Thomas Wolfe immortalized his mother�s boardinghouse, Old Kentucky Home, as �Dixieland� in his searing autobiographical novel, �Look Homeward, Angel.� The novel was instantly the talk of the town, with residents trying to identify their often thinly disguised neighbors within the pages of the book. In the novel, which has never gone out of print since it was first published in 1929, Wolfe described the house. �Dixieland was a big cheaply constructed frame house of eighteen or twenty drafty high-ceilinged rooms: it had a rambling, unplanned, gabular appearance, and was painted a dirty yellow. It had a pleasant green front yard not deep but wide, bordered by a row of young maples.�

The five years since an arsonist set fire to one of Asheville�s most popular historic sites have been filled with progress and frustration, discovery and setbacks. But as the process is quickly drawing to a close, the road to restoration is now something that state historic resource officials are beginning to see as a job well done.

Lisbeth C. Evans, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, was in Asheville Thursday, July 24, 2003, to contribute to a media tour and update on the progress of the Old Kentucky Home�s restoration. �We�re excited that the Thomas Wolfe home is being restored to its full glory and will soon re-open for the enjoyment of his many devoted fans,� said Ms. Evans. �It has been a long process, but now we can all look forward to a full slate of programs at this wonderful historic site.�

Historians have made the decision to restore the house to the appearance that it had in 1916, the year that Thomas Wolfe�s mother, Julia, last made substantial alterations to the house, and also the last year that Wolfe lived in the house before he left for college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Asheville residents, who have long been accustomed to seeing the house painted white with black trim, now see it sporting a rather bright yellow paint, the color that Julia Wolfe chose for it back in 1916. Paint research, a painstaking process that many historic buildings undergo to determine historically correct colors for specific time periods, determined that the house was painted this color. Paint on interior walls will also reflect the 1916-era color scheme, but some rooms will feature wallpaper, where appropriate.

As is the case with all historic restoration projects, progress has been slow, arduous, and, at times, frustratingly slow. But, instead of rushing and making poor decisions in the process, state historic site managers and staff members have taken the time to make the most of the restoration, and the result has been rewarding, to say the least.

Among the pleasant surprises that have been part of the restoration process have been the discovery of several artifacts, many in near mint condition, and probably lost by some of the occupants of the boarding house (see photo at right). The old political campaign button, probably from the late 19th or early 20th century, was found during removal of baseboard trim from an upstairs bedroom. The identity of the candidate is unknown as of now. Also found was a torn and burned fragment of an Old Kentucky Home business card. Julia Wolfe used to send young Thomas to hand these out to newcomers at the train station. Several coins, including the 1887 Liberty Head nickel seen in the photo to the right, were found. This one was discovered beneath the floorboards of an upstairs bedroom added between 1885 and 1889.

The roof, completely destroyed in the fire, is now 98% complete, and it is nothing short of a work of art (see photo of roof on right). Copper shingles and a copper standing seam roof have been installed, with the roofer painstakingly recreating the original roof from highly detailed photographs that were taken prior to its destruction.

Period door and window hardware have been installed where it was missing. Operable window shutters have been reinstalled. The landscaping will be recreated to reflect the fashion of 1916.

Perhaps some of the most laborious work is that of the plasterers. Instead of ripping out the original plaster that was damaged by the fire, work crews have re-used the cracked pieces of original plaster through a process of drilling and then gluing them to the original lathe in the walls. When completed, much of the original plaster will be right where it was when Thomas Wolfe and his family lived within those same walls.

State historic officials have taken great pains to do what they can to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. A state-of-the-art fire suppression system has been installed (and successfully tested), and a surveillance system (that covers both the interior and exterior of the building) is in place. These modern systems, as well as new plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems, have been discreetly installed within the walls of the home, allowing the building to remain as near to its original appearance as possible.

The cost of the restoration is $2.1 million, paid in part by an insurance settlement and in part by the state.

The Grand Re-opening is scheduled for May 28-31, 2004. While plans are still incomplete, the Grand Re-opening will feature a re-dedication of the house and a ribbon-cutting ceremony, living history tours (where visitors can meet some of the people who once lived in Julia Wolfe�s boardinghouse), performances of a Wolfe play at the Asheville Community Theatre, guided trolley tours of Wolfe�s Asheville, and Authors Evening, featuring several prominent Southern authors (details to be announced at a later date).

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