Illustrious Marble Cliff manor with ties to the Bush Presidential family recently restored to magnificent splendor
In 1908, Samuel and Flora Bush, the great-grandparents of former U.S.President George W. Bush, moved their young family of five children into their new Dutch colonial manor home on Roxbury Road in Marble Cliff, now commonly referred to as the Bush Manor. As President and General Manager of the Buckeye Steel Castings Company, Bush was considered one of the wealthiest executives in the city.
Originally built on a 2.7 acre lot that sold for $12,500, the home had 17 rooms and was built using limestone from the local Marble Cliff Quarries – the very same limestone used to build the Ohio Statehouse. “The Marble Cliff neighborhood at about this time was referred to in Columbus newspapers as the ‘Millionaire Community,’” says Patrick Mooney of the Grandview Heights-Marble Cliff Historical Society.
Tragedy struck the Bush family in 1920 when Flora was killed in a car accident during a vacation. Samuel eventually moved to a new estate in Blacklick, selling the home in 1929 to Anna Dodge Dillman, the widow of one of the founders of the Dodge Automobile Company.
Anna, one of the wealthiest women in America at the time, owned the home until 1947 when she sold it to the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm who then converted it into the St. Raphael’s Home for Aged. The retirement residence opened in 1948 with 17 residents and five sisters. In the early 1950s, they added a wing to provide room for up to 78 residents.
“Raphael's Home for Aged was considered a well-run nursing care facility, and many local folks volunteered there, including school children from the former Our Lady of Victory School across the street,” explains Mooney. Peggy Collins began working at St. Raphael’s in 1974. She says that the nuns used the building for 60 years until the need for expansion forced the Carmelite Sisters to move operations to a new facility – Mother Angeline McCrory Manor on Noe Bixby Road and Broad Street.
In turn, the Carmelites sold the building and property to the Pizzuti Companies in 2006. “The first thing that attracted us was its location. Marble Cliff is a charming enclave with a great history and it is incredibly well-located to everything. That combined with the history of the Bush Manor, it whetted our appetite and got us focused on figuring out a way to redevelop it,” explains Joel Pizzuti.
Pizzuti’s plan included creating 23 condominiums to surround the original manor, incorporating classic Dutch colonial architecture. “What was difficult was coming up with a development plan that would get along with the existing environment but also be forward thinking enough to attract home owners,” says Pizzuti.
After development plans were approved by the Village of Marble Cliff, Pizzuti took down the Carmelites' addition that accommodated the nursing home. Next, the 10,000 square-foot manor was divided 60-40 into two units to save the original staircase and front entrance.
Many of the walls were stripped down to stone and plaster to update all the mechanical systems, install modern wiring and create a soundproof barrier between the units.
Some of the original hardware, doors, hardwood and marble flooring along with the curved archways and stairways were saved and restored. “Anytime there was an opportunity to restore and reuse, we did it. Actually the front doors on both the north and south side of the mansion are the original doors – they were dipped, stripped and refurbished,” Pizzuti says.
“We developed a very nice neighborhood– it is aesthetically beautiful and incredibly well located," Pizzuti adds.
Andy Quinn, an executive with Ohio Health, will be moving into the north half of the manor house in October with his wife Josie and their two younger children. Currently, they live in one of the newer units, but wanted to move into a larger home with the addition of a new baby.
Quinn jokes that he is related to the current U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who would “roll over if he knew I was moving into the Bush house.” The larger section of the manor is home to Glenn and Jessie Baker, who moved last October from Worthington. Before any work was done, the Bakers hired Melissa Baker from Embellish Designs to take over the home’s design.
“We were integrating a few special pieces that they brought from their last home. That created a bit of a challenge as it was a very different space,” Melissa says. “The ‘bones’ of the house were fabulous. The staircase, the stone walls and the high ceilings that were original to the mansion inspired me to make many of the design choices. I kept reminding myself to maintain the integrity,” she says.
The new manor preserves the home’s historical elegance, but also features modern amenities such as a game room with full kitchen, bathroom and pool table, an elevator, wine refrigerator and a three-car garage.
“I don’t feel like I live in a historical home because there was so much new construction. I wasn’t on an objective to restore an old home. I was on the objective to end up with a large condominium and ideally centrally located near the things we like to do in Columbus. This was a great match for us,” Glenn says.
Pattie Stechschulte is editor of Tri-Village Magazine.