The house sitting on a small hill in Dorsey's Search village doesn't have stairs leading to the front door, the hardwood floors are covered with paper and the rooms are primarily vacant.
Beginning Sept. 15, Dorsey Hall will be transformed into a show house full of chandeliers, artwork and furniture for visitors to admire - as the 17th annual house decorated by Historic Ellicott City Inc.
Construction workers, landscapers and designers are working to renovate and decorate the house, which was built by the Dorsey family in the early 1700s and has been vacant for a number of years. Donald R. Reuwer, a real estate developer, and Richard B. Talkin, a lawyer, bought the house in 1999 and planned to restore it. They agreed to let the Ellicott City group decorate it for a fund-raiser.
"We have wanted to do this house for many years," said Janet Kusterer, president of Historic Ellicott City Inc. "It has name recognition for many people in the community."
By the time Talkin and Reuwer bought the house, its age had started to show - it had extensive termite damage, sagging floors and rotting wood. The owners have been restoring the house since April, fixing windows, floors and doors and painting the exterior a creamy yellow.
After the public tours end Oct. 14, Talkin said, he and Reuwer will look into renting the house for office space.
"We're trying to be faithful to what was there," Talkin said. "We're certainly not finished yet."
Historic Ellicott City invited several designers and landscapers to walk through the property this summer and bid on areas they would like to design. Participating designers are volunteering their time to gain exposure and possibly new customers, Kusterer said.
The house's 23 spaces throughout two stories will be designed in a manner that is "tasteful, elegant and respects the history of the house," Kusterer said. She said the decor won't necessarily reflect 1700 tastes, but will "show how a house this age can still be livable."
The master bedroom will include a bed with a brass frame and a fireplace that is painted to resemble marble. One hallway will have the theme of the "Clue" board game, with game pieces such as a candlestick, revolver and rope noose used as decorations.
`Fun, outdoorsy'
Linda Wright is designing the garden room and envisions painting clouds on the ceiling, making the walls a pale green and maybe setting up an old picket fence.
