X. Stephenson in 1930 when he lost the house in foreclosure, it is unknown how many renters may have actually lived here.  Operating as a rental for more than 38 years (from 1930 – 1968), with its four massive bedrooms, it’s quite likely the house has accommodated hundreds of residents. 

According to the 1930 census data, Samuel still owned the house and he and his wife (Mary H.) and their two daughters (Margaret age 24 and Mildred age 17) were living here.  They were joined by two “lodgers”, Warren Oldham and John Langston (ages 23 and 26), who were employed as a lithographer and city editor in a news office.

According to the 1940 census, the house was rented for $22 by Jordon and Evelyn Brow (ages 31 and 26). Mr. Brow was employed as a Cook Keeper at the lumber mill and indicated they were living in the same location in 1935.  Renters Edward and Edna Laughinghouse (ages 34 and 29) and their two children Edna and Edward (ages 8 and 2) were also recorded as being residents ($20).  Mr. Laughinghouse was employed as a dry goods department store manager. Additional data about The Big Yellow House’s renters will not be available until the 1950 census data is released in 2022. 

The Door on the Landing is Open

So let me tell you more about this small modification to the house. A small area (about 8X8) was closed-in on the north side of the front porch making a vestibule.  A second door was positioned at the top of several stairs giving the occupant access, without coming through the foyer, to the landing of the main staircase.  We assume the stairs were partitioned-off from the foyer as well, eliminating the possibility of any access between the two floors.  It’s unknown if or how access between the two floors via the back stairs was managed.   

While there was no partition between the front stairs and the foyer, when we purchased the house, the door and the stairs leading to the porch vestibule was still there.  The former owner’s used the vestibule as a (very) small office and we began to refer to it as the man cave.  During the kitchen renovation it housed our refrigerator as well as an assortment of rugs and boxes we were trying to keep out of harm’s way. 

 



Over the next several months, a leak appeared in the ceiling and despite several calls to the roofer we were unable to find its origin.  Frustrated and obsessed with finding the source of the leak, Larry took down most of the original tongue and groove ceiling revealing the original wooden roof shingles and the current metal roof.  (He also found a large long-forgotten squirrel nest, many pecan shells, and several roof and ceiling joists rotten beyond repair.)  Using several cans of Flex Seal Brite liquid rubber sealant coating, he fixed the leak before calling Patrick the carpenter to come and repair all the damage. By the way things looked, the roof had been leaking for a very long time.  

 No longer needing a man cave or renter’s access to the second floor, we decided to remove the door and return the stairwell landing to its original design. Well, sort of.  We actually believe there was a stained glass window in the stairwell above the landing, but a bedroom closet now sits in this location so it’s not totally restored. Out on the porch, we removed the internal stairs but we left the external walls up and the room closed-in.  Now instead of a vestibule, we have a closet—or what we call the porch nook.   

We gave the external door a fresh coat of paint, and customized a new screen to look similar to the one on the front door.  The old peel and stick floor tiles were covered with some new peel and stick floor tiles and a new ceiling light was hung.  Both stained glass windows were removed and the opening on the east side of the room was closed up to allow for more hanging storage. The second window will be reinstalled after it has been re-leaded. Some shelves for our garden gear were hung, a freezer set into place and our bicycles patiently await our retrieval.  It may be a small room, but it has a lot of history.