< Previous52 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 HOMEPORT ‘OUR FOREVER HOME’ Couple restores 1890 East End island house while preserving its history story by BARBARA CANETTI | photos by STUART VILLANUEVA S ome people buy a house for its location or style. But one Galveston couple bought a house because of the yard. The house was a mess and needed lots of work, but having a side and backyard was what Tracy and Richard Rennison wanted for their East End island home. And after a year of renovations, restorations and refurbishing, the house with the pink door is their perfect family home. The double-gallery, two-story house, with three bedrooms and four bathrooms, is light and bright on the inside. The front parlor and adjacent living room give the Rennisons Tracy and Richard Rennison live in the beautifully refurbished 1890 Ernest Sieling House in Galveston’s historic East End. The house needed a lot of work, but the couple fell in love with the side and backyard. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 53 Tracy Rennison’s artwork hangs above a welcoming sofa in a front sitting room.54 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 55 HOMEPORT lots of comfortable room in the house they share with their two college-age daughters. Some of the original details in the house remain: two large, ornate ceil- ing medallions in the front rooms have been there since 1890, when Ernest Sieling, a German immigrant, built the house as a wedding gift for his daugh- ter Clara and her new husband, Wor- thy Boyd. They added two rooms and lived in the house until 1922, when it was sold and then sold again. By the 1930s, it was a multi-unit boarding house with many people moving in and out, according to Richard Renni- son’s research. One important piece of information he found was the house has never flooded: not in the 1900 Storm, 1915 storm, hurricanes Carla, Alicia or Ike. Because it was raised high when built, water never got in and the long-leaf pine floors are original and in beauti- ful condition. Separating the two front rooms are a pair of original pocket doors, which the Rennisons restored. Remnants of chimney stacks are covered and no longer visible. But hanging in the din- ing room is a 12-inch square of yellow floral wallpaper, which previous own- ers found upstairs and framed. And to give the house an old-timey feel, the restoration contractor replaced all of the wall switches with antique repro- duction push-button light switches. Tracy did most of the decorating with a theme of modernizing without diminishing the vintage character of the house and chose a dark floral wallpaper for the small bathroom on the main floor. But Richard was proud of his sug- gestion to use ceiling tin in the long, grand hallway through the center of the house, he said. “That was my one big contribution,” he said. In August, Richard will retire from the FBI and move on to his new career owning and operating The Naked Iguana Brewery at 1828 Strand. He has been a homebrewer of beer since 1997 and is readying to become head brew- er at his beer and wine bar six blocks from his home and a bike ride away. (Above) The kitchen features bright black and white designed tile on the floors and a large, quartz peninsula between the kitchen and dining room. (Opposite) A black double-oven, seven-burner ILVE range. When the Rennisons bought the stove, they decided the rest of the main floor had to complement it.56 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 HOMEPORT COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 57 (Clockwise from far left) A large chandelier hangs over the long dining table, which seats eight people. The light-wood table contrasts with the magnolia-designed dark wallpaper; a cozy wine nook and wet bar is found off the dining room; a cheese board and wine rest atop a kitchen peninsula. The heart of the house is the combination dining room/kitchen/ breakfast area. The Rennisons ripped out the walls separating the rooms to make it one large open space, using bright black and white designed tile on the floors and an intricate white design above a black double-oven, seven-burner ILVE range. They built a large, quartz peninsula between the kitchen and dining room and created a round table breakfast nook nearby. “We bought this stove and had to match the rest of the house to it,” Richard said. Tracy agreed. “But also, we considered the stove a beautiful jewel that the rest of the main floor must complement.” The long dining table, with com- fortable seating for eight, is a light wood that contrasts with the magno- lia-designed dark wallpaper. And they painted the coffered ceiling white to reflect the light coming in from three large windows. A huge chandelier towers over the table and five crystal sconces add interest along the walls. Next to the breakfast area is the wine room, a cozy space with a large wine cooler, a wet bar and a deep, oblong pantry. “It’s the smallest room in the house and where we spend the most time,” he said. “It’s crazy.” Scattered in several places are stained-glass art pieces made by Richard’s mom 30 years ago. Much of the other artwork was done by Tracy, who paints sitting at the kitchen bar “near the coffee and refrigerator.”58 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 HOMEPORT Upstairs are the bedrooms and private bathrooms, and a small of- fice for Richard, which is still a work in progress. But it’s a great place to work. A wall of windows gives him great views of the island’s East End. The couple enjoys spending time outside and rebuilt the outside deck, putting in all the conveniences of an outdoor kitchen, including a keger- ator beer tap to try out Richard’s latest creations. They had their deck built around a huge palm tree in the yard that now protrudes through the decking and shades the grill. “My favorite room of the house is actually the front porch,” Tracy said. “I enjoy sitting out watching the squirrels play and birds frolic in the fountain. I love looking at the colorful gardens and majestic Victorians that line our street and feel so blessed to live here. But if I had to choose an inside room, I like sitting in the front parlor where I can look around at the architectural details of the house.” In that desirable large yard that originally drew them to the property, they have established several small gardens and landscaped the back yard. “This will be our forever home, I hope — or until we can’t climb stairs anymore,” Richard said. But he wishes he could have been in the house in the 1890s when Clara and Worthy Boyd owned it. “I would give anything to go back to 1895 and in the dining room,” he said. “I would have liked to hear what they were talking about, what they wore and what was going on. That would be so great.” (Above) A downstairs bathroom features a claw-foot tub and dark floral wallpaper. Tracy Rennison did most of the decorating with a theme of modernizing without diminishing the vintage character of the house. (Opposite, from top) The primary bedroom, “Flamingo Room” and “Peacock Room.” COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 59Next >