The Italianate manse, built in 1870 by cotton broker Willis Herndon Hogan, seemed destined for hardship. Hogan died shortly after the home was completed, and his family was forced to sell it, along with all its contents. When the new owner could no longer maintain the house, Hogan’s widow reclaimed it and then resold it in 1886. The house changed hands a few more times before the Carpenters purchased it in 2007 and embarked upon a five-year renovation.
As owner of Supreme Restorations, a construction firm specializing in historic remodels, Guy Carpenter is used to tackling such complex projects. But this wasn’t just any project—this would be his family’s forever home. And this wasn’t just any job—it was a labor of love. As the renovation unfolded, it became clear that hundreds of years of wrongs would need to be made right. Rotting wood and missing doors were just the beginning. Most of the ceiling beams were in disrepair, and there were massive holes in the roof and floor. In addition, aesthetic ills had to be remedied, including the damaged millwork and peeling plaster. Many of the original moldings, cornices, and ceiling medallions had been removed and reset with generic, contractor-grade replacements.
