Middletown, Ohio - December 3, 2006
All images (c) 2006 Robert E Pence
Thanks to preservationrestoration, from urbanohio.com, for planning the get-together and arranging the special tours of the Beau Verre/Riordan building and Artistic Harmonies/1 Floor Up.
Former Big Four Railroad depot
"Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly ..."
City Building
Formerly occupied by G.C. Murphy company, the building housing studios of
Beau Verre / Riordan has been extensively renovated by its owners. Interior features include woodwork salvaged from a former school. The replacement of many structural, mechanical and electrical components represents a major investment in Middletown's downtown.
Views from the roof
The gallery of
Christopher Walden, nationally acclaimed wildlife artist, is on the first floor of the building adjacent to Beau Verre's studios.
1 Floor Up, in a former Eagles lodge is being developed as a downtown arts and performance venue
We began our Candlelight Tour of Homes in the South Main Street Historic District by stopping at url=http://www.stpaulsuccmidd.org/default.htm]St. Paul's[/url] United Church of Christ to get our tickets.
First United Methodist Church's Richardsonian Romanesque building was designed by noted Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford, and ground was broken in 1890. The windows, original to the building, were created by Chicago stained glass designer George A. Misch.
I wish this photo had been sharper; the design and color in these windows make them some of the most striking I've seen.
The burned building in the next block is the former home of First Baptist Church.
Sorg House
1878 Winchester House
Daniel McCallay House, 1866
On December 17, 2004, the owners of the Lefferson Home, an 1827 farmhouse and the second-oldest house in Middletown, returned home from a Christmas dinner with friends to find their home destroyed by fire. They have rebuilt on the site, using approximately the footprint of the original house and with very nearly the same appearance and using some fixtures and materials that were salvaged from the original house.
1872 Leibee House suffered decades of inappropriate remodeling including time as a nursing home before being purchased by Middletown Planning Director Marty Kohler, who has torn out the renovations and is restoring the home to its original appearance.
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