# How one Black family is making inroads in the largely white world of historic home renovation



## nysister (Aug 3, 2021)

"For a lot of Black people, we don't want old homes, because we don't want the history that comes with them," says renovator Jamie Arty

For a lot of Black people, we don't want old homes, because we don't want the history that comes with them," says renovator Jamie Arty.






The Artys stumbled upon the mansion in Oyster Bay, N.Y., when they were house hunting and made a wrong turn. It was in a state of great disrepair.
by Meg St-Esprit McKivigan, Washington Post
Published
Aug. 3, 2021
Any homeowner renovating a historic property knows there’s a possibility of discovering a surprise or two behind the walls. Water damage, mildew, and faulty wiring systems are not uncommon. But for Black homeowners, the surprises may be more than expensive or hazardous. Sometimes, they’re painful reminders of generational trauma.

"For a lot of Black people, we don't want old homes, because we don't want the history that comes with them," says Jamie Arty, a Long Island homeowner. "Were they enslavers? What side of history were they on?"

Jamie, 39, and her husband, Frantz, 41, a tech engineer, are restoring a circa 1834 mansion in Oyster Bay, N.Y. When they purchased the stately Colonial-style house in 2018, they were apprehensive about its history. But they soon discovered that their new home had once been owned by a prominent New York abolitionist and judge, William Townsend McCoun.

Several months into the renovation, Jamie created a Facebook group to keep family and friends updated. The group, Making Over a Mansion, quickly grew and now has more than 25,000 members from around the world. She also started an Instagram account (@making_over_a_mansion). In addition to documenting their restoration, the family posts about the home’s history, including interesting finds and photos of famous 19th century guests.

Jamie, an event planner before the pandemic, also showcases the elaborate holiday decorations that adorn the mansion each season. In 2020, she created a business around her fun, over-the-top decor.

"I had to make a left turn, since no one was throwing parties anymore," she says.

The Artys are not entirely sure why their story resonates with so many people, but Jamie believes one reason is that she and Frantz are Black in a home-design world dominated by white voices — particularly when it comes to restoring older homes.

As a Black designer, Leslie Antonoff, the Los Angeles-based lifestyle blogger behind Hautemommie and cohost of the upcoming HGTV series Divide and Design, can relate. She says barriers to homeownership are one of the main reasons Black consumers don’t often undertake historic home renovation.




Jamie and Frantz Arty with their children Fitzgerald and Fallon, 5, and Frantz, 7, in front of their home.
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Calla Kessler
Robinson doesn’t want that to deter Jamie, though. “Representation matters, and so her entering into this space is her opening up the door for more Black people who are into [design],” she says. “And showcase it, because there are more. They exist.”

That’s why the family has been so public about bringing their home back from near destruction.











						How one Black family is making inroads in the largely white world of historic home renovation
					

"For a lot of Black people, we don't want old homes, because we don't want the history that comes with them," says renovator Jamie Arty.




					www-inquirer-com.cdn.ampproject.org


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## nysister (Aug 3, 2021)

They tackled the kitchen first, turning a dark, enclosed space into a bright, airy expanse with classic white cabinetry, light counters, and a marble backsplash. The fireclay kitchen sink features an embossed apron front and bridge faucet, in keeping with the home’s history. The original kitchen fireplace, discovered enclosed behind a wall, has repurposed into a brick pizza oven.

The Artys chose bright colors for the other main rooms. The dining room is Sherwin-Williams’s Solaria, a sunny yellow. A portion of the expansive room was originally an outdoor space, and uncovered siding showed that it had once been a similar color. Choosing a related color felt, to the couple, like paying respect to the home’s history. The front living room is Sherwin-Williams’s Open Air, a cool blue. Afrocentric art adorns the walls, and white wainscoting provides visual detail to draw together the massive space.

Although their main living space is complete, the Artys haven’t yet touched many of the rooms. This includes a few they can’t safely enter because they’re in disrepair or filled with century-old items. The back staircase is in its original state, with a domed brick ceiling and rough wooden treads, a testament to the domestic staff required to run such a large home.

Unearthing the house’s rich history has been unexpectedly rewarding. The family has been enraptured by the story of McCoun, who lived in the house until his death in 1878. “He was so progressive. He was a judge, a lawyer. He helped a Black soldier from Long Island who was supposed to be compensated for serving in war but never received his due,” Jamie says. “I am now good friends with the great-great-great-granddaughter of that soldier … That is full circle.”

Described by the New York Historical Society as “a patron of the arts and a friend of many artists,” McCoun entertained a lengthy list of celebrities in his home, including Charles Dickens and a young Theodore Roosevelt. Sophia Moore, a former enslaved woman, is buried mere feet from the judge on the Artys’ property. She was born in 1786 in Morristown, N.J. The inscription on her stone reads: “In Memory of Sophia Moore, died 1851, aged 65 years. Born a slave in the State of New Jersey, bought her freedom and for 25 years was a faithful friend and servant to the family of William Townsend McCoun.” In the 1800s, cemeteries were segregated; to include Moore in the family plot was a significant gesture. Jamie and Frantz work hard to highlight Moore’s role in the household as they restore the mansion.

Brent Leggs, executive director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, rejects the notion that Black Americans don’t have a role in historic preservation. “Black communities contribute to historic preservation in diverse and meaningful ways,” he says. “It’s just overlooked or isn’t widely known.”

It’s serendipitous that the Artys’ house has an uplifting history, but Leggs urges Black families to consider the importance of restoration and preservation even when that’s not the case. Black people can use restoration to center themselves in the narrative, he says, rather than remain tertiary figures to the white history that occurred at these sites.

Historic sites contain what Leggs calls “cultural memory,” and he urges restorers to learn from the preservation of each site — even if what they learn is painful. “African Americans can reclaim historic spaces and narratives to create new forms of power and healing for themselves and their community.”

Published Aug. 3, 2021


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## nysister (Aug 3, 2021)

Jamie Arty (@making_over_a_mansion) • Instagram photos and videos
					

9,354 Followers, 837 Following, 254 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Jamie Arty (@making_over_a_mansion)




					instagram.com


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## nysister (Aug 3, 2021)




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## nysister (Aug 3, 2021)




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## nysister (Aug 3, 2021)




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## naturalgyrl5199 (Aug 3, 2021)

I like it. There is a lot of pain with blacks regarding American history. But there ARE a lot of black experts on Black American and the rest of American history. I really really love history and I think this was a great idea for them to restore this home.


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## yamilee21 (Aug 3, 2021)

The north shore of Long Island is filled with “old” mansions. This one in Oyster Bay is older, with a somewhat different history, but so many of them were built during the gilded age, and only remained in the families a generation or two, before being abandoned, or turned into public parks/museums or catering halls/hotels.


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## nysister (Aug 4, 2021)

yamilee21 said:


> The north shore of Long Island is filled with “old” mansions. This one in Oyster Bay is older, with a somewhat different history, but so many of them were built during the gilded age, and only remained in the families a generation or two, before being abandoned, or turned into public parks/museums or catering halls/hotels.


I didn't realize that so many were abandoned. I love seeing old homes restored, however it's a project that I'd never want to take on myself.


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