Wynyate Memories

Regarding Evelyn De Wolfe’s Then and Now (April 30) on the Wynyate house in South Pasadena:

My family and I lived in Wynyate for several years before moving to Arizona in 1980.

For many, many months we chipped and peeled paint after school. Cindy (my sister) and I were issued scrapers to remove the layers of gold, black and white paint from the fabulous redwood wainscoting, fireplaces, window sills and staircases.

One summer while we were away at camp, my parents hired a crew of craftsmen to burn and peel the thick, aging gray paint off the exterior of the house. The project took a whole summer. When we came home, the house was a lovely lavender and white. One of the remodels that your article did not mention was the kitchen. It was enlarged and literally gutted and fitted with new wood flooring, cabinets and built-in appliances.

The cost of building the house in 1887, according to original documents left by the Grahams, was $11,000. The price paid by my parents to restore the house was upward of $200,000. The value of the many remembrances shared by my family we hold priceless.

KATHY HAYS CHAMBERS

Lake Montezuma, Ariz.