And, though the house and barn have both been subjects of extensive restorative time, work and dollars, it is the greenhouse that has captured the heart of their owner, Charles Tebo of New York City. So dedicated has he become to the saving of these uniquely different botanical structures that Tebo has scheduled a by-invitation open house and informal seminar in Sharon to provide counsel and guidance to others with similar plans. Originally the property of Samuel Colt in Pittsfield, Mass., the house had been dismantled and moved once to nearby Lee, Mass., by its second owner. On the property sits a similar greenhouse to Tebo's, perhaps a bit later in construction, but missing some of its glazing and with extensive exposure to encroachment vegetation and the weather. The complexity of its preservation will be simpler in some areas, perhaps more difficult in others for a variety of reasons, and Tebo explored both with us.
Materials are ferrous-metal support framing, with wooden glazing ribs.
Tebo was fortunate in that Samuel Colt's Pittsfield unit was on file. And the curved glazing for those models may still be available from Eagle Convex Glass Co in Clarksburg, W.Va. Tebo suggests that anyone contemplating the purchase of a historic greenhouse try to ensure that the object of their affections still has all or most of its glass. If it's a newer, redwood-barred house, definitely check for deteriorated wood. An engineering report expressed the opinion that the metal has been greatly reduced in dimension by rust and weathering.