Lustrous woodworking highlights stop on Dormont house tour
The Miles Avenue home was built in 1922.
Decorative reindeer herald the holiday season at the home of Gary and Dode Scheimer.
Ask about the biggest task of maintaining her 94-year-old home, and Dode Scheimer will tell you: “Polishing all the woodwork.”
Bringing out the luster is a time-consuming job, as natural wood is the dominant feature throughout the 4,000-plus square feet of the house. But Scheimer was happy to do so recently, in anticipation of family members gathering for Thanksgiving and another batch of visitors for a special event.
Hers is one of the stops on the Dormont Public Library Holiday House Tour, scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m. Dec. 4.
The tour, which benefits the library, focuses on the various transformations and traditions that capture the spirit of the holidays and bring each structure to life. Selected stops on the tour will be accompanied by a variety of baked goods and festive music.
Scheimer and her husband, Gary, purchased their Miles Avenue home in 1993 and moved in the following year.
“We bought it off the original owner’s daughter, who was 93. It was like going back in time. There was a baby grand piano over there,” she said, pointing at the corner of the spacious living room. “And the furniture: Remember when they used to cover it in plastic?”
But all in all, “It was in very nice condition. It just needed to be updated.”
With Dode growing up in Dormont and Gary having worked locally, the couple decided they wanted to stay in the community.
“We looked at a million homes, and when I came to this house, I said, ‘There are no cracks in the walls,'” Dode Scheimer recalled. “So I wanted it, and guess what? There was layer after layer wallpaper, and it had never been painted. Once you took the wallpaper off, you saw a million cracks. Even the ceiling was wallpapered. I guess that’s what they did back then.”
Fortunately, the hardwood floors in most of the house were left uncovered, with the notable exception of the kitchen.
“We pulled up linoleum, plywood, linoleum,” Scheimer explained. “And there were a million staples. I cried, thinking it was ruined.”
The restoration turned out well, though, and today the kitchen has a modern appearance, with an island featuring a ceramic stovetop and a pantry full of newer wooden cabinets in the adjoining room, which also has an especially handy feature.
“Here’s the best thing,” Scheimer said, pulling the handle of a small door upward to reveal a laundry chute.
The Scheimers also participated in a home and garden tour earlier this year, also benefiting the library, which recently celebrated its 80th anniversary.
For more information about the holiday tour, call the library at 412-531-8754, visit dormontlibrary.org/housetour or email dormontprogramming@einetwork.net.