A Peek Inside The Chapman House: One of the 'Fabrics of Our Community'

It's a long process to renovate a historic building. Some might even call it a labor of love. And it's one taking place right now at in downtown Rochester.

Patch was fortunate enough to get a sneak peak at the work happening behind that construction fence. Here's what we found.

Going to Cleveland

"It's an older building so it's a delicate process," our tour guide, one of the restaurant's managing members, told us. 

While part of the work is bringing the building up to standards — plumbing and electric — and then there's the nasty chore of removing a great deal of asbestos, there is also the restoration of a Rochester gem.

"The iron work is being taken off and shipped to Rose Iron Works in Cleveland to be restored," he said.

(Editor's note: try as we might to include our tour guide's name in our report, he asked, for privacy reasons, that we not do so. But he is a real person — and he knows that eventually his name will have to be told!)

A lamp post from the late 1800's will also make the journey to Ohio for restoration and be converted back to its original gas format. A previous owner had painted the lamppost black. As part of the restoration, it will be painted in its original red and gold colors.

There are also plans to have the windows redone. The shutters are already in the process of being restored. 

And something will have to be done about the roof. Underneath the layers of shingles, the owners found the original cedar. 

"It's an enormous amount of work with a lot of variables," the tour guide said. "But it's such a unique property that it's an exciting project for us."

How about that view?

In the new Chapman House, the downstairs will have a retail area, a bar area that seats 30 with an outdoor raised terrace and, of course, the kitchen.

"Anything we can re-use we are," we were told. "We believe in preserving history."

The "butler staircase" will be redone and widened to accommodate waitstaff taking food up to the second floor dining area. And an elevator is being added for guests.

"We are keeping the bedrooms, or chambers as they're labeled on the original plans, the same," he said.

And perhaps the best thing about the plans?

"The second floor dining offers a unique view of the city to our diners."

Ready to 'pay-tonk'?

The back yard will offer a variety of patios for dining and private functions, from wedding ceremonies with 100 guests, baby showers for 40 or intimate dinner parties of 10.

There will also be a Petanque Court.

What's that, you ask? Petanque (pronounced "pay-tonk") is one of Europe's most popular outdoor games and is similar to bocce ball or horseshoes.

The whole backyard area will be enclosed in a Koko wall, an acoustic green wall from the Netherlands designed for climbing plants—English ivy in this case— and noise absorption. Power lines will be buried.

Extensive landscaping is also taking place in the back yard, and a formal garden is being added to the front.

What else?

The whimsical third floor of The Chapman House will house the restaurant business offices. 

The second floor will also have a private room with a bathroom for brides to use.

The basement right now would be a great space to host a rollerskating party but will someday have a more practical use for kitchen equipment.

And in looking to protect the gorgeous hardwood floors — not to mention ladies' shoes — a radiant system will be used on the sidewalk leading up to the house so salt won't be needed to prevent ice.

As for a timeline?

To restore a historic house like this you must have plenty of patience. "We can't rush things," the managing member said. "Winston Churchill said, 'We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.' This house is part of the fabric of the community so we have to do it right."