Local readers of This Old House magazine might see a familiar sight in the publication’s March 2015 issue – featured in the popular Save This Old House column is a Galion home that plays an integral part to the city’s history.
When prominent Galion businessman Jacob Ruhl passed away in 1858, he left very precise instructions in his will for his wife Sarah to build the 7,000 square foot house located at 231 N Columbus Street in Galion. According to homeowner Mike Morse, Ruhl was one of the first residents of Galion. The home, he said, was built around 1870.
“At some point after [Sarah] died Dr. C.D. Morgan bought the house and had patients here,” said Morse. “He was a surgeon and this was the city hospital, best we can tell. Dr. Morgan went on to be the first board president of Good Samaritan Hospital, which was the first public hospital in Galion.”
In the years since the home has been used as a rooming house as well as a private residence, but has sat vacant for many years. Morse has owned the house for almost a year and has been trying to sell to someone interested in restoring the old home – currently the house has a listing price of $34,900.
Morse certainly didn’t expect interest to come from This Old House. Lori Wells, spokesperson for This Old House, said the house’s architectural detail, low price and local historical significance made it a perfect candidate to be featured in the Save This Old House column.
“The Galion home was so beautiful and so well preserved in terms of architectural detail, we couldn’t sit by and let it fall further into disrepair,” said Wells in an email. “When you look at this house, it’s easy to imagine townspeople chatting about it in the 1870s. It would have been a big deal when it was built, it’s 7,000 square feet, which means it’s enormous even by modern McMansion standards. It really made a statement and it probably was and is the most impressive house for miles around, which means that locals have probably admired it for something close to 150 years. That makes it really special.”
Wells explained candidates for Save This Old House are sometimes submitted by readers who want to see a house in their hometown purchased and restored, while others are found online through websites dedicated to historic preservation or real estate listing sites.
“We typically filter searches by age and price and look for hidden gems that could really be beautiful again,” she said.
Per Jacob Ruhl’s instructions – which were the most surprising element for This Old House – the Galion home has more than 15 rooms including seven bedrooms and five and a half baths. The structure itself blends elements of Greek revival and Italianate architecture, and remains in great shape even after more than 100 years. Morse noted the house also has an unfinished basement and attic that spans the whole building.
“So much of it is intact still; there are walls you wouldn’t even have to remove,” said Morse. “We’re so far ahead with stuff like that, this building is in great shape. It just needs an interior renovation.”
However, certain elements of the home’s interior need not be renovated – Morse pointed out the house’s quarter-sawn oak wood staircase and entryway, carved wood mantle, stained glass windows and original tin ceilings.
“You’ve got the extensive woodwork, the floors you don’t see anymore throughout,” said Morse. “It’s a mixture of all those old architectural disciplines, and the stuff that remains in it.”
Since being featured in This Old House magazine, Morse said he has experienced quite an increase in interest about the house, even from out-of-town buyers. He said many potential buyers said Save This Old House is the first page they open to in the magazine – Wells agreed, saying for the vast majority of readers Save This Old House is something of a fantasy, a dream of restoring a beautiful old home. For a select group of readers, that fantasy can become a reality.
“I would say the majority of the houses we feature are saved, very often by a reader, and it’s not uncommon for someone to pick up and move across the country to take on a project like this,” said Wells. “It’s our ideal outcome to have a house purchased and lovingly restored, because we know that especially in small towns, a single restoration can be a catalyst for positive change.
“We also know that someone who tackles a project like this tends to be the kind of person you really want in your hometown,” she continued. “It’s easy for a homebuilder to draw in newcomers with a sparking new development. But someone who moves to an area to restore a treasured landmark like this is doing so much for the community, and chances are good that others will draw inspiration from them.”
For Morse, this is his ultimate vision for the historical Galion home.
“It certainly would be nice to have someone come in here that has the vision and the capital to make this something special,” he said.
For more information about the Galion home, contact Morse at 567-455-4205 or mikemorse@elmequitygroup.com. The real-estate marketplace Zillow, in partnership with Save This Old House, is offering a $2,000 award to the buyer of the house. Contact toh_marketing@timeinc.com for details; offer expires March 31, 2016.
