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拥有名人故居既有风险也有乐趣-第1页

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One recent Sunday morning, Chuck Callan was taking out the garbage from his stately Victorian home and clad only in dirty gardening shorts when a motorist startled him by leaning out her car window and snapping pictures.


近一个星期天的早晨，卡伦(Chuck Callan)从自家那幢富丽堂皇的维多利亚风格大宅里走出去倒垃圾，身上只穿了一条脏的大裤衩。突然，一个从车窗中探出头拍照的人把他吓了一跳。



'Had I known, I would have dressed,'' said Mr. Callan, a senior vice president of Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc. The gawker wasn't interested in the half-naked executive. Her subject was his Grand view-on-Hudson homeΰa residence where Betty Friedan wrote 'The Feminine Mystique,'' the groundbreaking 1963 book that launched the modern feminist movement.


在Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc.担任高级副总裁的卡伦说："早知道我就把衣服穿好了。"不过，看客对这位半裸的高管并不感兴趣。她关注的是卡伦那幢可饱览哈德逊河(Hudson)美景的大宅──著名女权主义作家弗里丹(Betty Friedan)曾在这幢房子里撰写《女性迷思》(The Feminine Mystique)一书，这部突破性的著作于1963年出版，开启了现代女权主义运动的先河。



Owning a famous figure's home offers both perils and pleasures. Tourists eat into privacy, and contractors savvy about historically sensitive renovations eat into the pocketbook. On the other hand, there's the uniquethrill of living under the same roof as someone who made an indelible mark on U.S. history. And experts say a well-preserved historic house generally gains value.


拥有名人故居既有风险也有乐趣。游客会侵犯隐私，聘请精通历史建筑修缮的承包商也是价格不菲。但从另一方面来说，住在某位在美国历史上留下不朽印记的名人曾住过的屋檐下是一种独特的激动体验。而且专家们说，保存完好、有历史意义的住宅一般DOU 会增值。



Robert Carr, chief executive of Heartland Payment Systems Inc., ended up with Woodrow Wilson's 1896 Tudor in Princeton, N.J., after his 2011 divorce. His ex-wife, Jill Carr, said she left him the house because she couldn't afford its $70,000 annual property taxes and costly upkeep. The Carrs spent 51 months restoring the home where the future U.S. president lived until 1902 while a university professor. The effort, he said, is an example for 'how history should be preserved for others.''


Heartland Payment Systems Inc.首席执行长卡尔(Robert Carr) 2011年离婚后成为美国前总统威尔逊(Woodrow Wilson)故居的主人，这幢都铎风格大宅建于1896年，位于新泽西州普林斯顿(Princeton)。卡尔的前妻吉尔(Jill Carr)说，她把这座房子留给卡尔是因为她付不起每年七万美元的房产税和昂贵的维护费用。卡尔夫妇曾花了51个月的时间来翻修这座房子，威尔逊在这里住到1902年，当时他还是大学教授，尚未成为美国总统。卡尔说，对这幢房屋的修缮"在保护历史遗迹方面"为别人树立了榜样。



John Castle, CEO of private-equity firm Castle Harlan Inc., shelled out nearly $11 million to buy and renovate the Kennedy clan's former beachfront estate in Palm Beach, Fla. The project, which included adding bathrooms No. 14 and 15, required 300 inspections.


私募股权投资公司Castle Harlan Inc.的首席执行长卡斯尔(John Castle)花了近1,100万美元购买和翻修曾属于肯尼迪(Kennedy)家族、位于佛罗里达州棕榈滩(Palm Beach)的一处海滨豪宅。翻修工程包括增建14号和15号卫生间，需要接受300项检查。



President John F. Kennedy wrote his inaugural address at the 14,500-square foot mansion, called the Winter White House during his term. Mr. Castle kept the same unlisted phone number that JFK had used there.


肯尼迪总统(John F. Kennedy)曾在这幢占地14,500平方英尺(约合1350平方米)的豪宅里起草就职演说稿，这座大宅在肯尼迪总统任期内被称为"冬季白宫"(Winter White House)。卡斯尔保留了肯尼迪当年使用的非公开电话号码。



America's historical housing stock depends on owners like Messrs. Castle, Carr and Callan continuing to see more upside than headache. 'The bulk of historic houses in America are preserved by virtue of the private individuals who own them,'' said Tom Mayes, deputy general counsel at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 'They feel the connection that place brings.''


美国的历史建筑市场依靠的是卡斯尔、卡尔和卡伦这样的房主，目前的行情仍然是以上行势头为主导。美国国家历史保护信托(National Trust for Historic Preservation)副总法律顾问梅斯(Tom Mayes)称："美国的大批历史建筑都是由私人房主负责保护的，他们能感受到与这些建筑之间的紧密联系。"



The Friedan Mystique


弗里丹故居



Mr. Callan paid $1.63 million in 2005 to buy the high-ceilinged Italianate home once owned by Ms. Friedan in part to inspire his four daughters to become capable women 'standing on their own two feet,'' he said. The Friedan link 'was a selling point.''


卡伦2005年以163万美元购买了这座曾属于弗里丹的高顶意大利风格豪宅，他说，他购房的部分目的是鼓励自己的四个女儿成为"自立自强"、有才干的女性。这座房屋与弗里丹之间的联系是其"一大卖点"。



The six-bedroom house, built in about 1868, overlooks the Hudson River. Ms. Friedan moved in with her husband and three children in 1958. There, she wrote about the 'feminine mystique' that kept educated women in domestic isolation. She worked in longhand on yellow legal pads at a living room desk or table in the octagonal dining room, said her daughter Emily, now a pediatrician.


这座六卧大宅建于1868年前后，俯瞰哈德逊河。1958年，弗里丹与丈夫和三个孩子搬入这座房子。她在这里撰写了一些著作，探讨将受过教育的女性隔绝在家中的"女性迷思"。她的女儿、现在是小儿科医师的埃米莉(Emily)说，弗里丹坐在起居室的书桌或八角形餐厅的桌子旁，在黄色拍纸簿上写作。



The instant best seller transformed the frustrated suburbanhousewife into an activist. Ms. Friedan co-founded and became the first president of the National Organization for Women in 1966.


弗里丹的书一炮走红，这位失意的郊区主妇随即成为一名活动家。1966年，弗里丹与人共同创建了全国妇女组织(National Organization for Women)，并成为该机构首任主席。



The weekend after she died in 2006, nearly 100 Friedan fans turned up at her former residence. Mr. Callan encountered several of them on his front porch. 'They started to turn red and left,'' he said. 'Others wandered into the driveway.''


2006年弗里丹去世后的那个周末有近100名崇拜者聚集在她的故居。卡伦在自家前廊上碰到了几个人。他说："他们觉得不好意思，然后离开了，还有一些人走到了车道上。"



The homeowner soon locked horns with NOW over a proposed memorial to the famous feminist. Mr. Callan said the organization wanted to adorn his curbside sandstone wall with a large marker complete with bas-relief sculpture of Ms. Friedan.


卡伦不久就因一项纪念弗里丹的提议与全国妇女组织发生了矛盾。卡伦说，该组织想在他家靠路边的砂岩 上装饰一个刻有弗里丹浮雕像的大标识。



'I didn't want undue attention,' he said. Muriel Fox, a co-founder of NOW, said the organization only proposed a small plaque.


他说："我不想受到过多关注。"而全国妇女组织的联合创始人福克斯(Muriel Fox)表示，该组织只是提议立一块小牌匾。



Instead, a large marker with the sculpture was erected near the village hall a year ago. Emily Friedan and Ms. Fox still yearn to see a plaque placed on the homeΰperhaps after the Callans move. 'Something great happened in that house that changed the world,'' the physician said.


后来，一个饰有弗里丹雕像的大标识一年前立在了当地村政厅附近。埃米莉和福克斯仍然很想在弗里丹故居立一块牌匾──也许等到卡伦一家搬走以后。埃米莉说："这座房子里发生了改变世界的伟大事件。"



The 71-year-old Mr. Castle, a millionaire merchant banker by age 28, already owned three residences before he acquired the furnished Kennedy estate as his primary residence. He likes to show off President Kennedy's narrow bed with its carved Gothic oak headboard and a walk-in closetdrawer labeled in the careful script of matriarch Rose Kennedy 'black underwear.'


肯尼迪总统故居



John F. Kennedy interviewed most cabinet candidates in the library of the stark white Mediterranean compound and swam in the Olympic-size pool the weekend before his 1963 assassination. In 1991, the compound was the scene of an alleged rape by William Kennedy Smith, a nephew of JFK's who was ultimately acquitted.


卡斯尔现年71岁，早在28岁时他就是身价百万的商人银行家了。在购买这幢带家具的肯尼迪家族房产作为主要住所之前，他已经拥有了三处住房。他喜欢显摆肯尼迪总统窄小的床（橡木床头板雕成哥特式风格）和步入式衣帽间的抽屉，肯尼迪家族的女性家长罗丝(Rose Kennedy)在抽屉上一笔一画地标注上了"黑色内衣"。



The Kennedys sold the property in 1995, and Palm Beach declared part of the mansion a landmark after Mr. Castle bought it. Designation as a local landmark or placement in a historic district typically limits a homeowner's ability to make exterior changes. In Mr. Castle's case, he had to agree not to alter a 60-foot portion of the wall where the president occasionally gave news conferences.


1963年遭刺杀之前，肯尼迪总统曾在这座纯白色地中海风格大宅的图书室内面试过多数内阁候选人，周末，他会在大小可与奥运场馆媲美的泳池里游泳。1991年，肯尼迪总统的外甥史密斯(William Kennedy Smith)被控在这座大宅里实施强奸，最终他被宣判无罪。



Mr. Castle said souvenir hunters frequently showed up during his $6 million renovation of the 11-bedroom mansion, 'put chunks of brick in their car, and drove away.'' He also had to cope with strict demands from local officials. 'We had an inspection every day,'' he said.


肯尼迪家族1995年卖掉了这处产业，而棕榈滩在卡斯尔购房后不久宣布该豪宅的一部分为地标性建筑。如果一座建筑被定为地方地标性建筑，或者被划入历史街区，一般来说房主改变建筑外观的余地会受到限制。卡斯尔面对的情况是，他必须同意不对 壁上一片60英尺见方的区域（肯尼迪总统有时在这一区域前举行新闻发布会）进行改造。



One inspection failed, he said, because a screw near an electricalconnection 'was one-eighth of an inch out of alignment.'' Another time, preservation officials limited the height of the new indoor/outdoor spiralstaircase that Mr. Castle was building to enjoy a grander view of his 205-foot oceanfront.


卡斯尔投入600万美元对这幢有11间卧室的豪宅进行了翻修，他说，在进行翻修的过程中，常常有人来搜集纪念品，他们"把一块块大砖头搬进车里然后开走"。他还得应付地方官员的严格要求。他说："每天都会有一次检查。"



Today, Mr. Castle relishes living amid 62 years of Kennedy family history. He especially likes to unravel knotty work problems while seated in the mansion's outdoor loggia, where President Kennedy crafted his inaugural speech and overlooking the sea.


他说，有一次检查他没能通过，因为电器连线附近的一颗螺丝"偏了八分之一英寸"。还有一次，为了在欣赏205英尺海滨美景时有更广的视野，卡斯尔要新建室内外螺旋楼梯，而建筑保护部门官员对楼梯的高度做了限制。



''You get an enormous sense of inspiration,'' Mr. Castle said.


如今，卡斯尔很享受置身于肯尼迪家族62年历史中的滋味。他特别喜欢坐在屋外的凉廊里（肯尼迪总统在这里起草了就职演说稿），一边眺望大海，一边思考工作中的棘手问题。



Presidential Preservation


卡斯尔说："在这里你会获得很多灵感。"



Restoring the Wilson residence turned into a lengthy labor of love for Mr. Carr, a longtime U.S. history buff who bought it in 2003 for about $2.1 million.


威尔逊总统故居



The house had remained vacant for two years and gone through 19 owners since Woodrow and Ellen Wilson left. 'There was very little preserved,' he said.


修复威尔逊的住宅成为卡尔的一项长期个人爱好。卡尔多年来一直对美国历史很着迷，2003年，他以约210万美元购买了这座大宅。



Mr. Carr wanted to recapture much of the house's original character and update its amenities. His efforts were guided in part by his review of Wilson's correspondence about the home's construction. The renovation cost more than $7 million and lasted until spring 2007.


威尔逊夫妇搬走后，这座房子空置了两年，之后又19次易主。卡尔说："保存下来的东西少之又少。"



'There was no budget and no time restrictions,'' Mr. Carr said. 'It seemed like the right thing to do as the custodian of a bit of history.'


卡尔想重现这幢房屋最初的风貌，并对其设施进行更新。他研读了威尔逊有关建房的信件，将其作为指导房屋修缮的部分依据。房屋翻修耗资逾700万美元，一直持续到2007年春季。



Except for a new solarium, the three-story residence with pale-lemon stucco walls looks from the outside as it did 110 years ago. Mr. Carr even pulled up the concretecircle driveway and replaced it with the type of red stones used by the Wilsons.


卡尔表示："这项工程没有预算和时间限制，感觉自己是历史的守护者，在做一件正确的事情。"



While showing a visitor around, Mr. Carr paused in the unusual foyer with a fireplace where Mr. Wilson, a Princeton University professor, often taught his students as a fire roared. To restore the foyer to its original condition, contractors disassembled, structurally reinforced and reassembled the room using the same individual pieces of vertical-grain fir.


除一个新建的日光浴室外，这幢有着淡柠檬黄灰泥 的三层住宅从外面看起来和110年前没有区别。卡尔甚至铲除了一个混凝土环形车道，换成了威尔逊当年使用的那种红色石头。



'This room and the ceiling are exactly the way they were when Woodrow Wilson lived here,'' the chief executive said.


在带领一名访客四处参观时，卡尔在一间不同寻常的门厅里停下了脚步，门厅里有一个壁炉，威尔逊在普林斯顿大学(Princeton University)做教授时，常在熊熊燃烧的壁炉边给学生讲课。为了让门厅还原成最初的样子，承包商对房间进行了拆卸，并使用相同的纵切纹杉木进行结构加固和重新组装。



Despite his attention to detail, Mr. Carr worries about Princeton's proposed creation of a historic district that would cover the Wilson home. 'People tell you if you can paint your house,'' he said. 'It may not help the resale value.'' He and other disgruntled owners wrote a letter protesting that the district would 'significantly chill the market for owning and investing in these homes.''


这位首席执行长说："这个房间和天花板与威尔逊住在这里时一模一样。"



Princeton officials declined to comment, but in a September report recommending creation of the district, the town's Historic Preservation Review Committee said supporters cited studies showing 'a positive effect of historic districting on property values.''


尽管卡尔对细节一丝不苟，他还是担心普林斯顿一项设立历史街区的提议，该街区会将威尔逊故居囊括在内。他说："这样一来，你要经过允许才能粉刷房子，这对提高房屋转售价值可能没有好处。"他和其他持不满态度的房主写信抗议此项提议，认为设立历史街区会"导致这类住房的购置和投资市场显著降温"。



Meanwhile, the executive loves to celebrate his home's famous former owner. He threw a 150th birthday party for the former president at his home in December 2006. He gives talks about Mr. Wilson's life at local schools. And in October, he hosted a centennial celebration of President Wilson's election. As an extra treat, his 530 guests could view a newly framed note in Mrs. Wilson's handwriting that restoration workers found behind a fireplace frame.


普林斯顿的官员拒绝就此置评，但当地的古迹保护审议委员会(Historic Preservation Review Committee) 9月份发布了一份建议创建历史街区的报告，报告援引支持者的话称，研究显示"设立历史街区对房地产价值有提振效果"。



'It's a privilege to live in a house like this,'' Mr. Carr said.


与此同时，卡尔也爱通过活动纪念这栋房子的前主人。2006年12月，他在家里举办了一场前总统诞辰150周年纪念派对。他在当地的学校里做讲座，介绍威尔逊的生平。今年10月份，他主办了纪念威尔逊当选总统百周年庆典。他的530名来宾还享受了一项额外款待，他们看到一个刚装裱起来的威尔逊夫人手写便笺，这是房屋修缮工人在壁炉架后面发现的。



JOANN S. LUBLIN

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