By Maisie Fitzmaurice
Historic home in UA
Like many suburban communities, the city of Upper Arlington started as a vision. It quickly grew with a plan to develop a place where families could thrive for generations.
With over 300 homes that are more than 100 years old in UA, it is safe to say that that vision has come to fruition.
After Upper Arlington became its own municipality in 1917, the area grew exponentially. Careful planning and conscious design methods during this period produced much of what you see today in area neighborhoods.
These homes were built using high-quality materials and the period’s best architectural practices, with a significant emphasis on conserving greenspace. Trees, bushes, flowers and grass planted during this time still line the streets and give residents’ yards a pop of life and color.
Brick was especially popular when many of these historic homes were erected. Columbus Building Supply Co. placed an advertisement in the local magazine The Norwester in May 1918 stating, “As you drive through Upper Arlington notice how substantial and permanent the brick houses look. When you realize a nice house of face brick can be built as cheap as frame, you will of course choose brick.”
Building supply companies weren’t the only ones at the forefront of the developing community; architects and home builders also competed for prospective homeowners’ business.
One builder, John W. Wilcox, published a short article in 1918 titled “The Liveable House,” in which he referenced homes being built on 5th Avenue between Cambridge Boulevard and Arlington Avenue that would be built in a “New England Colonial” style with white siding and shingles, attached garages, and stone gateways at the entrances.
Today, many of these homes are inhabited by people who appreciate the decades’ worth of stories that their walls hold.
One of these historic home owners is Donna Vorce, an Upper Arlington Historical Society member who has lived in her UA home for over 50 years. She and her late husband, Donald, purchased the home in 1972 and raised their three children in the community.
Other than some general maintenance, the 106-year-old home has remained virtually untouched, and Vorce likes it that way. She says that her son wants to take over the property once she passes so it stays in the family.
Norwester Magazine
“It’s part of history,” Vorce says. “It has people who’ve come before us who have lived here and loved this house and raised families in it and it’s just important for people to see this is how people lived, good, bad or indifferent.”
Another historic home owner and historical society member, Suzy Owen, says some residents may not know that their neighbor’s home, or even their own home, is historic.
This is one of the reasons that during the month of August, the historical society provides yard signs that indicate homes that are over 100 years old. The number of homeowners participating by adding a sign to their yard has grown significantly over the years as more residents learn the ages of their home.
“We’ve been kind of amazed putting the signs up year after year, more homes – whole blocks – are being added to the numbers of houses turning 100,” Owen says. “I think that the awareness has been probably the biggest thing that’s exciting about it.”
The historical society is working on a permanent sign that historic homeowners can purchase to display year-round, unlike the temporary ones it offers in August.
“It’s part of the community’s identity,” Kristin Greenberg, executive director of Upper Arlington Historical Society, says. “The premise of the differing architectural styles that were used 100 years ago is contrasting to when we see these new developments go up with homes that are all very similar. … They create variation and I think it gives our community a strong piece of its character and its desirability.”
Columbus Landmarks’ Home Preservation Program connects historic homeowners to resources for services such as roofing, masonry and windows that can help them preserve their home’s history while still ensuring it is safe and livable.
“There are so many interesting features in older homes, and while they may not be built for the way we live today and some adjustments might need to be made, it fosters pride for the homeowners who are the caretakers of these historic pieces of our past,” Upper Arlington Historical Society Executive Director Kristin Greenberg says.
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
