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Life anew in Collingswood

Trish and Bill Weldon had already looked at 17 houses in several South Jersey towns when they happened to see an "open house" sign outside a rambling brick dwelling in Collingswood. Despite being on real estate overload that day in 1991, the couple decided to have a quick look.

The formal living room of Trish and Bill Weldon's Collingswood home. (Akira Suwa / Staff Photographer )
The formal living room of Trish and Bill Weldon's Collingswood home. (Akira Suwa / Staff Photographer )Read more

Trish and Bill Weldon had already looked at 17 houses in several South Jersey towns when they happened to see an "open house" sign outside a rambling brick dwelling in Collingswood. Despite being on real estate overload that day in 1991, the couple decided to have a quick look.

It was one of those life-altering experiences.

The handsome corner house with a front portico had been built in 1919 by William C. Davis, who owned a thriving baking company and reportedly was happy to let the world know of his success. The grand home's double-thick brick construction and slate roof were part of the evidence.

"The minute I stepped into the foyer and saw how the rooms flowed and got the feeling of the place, I knew it was the one," says Trish.

Bill recalls a similar, but more guarded feeling: "I saw a great house - a wonderful house - and also a lot of labor ahead."

But definitely a labor of love in the truest sense. Bill and Trish, both divorced, were about to marry, and they wanted to begin a totally new life together in a cherished new space. They were blending their families - at the time, four daughters: three his and one hers - and both felt the need for a haven for one and all, not just a way station for comings and goings.

So Trish and Bill took the plunge and bought the house, which had been vacant for years and was in great need of renovation. Settlement was just three months before their wedding. On the July day when they closed, Trish was proudly showing her sister around and found water gushing down the basement walls.

"That was a tough moment, but we got past it," she says.

The wedding took place in the basically empty Georgian Colonial, with its grand staircase that seemed meant for a bride. And over the ensuing years, with a few pauses, Trish and Bill turned the handsome brick structure into a true home for their family, which would grow to include Billy, 16, and Shannon, 14.

"There were plenty of surprises," says Bill, whose humor kept the family laughing even when this elderly house tested their patience. He recalls using torches to burn off layers and layers of old paint; some of the older children still remember the smell.

Acoustic-tile ceilings dating back to the 1960s were removed, an uninvitingly dark "sunroom" became a cozy family area, and the five bedrooms on the second floor were rehabbed, one by one. The master bedroom's face-lift was the most involved, but it has yielded a lavish space with vastly improved closets and a sybaritic master bath.

The Weldons were determined to keep the house's footprint intact, to preserve its historic features, but also to make it totally livable for a large, active family. That commitment is most visible in the public rooms downstairs.

The large living room was one of the greatest challenges, with a fireplace layered with paint and with raised paneling involving massive work to restore. Today, the room has cranberry walls and gleaming wood floors revealed under several Oriental rugs. It's formal, yet not in the "don't touch" sense.

"Every piece of furniture we own is meant to be used," insists Trish, who decorated without any outside help.

Plush sofas, wing chairs, and a handsome antique piano given to the couple by Dutch missionaries they befriended coexist with Trish's collection of Irish dolls and the home's original chandeliers.

Diamond-pattern moldings accent the dining room, which presented one of the trickier design challenges. Initially, Trish chose a medium blue for the walls, but that color proved to be off - and she knew it.

"I also knew Bill wouldn't be thrilled when I insisted that we get it right, with a deep Prussian blue that turned out to be perfect. I have a theory that a house will ultimately lead you to what's right, and this one did."

The dining room also held a surprise: Once the acoustic tile was removed, the family discovered the original moldings that give the ceiling definition and character.

Five of the original crystal chandeliers glow from that ceiling, and with an eight-foot dining table, rescued by the Weldons from a neighbor who was buying a new one, they create a room that seems ideally suited to holiday dinners, family parties, and everything in between.

Among the house's original features are a butler's pantry where supplies can be stored and a back stairway that once led to the maid's quarters.

"It was revealing that while all the original floors in the house were done in rich oak, that room's floors were finished in a cheap pine," Trish says.

A complete kitchen makeover eliminated dark, worn cabinetry and a strange mix of clashing brown tile on the walls. Today, the sun pours into the kitchen/breakfast area, painted in tones of soft beige and light mocha.

Though much of the home's restoration has been completed, Bill and Trish will tell you that there's always more to do. The 1,000-square-foot third-floor ballroom, for instance. It's currently unused space, with its potential for a modern family that doesn't host balls yet to be determined.

"Our next project is to create an activity room on the second floor, as the bedrooms empty," says Trish. Two of Bill's daughters are married now, and the clan now includes five grandchildren.

In May, the Weldons opened their home for a community garden tour sponsored by the Proud Neighbors of Collingwood, a not-for-profit civic organization.

A portrait of the house, presented as a gift by the organization, now rests on an easel in the living room.

"We were right about two things," says Bill. "This home has meant a lot of work - and it's all been absolutely, positively worth it!"

"In so many ways," says Trish, "our new life together was born right here. We're making two families into one here. And that will always make this home precious."