Louis Kamper Architecture on Display

[ThomasP]

Thought I would pass along the word that this weekend, the only known Ohio commission of Detroit architect Louis Kamper will be open to the public for the first time in over 50 years.

Here are some details - follow related story links for more information:

http://galionlive.com/2011/10/20/gill-house-revealed-coming-on-october-30/

The house is located on the main street of Galion, Ohio, a small community about two hours southeast of Toledo. If you would like details on directions, other items, etc., please let me know.

Thomas
galionlive@gmail.com

[DetroitPlanner]

wow that is a heck of an interior!

[Hamtragedy]

Galion is heralded by the locals as the "town that built the roads". Galion Iron Works made graders and culvert pipe, and other heavy road building equipment that kept that town as profitable as Detroit. Between Galion and Hercules-Bucyrus Iron-Works, in Bucyrus, 9 miles to the west, large sections of early roads throughout the country, and Hoover Dam [[made possible by the Hercules Drag- Line, were built using equipment made in these two neighboring communities.

Detroit built the cars, Galion built the roads to drive them on.

[Coplin]

We often pass through Galion on the way to Amish country . I Love the Galion Theater !



http://galionguy.com/theatre/Xgalionmarqflash.htm

[Hamtragedy]

This was quite a booming section of Ohio, and Galion was at the middle of it, from about the 1880's till the 1970's. My mom's side of the family farmed there since the late 1700s after coming from York county PA. A great great great grandfather was a member of the Cental Ohio Volunteer regiment which joined forces with William Henry Harrison on his way north to Lake Erie/Detroit, in the War of 1812. A great....uncle named Harrison, died at Andersonville during the Civil War.

On a more local level [[mid-ohio that is) Crawford County is named after William Crawford, one of Washington's Generals. There are several marked battlefields in the county where Crawford was able to hold down Indian Rebellions. Crawford's demise was a gruesome defeat near Athens, where after his capture, he was torchered, at the stake, for a week in front of his own men. "How's your General now?" was the question frequently asked of them. He was be-headed.

In the 1880's Galion developed a streetcar, or trolley line, that went "clear to Bucyrus." They were gone well before my grandparents ever recalled them. The old Victorian train station in Galion, [[still standing by the way, and undergoing a painfully slow renovation, as we here are quite familiar with in Detroit), was operated by the Big Four RR [[Cleveland, Columbus, Cinti, and St. Louis), Five miles NE was Crestline, home to the major Penn RR roundhouse and engine facility which serviced locomotives on their way to or from the Alleghenies. Several decendents worked the RR in Crestline. The roundhouse was completely demo'd about 4 years ago. Lack of funds spread that demo over several years.

http://crestlineprr.com/

North Electric Co, made phones and switching systems, and was instrumental in inventing the dial-tone.

http://www.telephonearchive.com/phon...-electric.html

The last 30 years haven't been so kind to this section of Ohio. The Iron-works, after 100 years of operation, and several mergers, was purchased by Komatsu, who shuttered the facility. Bucyrus Hercules is a Divison of Caterpillar, but no longer operates a facility there. The phone company was purchased by ITT in the 70's and has since moved away. Galion City planners tore up the round-about in the main square and replaced it with a simple, concrete heavy intersection, and two years ago, tore down the old high-school, built a new middle and high school on the far west side of town, and now children have to cross a major intersection to get to to that. The old section of town is being left to rot.

[Kathleen]

Thanks for sharing this development with us!! Once you have the house open for tours, I know that I'll be taking a roadtrip or adding a visit to Galion as a sidetrip when traveling through Ohio.

[ThomasP]

A few quick comments/corrections, etc..

Coplin -- the Galion Theatre is only two blocks from the Gill House!

Hamtragedy -- as a local historian, curious about your mother's family name! Also:

∙ Colonel Crawford's defeat was actually near Upper Sandusky, close to Galion, and he was captured in what is now the tiny town of Leesville, just 5 miles north of here.

∙ The interurban [["streetcar") did go to Bucyrus, but it also connected to a network all across Ohio; one could catch the line in Galion and go to Cleveland to watch an early Indians game [[and many did).

∙ A portion of the Crestline Roundhouse still stands.

∙ Galion city planners did not "tear up the round-about in the main square and replace it with a simple, concrete heavy intersection." In fact, I was actually the Board President of the downtown revitalization group that spearheaded that change in 1994. Since the platting of the town in 1831, Public Square had been nothing but a giant concrete square -- there was no roundabout or any other type of traffic control [[and accidents were common). In 1994, finally there were decorative islands placed in the square to provide some sort of direction for motorists. It has been a very successful plan.

See this photo:



∙ Yes, the high school was demolished -- almost all pre-1950 high school buildings in Ohio are being demolished under a massive [[and slightly misguided) school building replacement plan funded with tobacco settlement monies.

∙ Not all of the old portion of town is being "left to rot." Galion actually has a series of four design review districts that guide changes to building exteriors along its main street. In those areas, property values have not only been maintained, but have grown -- and the Gill House sits right in the middle of that area.

Kathleen -- Don't know that it will be open for tours on a regular basis. Our goal is to stabilize the house and market it to a preservation-friendly buyer.

This is a recent photo of the house's interior:

[Kathleen]

Kathleen -- Don't know that it will be open for tours on a regular basis. Our goal is to stabilize the house and market it to a preservation-friendly buyer.

Perhaps we could visit during an Open House for potential buyers!!!

[Hamtragedy]

On another related Detroit note, Jonathan Kearsley, who was Mayor of Detroit in 1826 and again in 1829 is a native of Bucyrus.

Thomas P, my mom's side of the family is Sherer. You're probably familiar with the road bearing that name about 4 miles W on 19. The Olentangy cut right thru one of the farms. Her grandmother was born on that farm in 1896. The barn was struck by lightening @ 1906 destroying all the livestock. I have in my garage a bunch of old Ohio license plates, with the numbers 131 which was her address on Jefferson. My aunt currently lives there. My grandparents lived on N. Columbus, the same block that crosses the Olentangy. I spent several weeks there in the 70's as a child. I remember when they painted all the fire hydrants to look like soldiers during the bicentennial. I learned to swim at Hycee [[sp?) pool. Mom's dad was from Crestline, several of his uncles worked the Big 4. As a child, mom would catch the train from Galion to Crestline to visit her other grandparents. Last time I came in the backdoor of Crestline, the roundhouse was gone.

BTW, upon her father's death, my mom donated the "History of Crawford County" 1878 edition to the Galion Historical Society. It's well over 1000 pages, the first 250-300 documenting the history of the Northwest Territory, which Detroit figured prominently, and is represented on almost every single page. Clashes with Native Americans were also very detailed, as there were many. The Wyandots figured prominently locally. The last 300 pages were devoted entirely to the farmers and residents of the county. That's where i stumbled upon Mayor Kearsley, mentioned above. There are several Sherers also mentioned. My hope is the Historical Society didn't just shove that book into a box. Next time you're in Galion, ask to see it. Allow yourself several hours, 'cuz it'll suck you in.

I also have in my possession several artifacts from the area. I have a set of hand made chestnut chairs with the name O Snyder on the bottoms in my kitchen. I have a rather wide bodied rocking chair made by a great-grandfather, also chestnut, but unique in that below the seat deck, the main piece is bent into the shape of a trapezoid, which feathers over itself at the rear. Grandpa used to rescue old cabinets from barns and refinish them. Between those and the family antiques, including the Hysie glass, the corner cabinet, and the empire chest, there are probably 20 or so sizable pieces of furniture all from that area, or prior.

Finally, I was gonna take the back roads on the way out of Akron [[wedding) Nov 6 and show the wife the area. I would love to see the Gill house.

[ThomasP]

Hamtragedy -- Wow, you do have Crawford County roots!

I certainly know the Sherer name – and Sherer Road off of SR19. Can’t place in my mind which house is 131 Jefferson [[South or North?), but that street and Heise Park is actually just three blocks east of where I am sitting as I type this. I also learned to swim at the Heise Park pool; a new pool was built in the 1980s, but it is in the exact same place at the original one.


There is a small part of the Crestline roundhouse which still stands – not a large part – just drove past there a couple of weeks ago.


About the donated book – I know that history well. In fact, I serve on the Board of Directors of the Galion Historical Society, and so I know right where that book is! Well, I should say where “they” are – we actually have more than one copy. It was the Galion Historical Society, in fact, which was responsible for the acquisition of the Gill House.


Sounds like you have a wonderful collection of area antiques and artifacts!

[ThomasP]

Just a quick note to relay that the Louis Kamper-designed Gill House will be open again on Saturday, November 5 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.. It is located at 342 Harding Way West in Galion, Ohio -- about 2 hours and 45 minutes southeast of Detroit. Cost is $15.

[Hamtragedy]

Thomas, I'll be at a wedding in Akron saturday, will be driving the backroads thru Galion Sunday afternoon. Any chance?

[southofbloor]

The Gill house has some strong similarities to 506 Parkview Dr in Detroit. Could be a Kamper?

[Gistok]

The Gill house has some strong similarities to 506 Parkview Dr in Detroit. Could be a Kamper?

Very interesting that you should mention 506 Parkview Dr. That residence was formerly known as the "Blanche House", a Bed & Breakfast near the waterfront [[just a block from the city's official mayoral residence, the Manoogian Mansion).

"The Blanche House" will get a lot of hits on Google, including many from the DYES website. In fact website owner Lowell Beaulieu did a painting on the Blanche House.

Sadly one of the owners became ill [[cancer), and eventually the place closed down. And sadly with it were the plans for the even larger residence next door, simply known as "the Castle".

[DetroitPlanner]

∙ Galion city planners did not "tear up the round-about in the main square and replace it with a simple, concrete heavy intersection." In fact, I was actually the Board President of the downtown revitalization group that spearheaded that change in 1994. Since the platting of the town in 1831, Public Square had been nothing but a giant concrete square -- there was no roundabout or any other type of traffic control [[and accidents were common). In 1994, finally there were decorative islands placed in the square to provide some sort of direction for motorists. It has been a very successful plan.

See this photo:

That looks quite a bit like Angola, IN
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=angola...0.001,44.997,0

Angola does have a roundabout with a distinctive monolith. This is at the Corner of US 20 and Old 127.

[p69rrh51]

The Gill house has some strong similarities to 506 Parkview Dr in Detroit. Could be a Kamper?

According to the Historical Designation Advisory Board the home is usually attributed to Kamper but also may also a project of Almon Varney. The is no building permit to confirm who was the architect.