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The renowned Waeghe Home

Living room

By the Waeghes

The Waeghe Home, 802 Wisconsin Ave., Gladstone

GLADSTONE — Jeffery and Paula Waeghe are pleased to welcome people into their home on Sunday, Dec. 8, starting at 1 p.m. as part of the AAUW Homes for the Holidays.

The home, located at 802 Wisconsin Ave. in Gladstone, was originally built for James T. Jones who was the manager and partner of the Marble Arms Corporation in Gladstone. Jones wanted a high-quality home for his family and engaged famed architect George W. Repp of Chicago. His firm received the prestigious award from President Harding for building high-quality homes in the Midwest. Architecture tours in Chicago still show a number of homes built by him.

The Waeghes still have the original blueprints and specifications for the high-quality building materials desired by Jones. This included the latest in electrical work, steel girders throughout the home, with special attention to the type of oak flooring throughout the structure even including the attic. Jones also desired copper rain gutters, a French titled roof, and landscaping from Holm and Olson, Inc., a well-known landscaping architecture firm in Minneapolis.

Dining room

In keeping with the Brick Georgian style home, the interior has been decorated with the East Coast influence of formality and yet a small relaxing touch of modern. The living room was styled from photographs of Blair House in Washington, D.C. The fireplace is the major focal point of this space. Off of the living room, the sunroom is used for additional entertaining, reading and serves as a partial office. The dining room is decorated in a Queen Anne style with the crystal chandelier serving as the focal point. The three upstairs bedrooms are similarly decorated and all have the original light fixtures in them. Jones’s upstairs office first served as a playroom for their daughter, Amelia, and later was modified into the master bathroom. An additional bathroom upstairs has been decorated into a Grand Hotel style of Mackinac Island.

The Waeghes enjoy their backyard immensely, which includes a swimming pool, used six months of the year and viewable from the kitchen window. Their secluded backyard is used for relaxation as well as for entertaining.

The living room Christmas tree is adorned with antique ornaments, including some from Jeffery and Paula’s childhood, even including some ornaments made by their daughter in grade school.

Descending to the lower level is another living space that is styled in the retro look of the 1950s and 1960s, complete with aluminum Christmas tree and color wheel. It is here that Jeffrey and Paula have displayed some of their childhood toys from those eras.

The attached garage remains clad with the original wall-board and the original heating registers, and hand-cranked gas pump. The refurbished garage doors came from Chicago, as well as most of the building materials used in the construction of the home.

Outside of the Waeghe Home

The AAUW Home for the Holidays house tours will be held on Sunday, Dec. 8 from 1 until 4 p.m. Tickets are available at Positively, 1212 Ludington Street); Gust Asp, 616 Ludington Street; and The Frame Farm, 920 Delta Ave., Gladstone. The first 50 ticket purchasers will be eligible for five door prize drawings.

AAUW is open to men and women holding an associates degree or higher. Proceeds from the Homes for the Holidays house tours will provide funding for two AAUW scholarships at Bay College.

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