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The new kitchen of a legendary home on Goodale Park evokes its circus past.
The kitchen renovation plays up the Romanesque appeal in this castlelike dwelling that sits near Goodale Park.
Michael A. Foley/Rycus Assoc.
In Victorian Village, this legendary home has daring wood combinations, bold colors and large open rooms which provide historic clues that circus moguls Peter and Mary Sells entertained in a flamboyant way. Today, Fritz and Karina Harding and their two children host friends and family in a unique gourmet kitchen which formerly served as the home’s dining room for large multi-course banquets.
Fritz, a preservationist and former interior design professor at Columbus College of Art and Design, had always admired the castlelike dwelling know as the Circus House, its Romanesque architecture by Frank Packard and its rich history. After decades of commercial use, the 7,400-square-foot Goodale Park house saw a return to glory when private owners purchased it in 1998 and completed renovations in several phases.
In 2008, the Hardings purchased the home and continued the work. After living there for a year, the couple knew that guests would congregate in the kitchen, which was newly updated but awkwardly located in its original deadend, back corner of the house. Therefore, the couple decided to convert the home’s generous banquet-size dining room—the grandest room of the house—into a well-appointed kitchen for guests to gather and easily shift to adjoining parlors.
“We had no moral obligation, either to this house or the historical record, to create a reproduction kitchen,” says Fritz. “The original was gone, and we made good use of the updated kitchen elements by relocating them to the carriage house.” He says they hope their combination of current technology with Gothic flourishes and high-quality, period elements capture the spirit of the home and will be worthy of future preservation.
Inspired by the opulence of the Gilded Age when the home was built, Fritz chose uniquely patterened stainless steel and wooden components that have golden tones. Textured and reflective stainless steel panels create an elegant twist to the popular look. Fritz located stainless steel panels with a diamond pattern that alludes to circus clowns’ harlequin costumes and repeats a design element in the home’s staircase window. Instead of using the panels traditionally on counters or as a backsplash, he applied them to the island, the built-in refrigerator and the oversized hood, modeled after one at the Biltmore mansion. The color is further repeated in the island stools, the stainless steel square sink, the cabinet pulls, the Lagos blue limestone wall tile and border mosaic, the gray quartz counters, the Hansgrohe faucet and the Miele stainless steel appliances.
Gold tones are introduced in the kitchen’s oak trim, cabinetry and floors. New Gothic millwork in golden quartersawn oak complements similarly restored detailing throughout the first floor. Two hammer beam trusses handsomely extend across the ceiling. The harlequin pattern is repeated in the contemporary-styled oak and walnut cabinetry crafted by Creative Cabinet Solutions. Fritz says they tried to minimize overhead cabinets to make the room appear “less kitchen” and more like the other first floor rooms.
At the gas fireplace, a stylish honey onyx slab backlit by LED technology coexists with the period-inspired carved and burled walnut. The onyx also becomes a focal point above the cooktop. Golden powder-coated steel trims the textured stainless steel panels. An impressive iron and glass light fixture from Corbett’s Philippe collection gracefully hangs above the island. Coordinating wall sconces are mounted between the windows and on the beams, and their honey-finished globes glow like the onyx. As a finishing touch and another subtle nod to the circus, brass elephant heads support the island’s foot rail.
“It’s a circus house, so we can push things,” says Fritz. “We’ve tried to avoid direct circus references but evoke the spirit in scale and with sly references.”
While Fritz had strong ideas about the room’s aesthetics, Karina enjoys gourmet cooking and drove the room’s functional design details. She researched induction cooktops recently marketed for home use and favored for their fast heating, energy efficiency, sleek surface and easy cleanup. Here, Karina opted for a five-burner cooktop by Miele. For a potfiller, she chose the multi-jointed Kohler Karbon faucet known for its full range of motion. She also proposed a knife drawer below the cooktop and narrow spice drawers to the sides. For baking, she requested a baking station with a lowered counter and nearby appliance garage with pullout woodblock for her mixer. She also called for task lighting such as the cooking area’s cable lighting with onyx shades from Tech. Other Miele appliances include a convection oven, a steam oven, a warming drawer and a dishwasher.
The nearby butler’s pantry continues the silver and golden design elements and features a stainless steel prep sink, a beverage refrigerator and two freezer drawers, a second dishwasher, a microwave and storage cabinets.
For a recent dinner party, the Hardings’ 10 guests stayed in the kitchen while Karina cooked the meal. Since the dining room is under construction in a nearby parlor, they carried the food upstairs to enjoy it on the terrace, which features impressive views of downtown. The Hardings like to think the Sells would have entertained in a similar way.
Teresa Woodard is a freelance writer.
