San Jose Victorian Architecture

I have enjoyed
Many a pleasant stroll
Along the streets
Of San Jose, California
Eying the numerous
Victorian style homes
Nestled in amongst
The houses and buildings
From later periods of time.
I like the Queen Anne style
With its lacy, ornamental
Eastlake structural details.
These houses are generally
Circa 1870 to 1910,
And a lot of them
Have have withstood
The ravages of time
And abusive neglect
Fairly well, and some
Have been renovated
And transformed into
Law offices or
Historical show pieces.
One thing is for sure,
A little detailed paintwork
Does wonders in emphasizing
The character of those old houses.
It will take a lot more than paint
To renovate most of them though.
All the plumbing,
Electrical work would
Have to be replaced,
And insulation would have to be
Added throughout.
Since much of the woodwork
Would also have to be replaced,
There is very little of
The original structure
That could be kept.
Renovating one of those
Elderly homes
Is a whole lot more work
Than I care to take on,
But I am glad there are
People out there
With the finances, stamina
And willpower
To carry through
Such monumental projects.
I don't think
I would ever want to
Live in one of them,
Since the room sizes
Tend to be too small
For my taste,
But those old homes
Have a classical character
Well worth preserving.