1473 Beall Ave., Wooster, Ohio

Comprehensive History

The house at 1473 Beall Ave. was built in 1874 by Civil War veteran Aquila Wiley. Photograph by Nyttend

The historic Overholt House was built in 1874 by Civil War Colonel Aquila Wiley and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America: its reference number is 83004345.

Colonel Wiley sold the house in 1882 to the Overholt family, who passed the house down from generation to generation until 1973. It was moved from its original location on the NW corner of Cleveland Ave. and Kurtz to its present location on Beall Ave. For a brief period it operated as a Bed and Breakfast and in 2001 was sold to The College of Wooster and they used the house for office space until it was no longer appropriate for that use in 2016 because the rooms were deemed too small for offices, and was not Americans with Disabilities Act accessible, and did not have an elevator. The College applied to the City of Wooster for a Certificate of Appropriateness approval for the demolition (removal) and storage of the house at D&S Warehouse if a new property location could not be found to reconstruct the house on March 14, 2017 and it was approved 5-0.

Notes

MINUTES City of Wooster Design and Review Board, March 14, 2017

III. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS APPLICATION
DR-17-11. Stan Starr of the College of Wooster requesting Certificate of Appropriateness approval for the demolition (removal) and storage of a structure at 1473 Beall Avenue, an Other Landmark Property. Jackie Middleton, The College of Wooster, stated that in 2001, the College purchased the corner lot of Beall Avenue and Bloomington Avenue, where the Overholt House was located. Mrs. Middleton continued that the lot was the northern most border of the campus. Mrs. Middleton stated that the Overholt House was used as an office for a number of years, though the house was not currently appropriate for any use at the college due to its the location and size. She continued that the building had rooms which were too small to have offices, was not ADA accessible and did not have an elevator. Mrs. Middleton stated that repairs needed for the building would be very costly. Mrs. Middleton explained that in order to save the building, it could be deconstructed and reassembled. Stan Starr, The College of Wooster, stated that the College was attempting to have the building reconstructed on another site and would provide a stipend for the removal of the house. Mr. Starr explained that the College wanted to retain all of the positive architectural features of the home, with the exception of the deteriorated exterior siding. Mr. Starr continued that the College initially looked into moving the structure, but experts indicated that the house would not survive another move. Mr. Starr explained that the historical society had torn down homes and reconstructed them in other instances. Mr. Starr explained that the house would be stored at the D&S Warehouse if a location could not be found to reconstruct the building. Dick Deffenbaugh moved to approve the application as presented. Dick Kinder seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0.
IV. ADJOURNMENT
The Board discussed the Overholt House application. Mr. Campbell stated that his understanding was that the components of the house would be saved, not the framing. Mr. Campbell explained that the collected items would be the architectural elements like the interior stairway, trim, fixtures, and flooring. Sandra Hull moved to adjourn the meeting. Dick Kinder seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m.

Photographs

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  Image of the Overholt House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, located at 1473 Beall Ave. in Wooster, Ohio as it appeared in April of 2017.

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  Image of the front door of the Overholt House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, located at 1473 Beall Ave. in Wooster, Ohio as it appeared in April of 2017.

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  Image of the north side of the Overholt House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, as it appeared in April of 2017.

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  Image of the back side of the Overholt House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, as it appeared in April of 2017.

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  Image of the south side of the Overholt House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, as it appeared in April of 2017.