When it came to sweepstakes in the Borough of Hamburg more than a century ago, Wilson E. Schmick was the undisputed champion.
Schmick was an industrial titan of the small borough, having established the Hamburg Broom Works in 1894. His buyout of all the outstanding shares in 1918 ultimately made him the sole owner and an increasingly wealthy man at a time when brooms were a necessity in cleanliness, both domestically and commercially.
Like many of his fellow moneyed captains of industry during the Gilded Age, Schmick wanted a home that bespoke his lofty status.
To that end, in 1908, just off the fashionable main intersection of Fourth and State streets, Schmick commissioned and had constructed an imposing brick residence at 63 N. Fourth St. Inside and out, there remain the architectural highlights he included from the influences of contemporary trends and of his world travels.
Perched up a flight of stairs from the street level, the property boasts an ornate iron fence surrounding a tidy grassy terrace. A gate opens to the short walk, leading to the full width porch that extends to the left side of the house. Twin gables front substantial bay windows that add to the home’s imposing nature. Simple wood trim above the main pediment salutes an Arts and Crafts influence, while long first-floor windows suggest an Italianate accent. Following the porch ceiling line is a subtle march of simple curved wooden arches.
Glass and Class
Stained and leaded glass windows commissioned by Schmick add to the unique character and beauty.
Truth be told, should somehow Hamburg’s broom king be suddenly swept into the 21st Century iteration of his beloved house, he would feel right at home.
Current owners Dr. Charlotte Golden and George Holmes credit the home’s many intact original elements to a series of owners who, alternately using it for residential and commercial applications, respected the property and considered themselves keepers of its history.
The couple was living in Schuylkill Haven and pondering a future move. Opening and operating a bed-and-breakfast was their long-time dream. Golden — an educator who has worked in the Reading, Mahanoy City and Carbon-Lehigh school districts — and Holmes — an Army veteran and member of the Army National Guard, affiliated for 22 years at the Hometown, Schuylkill County, base — were scouting for a location within commuting distance for each.
“We looked around Mount Gretna [Lebanon County] first,” says George, noting the many draws of the village’s artsy culture.
Charlotte says finding a suitable, established B&B was tough, so they “changed gears” and searched for a house that could be converted.
“George was on the Internet and said, ‘You’ll never guess where this is,’” Charlotte recalls. Peering over his shoulder, she saw the stunning property and its Hamburg address.
Calling it Home
By December of 2015, the 5,200-square-foot house with its occasional odd takes on post-Victorian architecture was theirs.
“If you look around, you’ll see it doesn’t match any one style,” says Charlotte. “It’s our understanding he [Schmick] designed it, and the architect followed his instructions.”
The property sat unoccupied for a few years before the couple acquired it. But unlike many houses that lie dormant, the prior homeowners maintained it well. Before their predecessors, two separate medical practices were the prime occupants.
The couple got to work on the property, making their home to the rear of the main house and designating the front living, dining and reception areas, along with the three upstairs guest bedrooms and sitting room, as the public B&B areas.
Surprisingly, the house was in such good shape that many of the rooms didn’t even require a new coat of paint.
However, one of the second-floor rooms, which had served as a combination office and kitchen for one of the doctor’s practices, was converted into the spacious guest room and bath it is today. Attention to detail makes it appear virtually original to the building.
An essential and costly update was the new roof. George says the couple spared no expense, having the roof stripped down to the studs and replaced with slate bordered by copper flashing. They also updated the HVAC system.
“When you do things, you want to make sure it is commensurate with the character of the house,” says George. “We look at ourselves as caretakers.”
The care the couple shows the property extends to the physical warmth of the building for those who visit.
An Elegant Entrance
The double exterior doors open to a small vestibule with original tile on the walls and floors, the latter with a Greek key pattern. Large, exquisite, original stained-glass windows dominate the interior double doors that lead into a spacious formal reception area.
Off to the right is the large living area, in past years what would likely have been considered a double parlor. Ornamental plaster dominates the décor in this massive room. Rectangular areas along the expansive walls are defined by plaster-trimmed “frames.” The heavily detailed crown molding is a study in plaster craftsmanship, as is the ceiling floral motif, which reveals a shy smiling cherub face in each corner.
Plaster ornamentation is also prevalent through much of the home, with a fleur-de-lis pattern seeming to both dominate and coordinate with the style of the early 20th Century, primarily jewel-toned stained glass.
The living room features one of the many original tiled fireplaces in the home. Above the mantel is a massive gilded and beveled pier mirror, also believed to trace back to Schmick, likely a find from one of his many European journeys.
An enormous crystal chandelier, not original to the house but true to its timeframe, dominates the center of the room. Scattered Oriental-style area rugs add to the warmth of the original hardwood floors, which run throughout the first floor.
The room has been the scene of small gatherings like baby showers and birthday parties.
Across the hallway from the living area is a smaller room used as a den by the couple, a cozy place where they can be close at hand for their guests yet still enjoy the privacy provided by one of the three sets of pocket doors on the first floor.
The den boasts arresting Arts-and-Crafts style wood trim around the bottom half of the walls topped by, again original to the home, Japanese-inspired faux leather wallpaper. While the room, over the years, sustained some water damage, the couple was able to salvage enough of the wallpaper and replicate the original trim to make the room complete. The den also boasts a fireplace.
A Place to Greet and Eat
The large dining room ironically once served as a physician’s operating suite for minor procedures.
Today, the soothing light mint green space offers seating for up to 10 – six is the norm. Guests can brew their own coffee while Charlotte serves up some tasty breakfasts.
“I try to make it interesting,” she says. One of her personal favorites – and becoming a guest favorite – is her special egg and cheese hash brown waffle. Charlotte mixes the concoction and cooks it to perfection in a waffle maker. Eggs Benedict are also requested and usually a big hit.
“They are actually not hard to make,” she says. “I just think guests like the fancy name.”
Charlotte and George do their best to source foods from local farmers and growers, from the eggs to the dairy items to the produce.
They also are dedicated ambassadors for the borough’s businesses. The new 1787 Brewing Company (the name a nod to the year of Hamburg’s founding) is within walking distance, as are a number of other independent eateries. Guests can also walk to the venerable Hamburg Strand Theater, a number of small shops including antique stores, and the well-known Muller Rare Coins and Fine Jewelry.
The Bismarck’s guests visit for a number of reasons, including proximity to the Appalachian Trail, Hawk Mountain, Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle, and Cabela’s, or as a mid-point for day trips between Jim Thorpe in George’s native Carbon County and a variety of destinations in central, northeast and southeast Pennsylvania. Among recent guests are parents of local college students in town for sporting events.
Guests access their rooms via a lovely open stairwell dominated by a stunning 12-foot-tall stained-glass window above the middle landing. When the sun strikes the glass, a rainbow of dancing sapphire, ruby, citrine and emerald tones saturate the stairs, the first-floor reception area, and the upstairs hallway.
Across the Rhine
George and Charlotte have a name for that hallway: the Rhine River. Visitors won’t find any water there, but they will find it to be a symbolic border for the “German” rooms on one side and the “French” room on the other. Original skeleton keys, retrofitted by a local locksmith, offer a decided Old World feel.
Just as original owner Wilson Schmick liked to link items in the home to his world travels, so do George and Charlotte.
The Colmar Room is the original master bedroom and bath. The room is decorated in a French Provincial motif, and photos of the northeastern French town — with its distinctive architecture and canals — abound. The stained-glass window in the bath is done in soft teal and frost tones, again with the fleur-de-lis pattern. The simple tilework complements the lightness of the room while the original plumbing, including an early rainfall showerhead, is an added period treat.
Adjacent is a small sitting room that usually serves as a communal reading/game/snack room for the guests. If guests are traveling with children, the room can become a private extension of the Colmar with sleeping space available.
Across the “Rhine” is the Heidelberg Room, which features a four-poster bed nestled in the bay window. There is pink toile wallpaper along with German antiques, including some interesting beer steins, and a vintage armoire.
The Cologne Room is the most recently renovated and features a four-poster, heavily carved, dark wood queen-sized bed, ambient stained-glass lighting (newer panels here but true to the style of the house), and photos of the city, including the famous twin-spired Gothic cathedral that survived the Allied bombings of World War II.
The Mayor at Hand
There’s no war to worry about these days in Hamburg, but townspeople and visitors alike may feel a bit more secure at The Bismarck, as George Holmes is also the borough mayor. Like his municipal cohort, Boyertown Mayor Marianne Deery who owns and operates the southeastern Berks landmark Twin Turrets Inn, George is in a place where constituents can easily access him. And he likes that.
“I try to be as hands-on and involved as I can,” he says. “I like finding solutions that work when neighbors can work issues out one-on-one. I see myself as being here to help.”
The couple operates the B&B pretty much on their own. Charlotte, who took a lot of joy in furnishing the interior, also finds some contentment in the ongoing tidying up that’s necessary.
“I love what I do,” she says. “I enjoy having everything being clean.”
The B&B’s current canine ambassador, Josephine Doria, is on hand to offer a hearty greeting to visitors. George and Charlotte are striving to curb her enthusiasm a bit, but it’s a challenge for this girl who loves her humans, familiar and not.
Josephine carries on the tradition of her canine predecessors, the German short-haired pointer trio of Leopold, Rudolph and Bismarck, all of whom, like Josephine, bear the names of historic European personalities.
“I was a history teacher, and my students named the boys,” says Charlotte.
The trio has now trekked over that rainbow bridge, but the special memory of one of them clearly remains.
“Bismarck, well, he was the love of our life,” says Charlotte. “We got him early on.”
The Bismarck, the couple likes to say, carries on the tradition of their joyful, loving companion through the warmth of its being and of the guests who visit and make it their own for a night or two along the way.
The Bismarck
63 N. 4th St., Hamburg
717.312.4227
