JANELLE PATTERSON The Marietta Times Frank Tucker, 54, of Marietta, carries a saw past the historic staircase mural painted by Helen Harmon Love, as he continues restoration and renovation of his home at 402 Front St.

Beginning a new life together in an iconic home on Front Street, newlyweds Frank Tucker, 54, and Jessica White-Tucker, 38, of Marietta, have taken on the challenge of restoring and renovating a Victorian home built in 1899.

“We bought the house on Sept. 31, got married Oct. 1 and have dived in to building a new home and a life together,” said Frank. “All of our family and friends have really stepped in to volunteer their expertise, the colors and decorating is all Jessica, but my friends through contracting have come to help with everything from painting and dry wall, to helping put in the floor and remove old gas lines.”

The couple has been together for three years and is expecting to add a third child to the home soon.

“I’m pregnant and then I also have a son and daughter,” said Jessica. “We were renting but that was so we could wait to find the perfect house for our family to grow in.”

The house at 402 Front St. sat empty for three years, but before that had been converted into an oil and gas office and an accounting office on the first floor and apartments upstairs.

“There were huge florescent lights put up in the living room, sitting room and dining room,” said Frank. “So I took those down to go back to the single-spot lighting for nice chandeliers and fans, but we’re keeping the mantels, the beautiful wood of the staircase and the cabinet in the dining room, and we’re trying to stay true to the integrity of the original structure.”

History also lines the staircase of the home with a mural of Marietta spiraling up to the second floor.

“The mural was painted by Helen Harmon Love in 1988,” said the house’s former owner Jill Harry, 62, of Marietta. “Many people who came into the accounting and gas offices would remember the painting.”

“Love was best known for her work as an artist in the area,” said Eric Richendollar, local history and genealogy library assistant for the Washington County Public Library. “She taught art at Warren schools for many years and also taught classes at the Betsey Mills Club as well as private lessons in her own home.”

Love passed away just two years after painting the mural in the Front Street home.

“We had thought about keeping the mural but there’s so much damage to the wall from a lightning strike that hit the turret years before we bought it,” said Frank. “I don’t know if it can be restored, but we’ll try to keep true to the history of the house as much as possible.”

“I’m so excited though that the Tuckers wanted to take on the project of restoring the whole house and making it a family home again,” said Harry. “Working with an old home is such a leap of faith and I’m happy that they want to make it their own for their family.”

Though months of renovation and restoration are in store for the Tuckers, Frank said he is excited to take on the challenge as the family lives in the completed rooms.

“With old homes you never know what you’re going to get when you peel back that 1950s wall paper, or open up a boarded fireplace,” he said. “But that’s half the fun, and I have been so blessed with all of my friends who have come to lend a hand. It’s a whole new life that we’ll share together here.”

Richendollar said he’s happy to hear that the structure’s story will continue on for years to come thanks to the Tuckers.

“Homes in this area are a part of our history and it’s a shame when homes fall into disrepair and are lost,” he said. “It’s wonderful for instances like this to see these icons preserved.”

Types of Victorian Homes:

¯ Gothic Revival:

¯ Especially popular in the late 1830s.

¯ Look for pointed roofs and arches, stained glass windows, embellishments such as gargoyles and ecclesiastical touches such as turrets.

¯Jacobethan:

¯ Look for castle-like fortifications, steep roof gables, intricate brickwork, high chimneys and half timbering.

¯ Arts & Crafts:

¯ The late 1860s movement that was a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, Arts & Crafts valued craftsmanship above all.

¯ Look for small cottage-style wooden casement windows, sloping roofs, bare stone and brick work.

¯Art Nouveau:

¯Look for details such as curving, plant forms, usually in detailing such as stained glass, tiles and fire surrounds.

¯ Terraced:

¯ The majority of Victorian builds were built as terraces, where the individual design of a house would be repeated over and over using identical features.

Source: HomesandAntiques.com.