of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio
of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio DRAFT new 12/12/05
The site of the Greek Revival styled Land Offices at 64 and 68 West Second Street has finally been landscaped, a year and a half after the buildings were demolished.
The decorative fence with gate and the shrubbery appears as promised in the application to the Design Review Board. The back half of the lot has been a gravelled parking lot for many months, but the front was seeded with grass only last summer.
Finally, we have what the Design Review Board approved.
Too bad.
DRAFT new 12/19/05
It seems that the little village of Bourneville is doing a better job at preservation than Chillicothe is. Two significant buildings that seemed beyond hope have been renovated spectacularly in the last two years.
Both were part of the same property auctioned off in October of 2003 - an old church, and a rental house owned by the church - both vacant for probably 20 years. Amazingly, the church is now a restaurant that I've heard is very good (I haven't been there yet), and the house is now very livable and was open for tours December 3rd and 4th.
The house is the Taylor-McCrackin house, on the north side of US 50 at the west end of Bourneville. It was built in 1860 by Robert P. McCrackin, son of a co-founder of Bourneville and a local judge and state legislator. The house was willed to the Presbyterian church in 1921 as the home for a retired ministers, and was later used as a rental until the early 1980s.
By the time of its auction in 2003, the house seemed doomed. But Steve & Paul Compher, who live in Philadelphia but have local ties, bought the house. While some said that the house should be burned - even one of the contractors - the Comphers persevered and finished renovations in September 2005. They opened the house to tours the weekend in December partly as "self defense" - people really wanted to see the house after two years of work.
In 2003, though the roof was leaking at the front dormer, Steve Compher found the chestnut wood frame to be solid, which convinced him that the house was worth saving. Windows were broken and rooms were full of trash, but a piano was in good enough condition to be restored. The metal roofing was in bad shape, but the roof framing was solid enough to "drive a truck on it." The front porch was ready to fall off, but enough was left to replicate it.
The house now has vinyl siding and asphalt shingle roofing, but the original window frames and floorboards and stone foundation remain. A barn was too far gone to be saved, but a private cemetery remains as an unusual but quiet touch to the back yard. In all, it is a preservation victory - all the more so with the Comphers driving 8 1/2 hours to visit their investment.
DRAFT new 12/19/05
Preservation of "Harley's House" is progressing - including adjusting the name from the "Harley House" to "Harley's House."
Under the leadership of SCOPS, the South Central Ohio Preservation Society, (and with my inspiration) a task force has formed to save this historical building on the grounds of the Buzzard's Roost Preserve west of Chillicothe. The house is a "Creole Cottage," a rare house type to be found here far north of Louisiana.
We presented a restoration plan to the Ross County Park District board on December 16th, and received their approval to continue working on the building. Our plans call for returning the house to its c1910 appearance. We will be working on it this spring, but also hope to get some work done during any warm spells this winter. Contact me by email (IHS@HorizonView.net) or phone (775-4036) if you would like to help in any way.
See my previous articles on the building for background information.
The name change from "Harley House" to "Harley's House" is to identify the building as a particular person's home, and not just some house. By recalling the one resident, Harley Adams, he becomes eponymous - he stands for many others who lived in a house like this. The subtle change allows visitors to more closely identify with Harley as they tour the house and experience how different it was to live in that time.
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