New location

The original location of the Clark House was near the southwest corner of Fort Casey Road and Old State Highway. Before the house was moved, the new owners brought the matter before the local Historic Review Board. This group concluded that the plan to move the house to a nearby site was the best available option for preserving the structure. This conclusion was based on the lack of interest in the house on the part of the dairy farmers and on a number of other facts. Without attention, the house would soon deteriorate beyond saving.

Also, the proposed site was the nearest available one, still in the Central Whidbey Island Historic District, and easily visible from the original location of the house. The new location would "balance" with the Chauncey House, which is located across Main Street from the new site. The historic significance of the house was decided to derive from its architectural attributes, rather than from any associations with its original site."^[4]

Restoration

The walls were lath and plaster, which was badly deteriorated, especially on the second floor where rain has caused considerable damage. The perimeter walls were stripped to the studs on the inside and new wiring, plumbing and insulation were installed. All of interior walls were replaced with drywall except the interior hallways which retains the original lath and plaster. The plaster includes horsehair that was typical of the time to help keep the plaster connected to the keys. A new electric furnace was also installed at this time. Both Fireplaces were completely rebuilt with high-quality block and liners during the restoration but the chimney tops visible above the roof line were remade with the original bricks. Bricks from that time were typically darker red in color and higher quality (slightly thicker) than today's U.S. standard.

Exterior

The west facade of the Clark House is visible through dense woods from Main Street. The trees extend only about fifty feet from the road, however, and the east facade looks out over open fields. The other facades are obscured from general view by the woods. The house, which has two stories and an attic, is basically rectangular with an intersecting side wing extending to the west.

The main part of the house has a gabled hip roof, while the wing has a plain gable. This design gives the house a balanced, symmetrical roof line from both the front and back. A spacious porch and upstairs verandah extend from the wing across the rest of the west facade. In the rear, there is a one-story extension. The roof is new wood shingles which faithfully replicate the roofing in historic photographs. Except for fishscale shingles above the window level, bevelled siding is used throughout. Fenestration is generally two-over-two double-hung wood sash. Small triangular windows in the gable and gablet light the attic and echo the roof line.

Interior

On the first floor are a living room, a parlor, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a service porch. A central stairway leads to three upstairs bedrooms. All the rooms have high ceilings and generous dimensions. Original fir flooring is present in all of the rooms.

Neighborhood

To the south is a large frame house of historic character. To the west are two badly deteriorated out-buildings and, beyond them, the verdant fields of the Engle Dairy Farm. Another historic house, the Nuttal Home, is located to the north, on the other side of Fort Casey Road. The new location, 301 South Main, is to the northwest of the old, across more grassy pasture land. It is visible from the original site and from the Nuttal Home. To the south is a large dark-stained bungalow. Across Main Street is a small Cape Cod cottage and a large turn-of-the-century house. The latter, though it has fairly recent composition siding, retains its original massing and detailing.