168-year-old Grand Rapids house restored as treatment center

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - To appreciate the history behind the Sanford House, start with the wallpaper mural in the grand entrance hall of the 168-year-old pillared landmark.

Depicting scenes of life in the Americas in the 1820s, the design is called Vues dAmrique du Nord. It was created by Jean Zuber, a French artist whose company made luxury handmade wall coverings in the late 19th Century, according to The Grand Rapids Press (http://bit.ly/1yKkk6T ).

In 1960, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy salvaged the same woodblock-printed wallpaper and installed it in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. Youll also find the pattern in the dining room of the Old Governors Mansion in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the elegant Monmouth Historic Inn in Natchez, Mississippi.

Zuber never visited America, but painted scenes from places and events about which he had heard and read. Hence, Boston Harbor has tropical Spanish moss hanging from its trees and the Indians look like they are from India, not North America.

Rae Green, who restored the house in Grand Rapids with her husband, David, said shes amazed the murals have survived all of the owners and non-profit agencies who have occupied the home since the wallpaper was installed during a 1907 remodeling.

There have been stories that some of the owners almost took it down, said Green, who will operate Sanford House as a private treatment center for women with addictions to alcohol and drugs.

The Greens bought the house for $365,000 in July after it served as an office building for several health and recovery-related agencies over the previous 23 years. Since then, they have invested more than $1 million while restoring and remodeling the home for its next life.

Green makes no apologies for the plush setting, the in-house chef or the $20,000-per-month fee they will charge their clients. Out-patient clients will be charged $600 a week for three-hour thrice-weekly sessions.

There is so much stigma when it comes to someone getting treatment for substance abuse, she said. Sometimes, the stigma is even greater for women.

We want to create an environment that was comfortable so they could focus on the work that they are there to do and restore their lives and the lives of their families.

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168-year-old Grand Rapids house restored as treatment center