LouLife

It wasn’t the classic Federal architecture of this 4,000-square-foot Eastern Parkway home that lured Bob and Sylvia Gazak to check it out 26 years ago. Nor was it the celebrity status of its owner, Frank W. Burke, former U.S. congressman (1959-1963) and mayor of Louisville (1969-1973). What attracted the Gazaks to this 1925 replica of Aaron Burr’s New York City residence was actually in the alley behind it: an unattached three-car garage

“We had five cars at the time,” recalls Sylvia, whose husband died in 2001, “a sports car we were storing at a friend’s, Bob’s and my personal cars, my company car and one that was literally in a basket. Bob saw the classified ad and said, ‘Here’s what we need — a house with a three-car garage.’”

 For Sylvia, it was love at first sight. “The minute I saw the house,” she says, “I knew it was going to be mine. I didn’t even know how much it cost. We were so sure, we didn’t make the purchase contingent on the sale of our home. We gave ourselves the summer and it didn’t sell. We thought the Burkes were going to sue us, but at the 11th hour, it sold.”

 Over the years, the Gazaks completely redecorated, added on breakfast and powder rooms, updated the kitchen and created a formal garden in the back yard. They drew inspiration from their travels to Charleston, S.C., and historic landmarks such as the Taft home in Cincinnati, relying on Sylvia’s expertise in interior design. Now a freelance designer, she spent 15 years as an instructor at the Interior Design Institute and also worked for Allen House and Hubbuch & Co. The result is a comfortably elegant and august home true to its architectural style, with furnishings and window coverings typical of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. “It’s a bl/files/storyimages/of Federal, Greek Revival and Empire, with a bit of Victorian here and there,” she explains.

 
Throughout the formal rooms, striking jewel-toned walls provide a backdrop for the furnishings’ simple lines. A Brunschwig & Fils swag border in the foyer sets the color scheme of reds, greens, yellows and eggplant. The foyer walls are painted azalea — “much less expensive than paper for an area this large,” says Sylvia. The green-bordered white marble floor is original, while the eagle-motif chandelier was purchased at Joe Ley Antiques. Other furnishings include a Chippendale table with green upholstered ottomans tucked beneath it, a crewel wingback chair, a Duncan Phyfe side table and an air-operated, c. 1860 melodeon that belongs to Sylvia’s mother, Geraldine Clayton, who has lived with her daughter for the past three years. 

An open arch leads into the living room, where the walls are papered with a straw-colored French-brush Brunschwig & Fils.  When the Gazaks purchased the home the woodwork was natural. “I agonized for several years and finally decided to paint it,” Sylvia says. “In a Federal home, the woodwork would have been painted.”

The living room’s oak floor is original but has been refinished and stained. For the rug, Sylvia selected carpet with a “needlepoint look” and had it bound and fringed. The window treatments are panels topped by Federal-style swags that are longer on one side. Made from an Oriental-motif Payne fabric, the swags soften the rectilinear windows and repeat the swag border in the foyer.

To add curves to the room and keep it from looking too English, Sylvia introduced several French elements: the mantel clock, Louis Philippe chests flanking the fireplace, Henredon side chairs (sized to comfortably accommodate her very tall sons) and glass coffee table. “I chose the coffee table for several reasons,” she explains. “First, with glass, you don’t have to worry about coasters when you’re having a party. Second, it breaks up the wood in the room and picks up the brass from the fireplace. Finally, it has a Napoleonic feel to it that is suitable to the era.”

Azalea-painted walls and a Brunschwig & Fils crown molding swag add drama to the foyer’s original marble floor.	Gleaming silver and a crystal chandelier in the dining room.

To open the house for entertaining, the Gazaks removed the doors from the archway between the living and dining rooms. The latter is painted a deep green that emphasizes its architectural details and matches the brilliantly colored rug. “I also match the rug when I set my table, using plates with different cups and saucers and colored wine and water glasses,” Sylvia adds.

The crystal chandelier came from an antique store in Shelbyville. It is larger in scale than the original and has a rounded bottom in the Empire style. The Gazaks also added the ceiling medallion.

Beyond the dining room is the butler’s pantry. Papered in a tobacco print, the room features original pine flooring, a painted hutch and coat closet with mirrored French doors. “Mirrored doors were common in Federal homes, because they hide what’s behind them and make rooms look bigger,” Sylvia says.

Rich reds in a living room corner.	Antiques and other collectibles dress up the powder room.

A back hall displays several of the couple’s collectibles. “We lowered the ceiling, added recessed lighting and painted the walls a neutral color.  It’s like cleansing the palate after all the rich colors in the front rooms,” she says.

Guests often mistake the powder room for a sunroom, due to its window bay and the elegant chaise percee disguising the commode. When the room was added, the windows were needed to maintain the home’s symmetry. Black blinds make it impossible to see inside during the day, but must be closed at night. Cases display collections of antique shaving gear and women’s accessories, such as an ostrich plume fan.

A brass-and-glass coffee table (opposite page, top) nicely matches the fireplace facing.	Painted-woodwork archways (opposite, bottom) lead from foyer to living room to dining room.

On the second floor are the bedrooms. Dubbed “the boudoir,” Geraldine’s room is very French and feminine, with crystal chandelier, hand-painted Louis XV dresser and nightstand, butter-yellow walls and sheer red drapes. The guest room features a reproduction rice carved bed, massive mirrored wardrobe, antique Chippendale butler’s desk and vintage wicker chairs handed down from family members.

Even the back hall has an early-American, Federal-style look.

One of the stories Sylvia loves to tell about the house involves a visit from John F. Kennedy during the 1960 presidential campaign, while Rep. Burke was in residence. “Kennedy came up the alley to drop Frank off after an event, took a look at the house and supposedly quipped, ‘Only Republicans have houses that big back home!’”