The Zalud House is a two story brick dwelling in the Second Bripire style, with mansard roof and double walls of brick with air space in between to accommodate San Joaquin Valley weather. Its integrity is excellent, as the structure is virtually unaltered. In its position at the southwest corner of Hockett and Morton, and is complimented by four other older homes of that period directly south and
southeast. Together, these five old houses form a solid reminder of the time when this was the preferred residential area of Porterville. The one-third acre property also includes a finely landscaped garden, a popular location for local weddings. The vertically inclined plane of the roof is uninterrupted except by dormers highly ornate and in conformation to strict symmetrical composition. These projecting ornamental elements bring light into the upper rooms through square headed double-hung sash windows framed by triangular pediments and carved wooden surrounds. French influence is obvious in the exuberant' ornamental detail of upper level fenestration. The front porch is also extravagantly decorated with finely detailed woodwork. There is a transitional horizontal belt in the smooth wooden cornice line between contrasting forms and materials of the two levels of the structure. Both floors are rectangular with projecting wings giving a cross-axial effect. The masonry exterior from ground level to cornice is only broken by tall, narrow double sash windows that are segmentally arched. These windows can be found on the front and sides of the house. The rear enclosed porch is utilitarian in character, single-story and covered with horizontal wood siding. Windows on the porch are plain, double-hung and grouped — two long and two short — to the left of the back door. With few exceptions, the interior is structurally and aesthetically a mirror image of its Zalud family days. Most of its rich furnishings are family items, and wallpaper-paint restoration done in 1976 duplicates the original. That restoration, accomplished at city directive with Zalud estate funds, also included restructuring of upstairs ceilings, re-wiring and re-plastering — all in order to comply with city building codes. Otherwise the interior is as always: four upstairs bedrooms and a single bathroom, all connected by a hallway leading directly from an unusually steep staircase; and, downstairs, a bedroom and kitchen with service porch, three quarter-bath, living room and dining room. Because it is a museum, all interior doors (except closets) are removed for easy viewing access. All hanging light fixtures are original, and the kitchen fixtures in working condition. The kitchen has its original linoleum floor, single set of small cupboards with wainscoted doors, and windows admitting outside light. Originally heated by a fireplace and wood stove (restored and in place), the kitchen gained a sub-floor gas furnace in 1939 in the kitchen and the only two modern changes to the house outside of electricity was added in 1916. The kitchen leads through a west door to the covered porch/bath, and through an east door into the formal-style dining room. Most significant feature of the dining room is a floor-to-ceiling rosewood wall inset surrounding the house's only fireplace. The inset is completely hand-carved in a bamboo pattern commissioned by the Zaluds while in China. As in all rooms (except kitchen, bathroom), picture molding runs horizontally 10 feet high along the walls, and six-inches-wide, grooved moldings with "bulls-eye" corners are surrounding each window and door. Where there is no wallpapering, the interior walls and ceilings are painted white. Floors throughout are hardwood covered with oriental and Persian rugs collected by the Zaluds. The living room, in the southeast quarter downstairs, is reached through a living room door or by a northern door off the hallway entrance. As can be seen from exterior view, there is a 3-foot deep window box jutting from the living room on the front (east) side. Here on a low, attached bench, piano lessons or parlor visiting took place. The parlor room, small entry hallway and staircase were the first visible interior features for visitors - and for many, the only open rooms. Few visitors realized the closed door facing them to the west was a bedroom attached by separate door to the dining room. In those two rooms and the kitchen, Zalud family privacy was maintained. Sturdy, turned wood posts make up the staircase balustrade leading to a small landing and a curved-in wall. A few steps more to the right leads to a sweeping corner entrance to the second floor hallway. All four bedrooms upstairs show off the building's Mansard-style architecture through their curving walls starting about two-thirds from floor line. The east bedroom, largest of all, has three windows to the east, north and south, each with deep sills found on all house windows. All upstairs rooms have tiny closets with doors. Halfway down the hallway are bedrooms on either side, both wallpapered in period patterns. Each juts out of the house's sides exactly following architectural contours. A final bedroom in the northwest corner is typical of the rest except that it adjoins a roomy bathroom with tiled floor and original bathtub, its clawed feet hidden by base tiling applied in the 1950's. All upstairs rooms are considered attic rooms since there is no attic. An attic-type ceiling trapdoor leads directly to the roof. Outside, there are some changes from Zalud family days. In early 1986, a 6-foot-high ironwork fence was installed along the lot lines for security purposes, complementing the period look of the structure. The original, detached carriage house (on the southwest corner of the lot) was converted into a bridal dressing room with half bath in January, 1980. A simple, box structure with gabled shingle roof extending over the entrance for a canopy effect, the carriage house is severely altered inside for practical purposes, as is an adjacent stable/garage converted into a kitchen with storage area. However, they retain their basic historic appearance, although the stable appears to have been re-sided since its construction. These two buildings are virtually hidden from view by extensive landscaping in the original style: neatly manicured grass strips trimmed by redbrick edgings forming plant and flower bed areas; carefully grouped thickets of rose bushes; strips of perennials and annuals; all inter-blended with old ivy crawling atop trellises and arbors. In her final days, Pearle Zalud allowed the garden to create a walled environment as if to deny passersby intrusion, but it has since been thinned to permit easy viewing and access.
