The 1871 Housea home away from home in bustling Manhattan – The Herald-Times (subscription)

Like many young couples Lia and Warren Raum shared a dream of owning a beautiful home in a desirable part of town. But the Raums dream was complicated by the fact that their town was New York City, and their neighborhood of choice was the citys exclusive Upper East Side. In 1998, the couple bought a historic five-story brownstone fully aware that the only way they could afford to make it their home was to share it with others as a temporary home.

After we were married we bounced around a bit, initially living in Lias studio and my apartment, but we knew that we wanted to buy a townhouse, recalled Warren, a financial investment consultant who grew up in Connecticut. When we bought this place, our first daughter, Morgan, was nine months old. At first we lived on the third floor and began restoring the house. As the work progressed, we moved to different floors and rented the finished floors.

For the first five years, Lia handled most of the day-to-day managerial and housekeeping tasks for the 6,500-square-foot house herself, with Warren pitching in as much as he could. In the beginning, we had no administrative help whatsoever, and very little housekeeping help. The gals that helped watch our daughters also did a little housekeeping, she remembered. In 2004 we promoted our babysitter, a college student from North Carolina, to become our first part-time office assistant. Now our staff consists of a house manager who is responsible for the smooth daily operation and a housekeeper who comes in every day and stays as needed.

When the Raums had time to research their home, they learned that it was one of four rowhouses on the block designed by New York architect John Sexton in the Italianate style. It was built at 130 E. 62nd Street, between Park and Lexington avenues, in 1871, hence the dwellings name: The 1871 House.

We learned that it was originally part of some wealthy familys estate. Around the Great Depression, the house was sold and divided into rental units, explained Lia, a native New Yorker. When we bought it, it had been owned by the same family for about 50 years. Fortunately, it was structurally sound and mostly needed cosmetic workplastering, painting, updating bathrooms and kitchens. Much of the flooring is original, and we had it refinished. Whatever is not original is repurposed antique flooring, such as the wide-plank oak flooring in the foyer which came from a deserted North Carolina tobacco factory and we installed in 2005.

In 2005 the Raums undertook another major restoration projectthe replacement of 23 windows in the front and street side of the house. Since the 1871 House is in the Upper East Side Historic District, one of NYCs largest landmark districts, the Raums had to apply for a permit to proceed with the window replacement. Although their request was approved, Lia noted that she and Warren received no grant or tax credit for the $60,000 project but said they consider it a necessary investment in their historic home. The new divided-light Landmark-approved windows look much like the original wood windows and provide triple glass insulation and superior sound-reduction qualities, important factors when youre providing lodging in the middle of Manhattan, smiled Lia.

One of the most satisfying tasks that Lia has undertaken for the past 20 years is decorating and furnishing the 1871 Houses seven apartment-style units, which range from a studio with kitchenette to a three-bedroom suite. Every detail in each reflects her discerning taste and passion for creating serene, comfortable quarters that resemble a guest room in the home of a genteel relative. For example, the rear library suite, which overlooks the private terracecovered with snow during our visithas soaring windows, floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined with an eclectic range of reading material (biographies, art books, cook books, New York architecture and history, and fiction), an original marble fireplace (one of eight in the house) with a resplendent antique mirror over the mantle, original parquet wood flooring and sumptuous ecru cotton bedding with a lofty duvet. Just the tonic after a day exploring the bustling streets of Manhattan!

In the beginning we furnished the rooms with pieces we already had, but we also love to hunt for antiques for the house, Lia shared. I just found a wonderful table the other day.

With their youngest daughter, Natalie, a high school junior considering colleges, Warren and Lia will soon be empty nesters. Having lived in most of the 1871 House at one time or another, their private nest is now the entire ground floor level which is connected to a restored two-story carriage house not visible from the street.

For us the house has always been a refuge from the hubbub of city life, and we hope that it provides this for our guests as well, Lia said. Its not just a business. We want people to be happy. People choose to come here because they want a home environment, not just a hotel.

For more information, visit http://www.1871house.com

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The 1871 Housea home away from home in bustling Manhattan - The Herald-Times (subscription)