Columbus group opposes razing of 103-year-old home
A plan to demolish a 103-year-old bungalow in Bexley has sparked opposition from a preservation group.
The Columbus Landmarks Foundation says the home and its architecture are significant to the inner-ring suburb’s history and heritage.
Those hoping to raze it and replace it with a new, larger home disagree.
But before the building meets the wrecking ball, members of Bexley’s architectural review board say someone with preservation experience must prove the home’s owners are correct.
In October, the board approved the demolition of the two-story home at 291 S. Columbia Ave. if three conditions are met. One is providing a report that the house isn’t historically or architecturally significant and worthy of preservation. Additionally, the board must approve a complete plan for the new home. Also, the inside of the existing home must be photographed for archiving.
To date, all three conditions are still pending.
Becky West, the Columbus Landmarks Foundation’s executive director, would be OK with the situation staying that way.
“Bexley is a beautiful, historic neighborhood, and we believe this sets a dangerous precedent for a domino effect,” West said.
Notable Columbus architectural firm Howell & Thomas designed the home in 1914 for Theodore S. Huntington, son of Huntington National Bank’s founder P.W. Huntington. After his father’s retirement, Theodore Huntington went on to be the bank’s director and chairman of its board of directors.
He died in 1937 at age 63, and the home remained in his family until the 1950s.
The 3,488-square foot house with a steeply pitched roof, classical columns and generous front porch was a simple but groundbreaking design for its time, West said in a letter to Bexley officials. In the early 1900s, bungalows were transitioning from summer homes into year-round homes for the wealthy, designed to provide harmony with nature.
As such, the home intentionally sits on a generous, double-size lot.
Herb Glimcher, 90, founder of what became Columbus-based real estate organization WP Glimcher, and his wife, Dee Dee, 72, bought the home in June for $850,000, according to records from the Franklin County Auditor’s Office.
They currently live about a half-mile away on North Drexel Avenue.
John Behal of architecture and design firm Behal Sampson Dietz submitted the plans for the Glimcher’s new, 4,418-square-foot, $1.2 million home. He would be responsible for providing evidence to Bexley’s architectural review board justifying tearing down the existing home.
Behal did not return a call seeking comment.
At a public meeting, the architect told review board members that the home isn’t without charm, but its interior is deteriorated and in need of serious repairs. Because there are many bungalows in Bexley, it wouldn’t be an architectural loss, he said.
“The best part of this house is the outside,” Behal said.
Though demolishing an aging structure is a difficult decision, Behal said, the replacement home would boost nearby property values and improve the surrounding neighborhood. He called the new home’s design cottage-style, with charm and character.
West disagreed that the present home is beyond repair.
“I’m sure what they have planned is probably lovely, but I wish it wasn’t on the site of this home that is significant and worth saving,” West said.
The Bexley architectural review board’s next regular meeting is 7 p.m. Jan. 11 at Bexley’s city hall, 2242 E. Main St.