History Demo’ed- Another Rehabbed -Pt3

Part One – The Demo

History Demo’ed- Another Rehabbed Pt 1

Part Two – The “history” of the rehab

History Demo’ed- Another Rehabbed Pt 1

Along with two of the Charleston Village http://www.loraincounty.com/charlestonlorai/ board members, I toured the start of the rehab of the house “now known” as the Coleman House or 1031 W. 4th Street.

I must admit I was feeling excited to see the inside of this century home- what delights of a bygone era would we see? I had been down this path before with the Captain Wilford House just up and around the corner from the Coleman home – they would have been neighbors- 416 Washington

The Wilford House still maintains a great deal of its historical integrity – from the days of commerce and community from the last century.

One of the pieces missing from the front portico are the twin anchors above the entrance .
Those anchors , I believe had special significance to the Wilford family and to Captain Wilford , the original anchors lay at the bottom of Lake Superior
on the bow of his boat the John M Osborn –

Photo Source http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/johnmosborn

“All of the older captains used to take their families sailing with them frequently. Captain Wilford chose to take aboard his wife Fannie ( of the Civil War letters fame)

Civil War Letters- Fannie Gilmore- Lorain

and his two daughters, Cora and Adelaide on his vessel, a three mast wooden steamer John M. Osborn that summer in 1884.

Capt. Wilford – a Hero of the Inland Seas

and the archiving of the shipwreck thanks to the State of MICHIGAN and the GREAT LAKES SHIP WRECK MUSEUM- who recognize the worth of the story and the captains of the Great Lakes
http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/johnmosborn

However, such is not the case here in Lorain or even in the State of Ohio ( just another old rental) – Yes ! Captain Wilford’s once beautiful home is now a rental with an RSO living in the carriage house and divided up once again to get the most “income from her”.

BUT a few years ago Charleston Village had the opportunity to take a walk through at least the down stairs of the home . Interior shots of Wilford Parlor courtesy Dave Cotton

A Captain- My Captain

I am hoping since the recent Zillow ad
http://www.zillow.com.
for the house states it has beautiful woodwork what we saw that day is still the case

Back to the neighboring Coleman Property!

NOTE:The Lorain County Port Authority in conjunction with the Lorain County Community Development Department are rehabbing the property using Neighborhood Stabilization Program III (NSP3) funds.

However as we entered Frank Coleman’s home our expectations of woodwork , hardwood floors, elegant staircases and hopes were crushed as we continued the tour. There wasn’t much left and what was left had been covered up with more of the cheap as chips paneling no such beautiful flooring, not such wonderful trim just the bastardization of 50 and 70’s modernizing and the “rental flip and flop. The once spindle staircase covered in and over as they divided the house into two ( more money for the landlord one would assume) a door cut into her side as an entrance for the
top floor” like some terrible wound to her original architecture. Traditional windows replaced to modernize her in the 60’s and 70’s – her front porch taken away and replaced with fake pillars of plywood and paint all in the name of what???

Photos courtesy of Lorain County Community Development
The county does not have the luxury of “history left” to work with – they are going to have to go through mend and make do to bring this old house back to a family home

The historical architecture and guidelines gone now for the most part- An entranceway reminiscent of those days of pride perhaps,

scars removed from her outside – a door to nowhere replaced with an attractive window ? This will be a family home once again with the added luxury of a very nice guest suite in the rear. A home saved- an investment in Lorain’s oldest neighborhood.

I know the county will bring this old lady back to a home, and one with up to code windows, plumbing, wiring etc. I just hope they will go the extra yard and make her atheistically pleasing as well- we will see in Part 4 which will be the post on her unveiling

To be continued…………