CBS2 Exclusive: Bellmore Man Restores Historic Home To 1910 Appearance, Wins Landmark Status

BELLMORE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- In a surprise discovery, a man purchased a home on Long Island and discovered that it is truly one-of-a-kind.

As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported exclusively Friday, the man's discovery is now landmarked.

When he bought his old Victorian, Walter Eisenhardt knew it was a fixer upper. But after unearthing a century-old newspaper hidden behind a wall, he realized he had stumbled across an historic treasure.

"It was really a time capsule," Eisenhardt said.

Beneath 1970s paneling and shag carpet, Eisenhardt, a history buff, exposed century-old plaster and Douglas fir floors. He started digging and discovered that his Bellmore house on Martin Avenue was one of the first built in what is now South Shore Nassau County.

"You're looking at the Frisch house," he said as he looked at an old map. "There (were) no other homes within a 10-15 mile radius here."

The house was constructed in 1909 by Charles A. Frisch.

"One of the original builders and entrepreneurs, and he had vision," Eisenhardt said.

Frisch built the first bungalows and hotel at what is now called Jones Beach. Eisenhardt, a single dad battling cancer, set out on a mission.

"I was going to restore it back to the time period that Charles built it and lived in it," he said.

He restored the solid oak banister, sandblasted cast iron radiators, and then filled the home with only period furniture -- from brass beds to Irish lace curtains and even the plumbing fixtures.

"Completely restored it back to 1910 -- everything in this house -- the sofa we are sitting on, the radiator, the mirror, the light fixtures above -- everything is from the early1900s," Eisenhardt said.

On Friday, that labor of love earned him a designation as a Town of Hempstead historical landmark.

"You don't see a lot of houses like this anymore," said Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino.

Of course, the house also has to be a home, so there are some modern necessities such as wi-fi and some flat screens, but that is all. Every other detail, down to the Thomas Edison lightbulbs, took a decade to reconstruct.

"Living in a house made of stuff made all a long time ago – it's like, I don't know, like you time travel," said Walter Eisenhardt's son, Harrison Eisenhardt

Walter Eisenhardt, now in remission, was given one year to live. He said he renovated the house for his son.

"I did it for this guy, so he would have a sense of history as well and remember what his dad did. It's a legacy," he said.

History can get torn down in suburbia. Eisenhardt said he did his part to preserve it.

Now as a landmark, the house can never be altered in any way without town approval.