品味名人故居的魅力 Living In The Past

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 closet drawer labeled in the careful script of matriarch Rose Kennedy 'black underwear.'

卡斯爾現年71歲，早在28歲時他就是身價百萬的商人銀行家了。在購買這幢帶傢俱的肯尼迪家族房產作爲主要住所之前，他已經擁有了三處住房。他喜歡顯擺肯尼迪總統窄小的牀（橡木牀頭板雕成哥特式風格）和步入式衣帽間的抽屜，肯尼迪家族的女性家長羅絲(Rose Kennedy)在抽屜上一筆一畫地標註上了“黑色內衣”。

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.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images威爾遜在新澤西州的普林斯頓住到1902年，當時他還是大學教授。1963年遭刺殺之前，肯尼迪總統曾在這座純白色地中海風格大宅的圖書室內面試過多數內閣候選人，週末，他會在大小可與奧運場館媲美的泳池裏游泳。1991年，肯尼迪總統的外甥史密斯(William Kennedy Smith)被控在這座大宅裏實施強姦，最終他被宣判無罪。

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.

肯尼迪家族1995年賣掉了這處產業，而棕櫚灘在卡斯爾購房後不久宣佈該豪宅的一部分爲地標性建築。如果一座建築被定爲地方地標性建築，或者被劃入歷史街區，一般來說房主改變建築外觀的餘地會受到限制。卡斯爾面對的情況是，他必須同意不對 壁上一片60英尺見方的區域（肯尼迪總統有時在這一區域前舉行新聞發佈會）進行改造。

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.

卡斯爾投入600萬美元對這幢有11間臥室的豪宅進行了翻修，他說，在進行翻修的過程中，常常有人來蒐集紀念品，他們“把一塊塊大磚頭搬進車裏然後開走”。他還得應付地方官員的嚴格要求。他說：“每天都會有一次檢查。”

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

Scott Lewis for The Wall Street Journal卡倫站在門廳裏。門廳的推拉門和鑲嵌的彩色玻璃是房子原先就有的。他說，有一次檢查他沒能通過，因爲電器連線附近的一顆螺絲“偏了八分之一英寸”。還有一次，爲了在欣賞205英尺海濱美景時有更廣的視野，卡斯爾要新建室內外螺旋樓梯，而建築保護部門官員對樓梯的高度做了限制。

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.

如今，卡斯爾很享受置身於肯尼迪家族62年曆史中的滋味。他特別喜歡坐在屋外的涼廊裏（肯尼迪總統在這裏起草了就職演說稿），一邊眺望大海，一邊思考工作中的棘手問題。

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

卡斯爾說：“在這裏你會獲得很多靈感。”

Presidential Preservation

威爾遜總統故居

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.

修復威爾遜的住宅成爲卡爾的一項長期個人愛好。卡爾多年來一直對美國曆史很着迷，2003年，他以約210萬美元購買了這座大宅。

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.

威爾遜夫婦搬走後，這座房子空置了兩年，之後又19次易主。卡爾說：“保存下來的東西少之又少。”

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.

卡爾想重現這幢房屋最初的風貌，並對其設施進行更新。他研讀了威爾遜有關建房的信件，將其作爲指導房屋修繕的部分依據。房屋翻修耗資逾700萬美元，一直持續到2007年春季。

'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.'

卡爾表示：“這項工程沒有預算和時間限制，感覺自己是歷史的守護者，在做一件正確的事情。”

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 concrete circle driveway and replaced it with the type of red stones used by the Wilsons.

除一個新建的日光浴室外，這幢有着淡檸檬黃灰泥 的三層住宅從外面看起來和110年前沒有區別。卡爾甚至剷除了一個混凝土環形車道，換成了威爾遜當年使用的那種紅色石頭。

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.

在帶領一名訪客四處參觀時，卡爾在一間不同尋常的門廳裏停下了腳步，門廳裏有一個壁爐，威爾遜在普林斯頓大學(Princeton University)做教授時，常在熊熊燃燒的壁爐邊給學生講課。爲了讓門廳還原成最初的樣子，承包商對房間進行了拆卸，並使用相同的縱切紋杉木進行結構加固和重新組裝。

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

這位首席執行長說：“這個房間和天花板與威爾遜住在這裏時一模一樣。”

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.''

儘管卡爾對細節一絲不苟，他還是擔心普林斯頓一項設立歷史街區的提議，該街區會將威爾遜故居囊括在內。他說：“這樣一來，你要經過允許才能粉刷房子，這對提高房屋轉售價值可能沒有好處。”他和其他持不滿態度的房主寫信抗議此項提議，認爲設立歷史街區會“導致這類住房的購置和投資市場顯著降溫”。

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.''

普林斯頓的官員拒絕就此置評，但當地的古蹟保護審議委員會(Historic Preservation Review Committee) 9月份發佈了一份建議創建歷史街區的報告，報告援引支持者的話稱，研究顯示“設立歷史街區對房地產價值有提振效果”。

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.

與此同時，卡爾也愛通過活動紀念這棟房子的前主人。2006年12月，他在家裏舉辦了一場前總統誕辰150週年紀念派對。他在當地的學校裏做講座，介紹威爾遜的生平。今年10月份，他主辦了紀念威爾遜當選總統百週年慶典。他的530名來賓還享受了一項額外款待，他們看到一個剛裝裱起來的威爾遜夫人手寫便箋，這是房屋修繕工人在壁爐架後面發現的。

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

卡爾說：“能住在這樣的房子裏實屬幸事。”