Check out vintage building\'s open house in RedlandsCheck out vintage building

The historic Charleston House in Redlands will celebrate its centennial with an open house from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday.The two-story structure at 620 W. Colton Ave. serves as a wedding venue and houses On the Avenue Salon and Day Spa.Yucaipa resident Sherry Haviland bought the house about four years ago to fulfill her dream of owning and restoring an older home in Redlands, where she used to live."I was looking for a house to buy and drove past this one," Haviland said.She described the house to her grandmother, who advised her to "go for it." Haviland bought the house that same day, just before her grandmother died at age 99.Haviland, 52, decided to name the house for her grandmother, whose last name was Charleston. Her husband, Arlie, an occupational therapist by career and designer by hobby, came up with the idea of renovating the house in a New Orleans style, Haviland said.Historical details on the house are sketchy, with only a short architectural description available in Smiley Library's Heritage Room archives. The house was built in 1908 by contractor Charles Reasoner for orange grower John M. Woehl at a cost of $4,000. The 1910 census lists one cow, one horse and four people living at the house, according to library records.Reasoner was a cement contractor who built the house on a cut stone foundation that matched exterior borders along the property line and in front of the home.Remodeling work by the Havilands soon involved the whole family, including her children, said the new owner, a computer programmer at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Family members did electrical work, painting and plastering. They also removed dropped ceilings and repaired holes in the flooring with specially milled lumber."We even found and exposed a staircase that had been hidden behind a wall," she said.They installed sprinklers front and back and planted verdant rose and flower gardens behind a cast-iron fence crafted in Canada. The fence and matching iron window decorations provided the bayou look the Havilands were seeking. Black and white awning material was located in France."When we started, the house had no character at all," Haviland said.By the time the renovation was completed about two years ago, Hurricane Katrina had devastated New Orleans."People from there would come by and tell us that the house reminded them of home," she said.The Havilands considered using the house for Arlie Haviland's physical therapy business but opted to give the building an identity more suited to its genteel appearance."I decided on a spa with a gift shop like the ones I have enjoyed in Central California," she said.The numerous rooms upstairs and down are rented to hair stylists, a nail care specialist, a Pilates instructor, a massage therapist and a chiropractor. The lobby houses the gift shop, featuring boutique and garden items.Haviland said the city of Redlands and the Redlands Conservancy were helpful and encouraging throughout the renovation process. Neighbors on Colton Avenue have been positive as well."This is not the best street right now but there are many businesses that have been here for years," Haviland said. "Colton Avenue is a thoroughfare through the city and I would like to see it become an upscale area."The Thursday open house will offer refreshments, house tours and other activities. Information: visit www.charlestonhouse1.com or call 909-792-7979.