Historic preservationist Bob Jeffrey and his dog Louie pose for a portrait Friday on the porch of his historic home that will be part of the 2026 House and Garden Tour.
JENNA OUTCALT
Staff Writer
Bob Jeffrey’s house on Miller Avenue, aptly named “The Faithful Remnant,” has hardly changed from its original glory in 1879.
“As a historic preservation person, there’s no need to change it,” he said.
Jeffrey, who formed strong connections to Chautauqua Institution during his childhood, bought the cottage in 2011. Even when renovations were necessary, Jeffrey was committed to keeping the spirit of the building, even having cabinets custom-made to emulate the singular original cabinet that remained in the kitchen.
Jeffrey will speak about Chautauqua Institution’s architecture and design at 12:30 p.m. today in Smith Wilkes Hall for the Bird, Tree & Garden Club’s lunchtime lecture series. The lecture is in preparation for the BTG’s biennial House and Garden tour, one of its largest fundraisers.
Jeffrey’s talk serves as “a little teaser” for the tour, he said, providing more background and perspective on the areas that will be on the tour and sharing unique history facts about the homes.
“It’s basically to get people’s interest piqued,” Jeffrey said.
Jeffrey explained that even when houses are not original to the grounds, they often emulate those that are.
“People have really tried to mimic old Chautauqua, so you get some really interesting design and detailing,” he said.
However, Jeffrey noted that there were certainly a few notable differences between original Chautauqua houses and modern ones.
“You didn’t have things like bathrooms or kitchens, because that was all communal until they put in the sewer system in 1890, so a lot of people have modernized the houses,” Jeffrey explained. “A number of them had additions, like porches enclosed to create additional space. So, it’s sort of fun to see how people approach that.”
The tour itself will be at noon Thursday, starting at Smith Wilkes Hall. Jeffrey explained that it will stay concentrated around one area of the Institution so people will not have to walk from one end of campus to another. Jeffrey highlighted “The Whitla House,” which will be “chock-full of Chautauqua memorabilia”
this year.
The interior of Jeffrey’s house features some of his own watercolor paintings, which focus predominantly on architecture.
Jeffrey’s grandparents used to come to Chautauqua and his parents had a house in Mayville, so he said he grew up coming to the area, even if he was not always on the grounds.
Jeffrey said even though the old designs can be imperfect, “there’s no need to have gracious spaces.”
“The important thing for Chautauqua is 99.9% of your time is spent outside at events or on your porch,” he said.
Jeffrey also said the unique design of the area has led to lifelong friendships.
“I think what I love about it is the scale, that the streets are narrow, the houses are close. Everyone has a front porch for the most part,” he said. “… It’s real community.”
