Kent-Valentine House

April 11, 2022

Chairman Cabell West, The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton

Referring to the Kent-Valentine House, Cabell said, “old age is expensive,” and proceeded to describe a list of recent costs: interior repair of sewerage leak $78,000 (covered by insurance after $2,500 deductible); exterior drainage repair $21,000; new first-floor refrigerator $1,400; new furnace and air handlers $5,200; and carriage house front door replacement after burglary $1,500. She then described the upcoming projects: balustrade replacements; painting; and renovations to first-floor kitchen, pantry, second-floor kitchen and third-floor bathroom.

While the remarkable transformation of the kitchens and bathroom was accomplished by spring of 2003, on time and under budget, repairs to the brick wall behind the Kent-Valentine House remained mired in bureaucratic delays for months.

Dudley Brown determined in 2003 that balustrades on the Kent-Valentine House portico had failed. He had obtained the original drawings and material specification from Wright, Cox and Smith Architects, reviewed the Department of the Interior’s guidelines and was satisfied that Fypon, a polyurethane material was appropriate for replacement. Fypon was approved by the Secretary of the Interior and Calder Loth, Director of the Department of Historic Resources. The cost of Fypon balustrades was estimated at $44,700, compared with $18,000 for cedar ones.

Personnel Chairman Mina Wood reported on the “unfolding dramas and demons” that plague an old house – a stray cat locked in the vault, stuck elevators, locks on doors that continue not to work and air conditioning pans that overflow and leak down to next level.  She commended GCV Administrator Maggie King for keeping the air conditioning, heat, phone, grounds, technology and housekeeping on track and suggested that job qualifications be an ever-present sense of humor stating, “A live cat in a vault is a bad problem, but a dead one would be even worse.”

Surprise! An unforeseen water bill for $3,360 arrived at the KVH in 2003 for usage dating back to 1999. The city could not find the KVH meter, so they based the bill on estimates. Fortunately, after negotiations, the bill was reduced to $1,967 and was payable over nine months.

In October 2003, Development Chairman Susan Ewing projected $500,000 in capital needs for the Kent-Valentine House — restoration of exterior details, balustrades, columns and cornices.