771... -


1*

6


Is


Sunday


By ANNE CARLING
Women's Editor

"Anytime you do anything, it takes forever," observed Jerrie (Mrs. E.
L.) Maguire, seated in the handsome living room of their recently-
renovated St. Augustine home.
But, she smiles, everything was worth it -- even though the project,
which began in July 1977 is not completed and probably won't be for
some time.


what they've done with muise who are interested.
Visitors to the spacious three-story home -- two stories of which have
been restored thus far -- will see many treasures on the tour, those
which belonged to the Maguires and those which were discovered in the
house. I
"We used absolutely everything we possibly could," Jerrie em-
phasized. "I've scrubbed and cleaned -- you wouldn't believe!" She'd
get up at 5:30 a.m. and start work and wouldn't stop until midnight, for
a period of six weeks or more.


discovered in the, home and restored. That's combined with the
"bunch" of furniture which the couple already had and with the
treasures -- mostly vases and things -- which Mrs. Maguire had from her
family. Mrs. Maguire describes herself as "half Minorcan" -- her
grandparents were the late M. A. "Gear" Pellicer and the former Bertha
Canova.
Elliott Maguire is a native of Green Cove Springs, and the restoration
of an historic home in St. Augustine has been a longtime dream for
both.

ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT OF A tour to the Don Pedro Horruytiner
Home is the care which Maguire took to display construction features of
the house, which dates back to the 17th century.
Throughout the house, visitors can see pieces of coquina displayed --
between the living and dining room for example, you open a piano-,-
hinged door and part of the coquina wall is exposed; in the living room, ,
a portion of the brick ceiling is exposed; and in the kitchen-family room
and the utility room, the handsome coquina wall is the focal point. That
wall had to be completely restored. It had fallen down, Mrs. Maguire
marvels.

ANYONE WHO HAD BEEN TO the 214 St. George St. residence.
before the July 1977 restoration began won't believe the tran-
sformation.
To help them recall, the Maguires hosted a "before" party in June ,
1977, and, in October of this year, staged their "after" party for about
300 friends and interested persons.
The Maguires moved into their home a week before Easter. "I'll tell
you the truth, I stayed sort of numb for about three weeks," especially;,-,
when she tried to direct the movers -- making sure the right furniture got,
on the correct of the three floors.












WEEKEND EDITION, DECEMBER 9-10,1978
L_!


HOME, NOW, TO THE MAGUIRES is the historic Don Pedro
Horruytiner House.at 214 St. George St., and St. Augustine residents
and visitors will get a firsthand look at the newly-renovated structure
Sunday, during the annual Christmas Tour of Homes sponsored by the
Presidents Council of Garden Clubs.
(See page 2-B for details of Sunday's tour.)
The Maguires have graciously agreed to include their home on this
year's tour, for as Mrs. Maguire explains the couple is happy to share


SOME OF THE RESTORED treasures in the 214 St. George St.
home are handsome chandeliers. A kitchen family room light, for
example, is brass with copper inlay. At first, it didn't look like it was
worth saving, but after it was cleaned up, the Maguires were delighted
with the results.
In the dining room is another handsome fixture, brass with sparkling
prisms. When the Maguires found it, it was "black with tarnish."
There are a number of pieces of furniture which the couple


Interior Decorating Interesting


The home includes an entrance foyer, formal living room and dining
room, kitchen-family room, utility room, powder room and an office for
Maguire on the first floor.
On the second floor are three bedrooms, a bath, a sitting room,
screened porch and plenty of balcony space.
Only two daughters remain at home -- Kathy and Sharon, and
they're both at college at the moment. The remainder of the family
includes two married daughters Donna (Mrs. Doug) Swan, Port
Orange, Theresa (Mrs. Joe) Grady, St. Augustine; twins, Craig
Maguire, St. Augustine, Bruce, serving with the U. S. Air Force, and
Mike Maguire. There are also plenty of grandchildren.

ACCORDING TO AN HISTORICAL search of the Don \Pedro
Horruytiner House, evidence indicates that the remaining part of the
first floor was built at the same time as the fort -- 1690 to 1702. Th6
exact date has not been proven, but it has been documented that it
existed at the end of the first Spanish period, 1763, and there is A
continuous abstract of ownership since then.
The exposed walls in the living room and dining room show the pre-
1763 structure, and exposed ceiling in the stairhall shows wooden
beams supporting a coquina block wall on the second floor.
Research has shown, too, that the second floor was added in the First.
British Period -- 1763-83 and that the third floor addition came during
the Second Spanish Period -- 1783-1821.
The owners of the structure have been many and varied, including
prominent Spanish and British military and governmental leaders.
Before the Maguires, the occupants were Dr. 'and Mrs. Horace
Lindsley, parents of James Lindsley of St. Augustine. They purchased
the home in 1896, and it was from James Lindsley that the Maguires
purchased the property.

THE MAGUIRES HAVE THOROUGHLY enjoyed their historic
restoration -- reconstruction project, Mrs. Maguire concludes. It is a
slow process, though, and that's hard when "I'm one of those impatient
people.... I can't wait."
There are some drawbacks, too, like parking. At present, the
Maguires have no offstreet parking, and sometimes she has to walk
quite a distance carrying groceries and packages, when she can't find a
space in the municipal lot behind the house.
The remodeling is taking a long time, Mrs. Maguire observes, but the
delays just can't be helped. "You just work wall by wall," she concludes,
"and sometimes it takes six to 10 trips" to complete just one project!
The finished product is certainly well worth the waiting, though.


~.- j.'%,
; ,~',
1~'.'~


Mrs. Maguire Poses In Home's Colorful Living Room


Record Color photo By Jim Lane |
8ameemmmmmmm J


o-. -. ... -m .-.. .. -
Family room focal point is Dining room gleams with coats
Restored native coquina wall Of polish, showing loving care


,rw