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HOME IN THE COUNTRY
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
AUGUST, 2013
turned it into one of the most beautiful and original homes in the entire region. They had accomplished this while raising a family of three and running design businesses in the city – testament to their mutual love of the place. Maureen credited Joe, who was “a man on a mission,” while Joe lauded Maureen. “While I was working [on the house], she was providing me with drawings ... so it was a real tag-team effort,” he said. The result is a home that looks and feels like the train station it always was yet is a spectacular and very personal reflection of the Darmetkos’ style and taste. “Every inch of this place was a discussion,” affirmed Maureen, who, like Joe, enjoys the frequent compliments of how “historically accurate” the house appears. Capturing the station’s character was a key goal, she admitted, but this is their home, not a museum. The wrought iron on the front and back doors, for example, contain the O&W’s logo – but they were designed by Maureen and welded by Joe. The ballroom – host to elaborate themed costume parties thrown by the
The ballroom (top) is perhaps the most spectacular part of the house, featuring the station’s original brick fireplace and arched entranceways. The rest of the space is entirely the Darmetkos’ design, from the rotunda-like ceiling to the elegant center column to the stylish furnishings. Just down the hall is this lavatory (left) employing a Turkish birdbath as a sink. An upstairs bedroom’s rounded ceiling (above) evokes the interior of a railroad passenger car. Inlaid with wood and brick and surrounded by well-groomed vegetation, the home’s entrance walk (right) is warm and welcoming.
AUGUST, 2013
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
HOME IN THE COUNTRY
couple – has a raised ceiling approximating a rotunda, but the station’s original waiting room featured no such architecture, however fitting it seems. “Historically accurate would be a black slate roof,” Maureen noted, “but no, we did red tile.” That tile clothes the roof so beautifully, so naturally, that O&W railfans – steeped in the railroad’s history – have created models and painted murals incorporating the terra cotta instead of the black slate. “We’re complimented by it,” affirmed Joe. But save for the original brick fireplace, most of the home’s interior reimagines the station far more stylishly than its builders ever envisioned. The former bathrooms are now an expansive kitchen whose floor is covered in Spanish tile. The loading dock has been converted to Joe’s workshop, while what was once simple quarters upstairs for the stationmaster are now outstandingly unique bedrooms for family and friends. Yet the only major addition to the building is Joe and Maureen’s stunning master suite, built above the loading dock. Noticeably different from the earthy tone of the rest of the
The master suite’s shower (left) is enclosed by glass that itself encloses willowy branches which provide both beauty and privacy. The second-floor suite also has a balcony offering a sweeping view of the sumptuous natural surroundings (above). To access this part of the house, the Darmetkos rehabbed the station’s existing stairwell (right), adding wood and iron details which – as guests often mistake – appear wholly original. Beyond the lamp is the door to the master suite, custom-built by Joe and displaying Maureen’s design (incorporating the O&W’s famous logo). The cherrywood kitchen features a fully functional fireplace with a railbed tie and spikes for a mantel, plus slate obtained from the nearby tunnel.
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