Settling the Estate

Cleaning out my blog files and came across these pics taken this past summer at The Kaminski Estate Auction in Nahant, MA. The Devereaux Family Estate was once a stately white colonial surrounded by lush landscapes with views of the ocean.

Now reduced to a shadow of its former self,

with torn and moldy wallpapers,

crumbling ceilings

and ancient, broken-down kitchens and baths.

But oh, if you could only imagine what this place must have been in it’s prime-a real show stopper worthy of any decorator’s showhouse! This fabulous dining room with its wainscotted walls, crown moldings and glorious wood floors would have been the setting for many a fancy dinner party.

And the mahogany railings that spiraled up three floors were magnificent- just needing a little TLC (I guess they never heard of Glidden Gripper)

Inside the home was the tag sale with the entire contents being sold for a song. There were buyers swarming throughout the home, like red ants on a hill, scooping up boxes of vintage fabrics, mahogany furniture, antique dolls

and period lighting fixtures.

While outside, a large auction tent had been erected and was filled with Americana antiques,

unusual items like this bronze elephant

and this fortune tellers booth. Do you think one of the family members was in a traveling circus!? Also on display was an impressive collection of nautical works by important artists such as William Pierce Stubbs and Antonio Nicolo Gasparo, and a spectacular reproduction Jaguar!! A check of the website in the weeks following the auction revealed that this collection had garnered in excess of 100k!

These kinds of sales always make me wonder about the family who inhabited this space, and why it was allowed to crumble around them. We’ll never know. But my hope is that the new owners do not tear down what was once a treasured New England Home, but instead restore it to its’ former glory and pass it on to the next generation.  Moving forward… Susan