auction of lakewood landmark

[Joe McClain]

Councilman,

Have you talked with someone from Option One? It seems to me that the auction would decrease the value of the house and thereby be against the mortgage holder's interest.

[Ed FitzGerald]

Mr. McClain:

Yesterday I spoke with Option One, the mortgage holder, and yes, they are very concerned about the situation and have some legal recourse. That is why I am hopeful that something can be done before the house is stripped of its architectural assets.

[Mazie Adams]

As the director of the Lakewood Historical Society, I wanted to provide you with the history of the Faerber/Morse House, 13405 Lake Avenue. The House was designed by architect Henry C. Boehm for George P. Faerber, Vice President of Forest City Bank (which was later taken over by the Cleveland Trust Co.). Faerber and his family lived there for five years until his death.

The property was purchsed in 1916 by Agnes Morse for $28,000. Agnes Doyle married Geroge W. Morse, head of the Parish and Bingham Company. He died eight months after their marriage in 1910, leaving her his stock in the company. She successfully ran the company and it was succeeded by Midland Steel Products Company, of which she bacame the president and general manager.

Mrs. Morse loved the house and invested $100,000 in improvements. These included a greenhouse, pergola, fountains, rose gardens, a $25,000 conservatory and a $17,000 iron fence on a cut stone foundation. She also expanded and improved the garage. Mrs. Morse spent $15,000 a year for garden up-deep, including $3,000 for tulips alone.

Mrs. Morse lived in the house, with various family members, until her death in 1947. The house was then purchased by Willson H.L. Hunter in 1949 for just $28,000.

The house served as the American Cancer Society Hope House in 1979 and the same family owns the property today.

The house was beautiful and elaborate when first built, and Mrs. Morse continued the improvements during the 1920s. Most of the archtiectural features, garden ornaments, fountains, etc, including the fence, have been in place since the 1920s.

[Michael Fleenor]

This unfortunate situation really highlights for me the need for Lakewood to enact a local preservation ordinance. Even if the house were listed on The National Register of Historic Places, the homeowner could still sell off pieces or alter the property. The greatest legal power to protect community assets like the Faerber/Morse House lies at the local level through a preservation ordinance.

An ordinance can protect individual buildings, entire areas or "historic districts," or both. While some folks argue that preservation regulations will reduce property values, the National Trust has documented that the exact opposite is true--properties in historic districts tend to appreciate faster than properties in areas that aren't protected. Each local ordinance is unique, so the community can determine what their preservation ordinance will cover, although most cover exterior alterations, demolitions, and new construction--leaving the property owner free to do what they wish with their building interior. An ordinance also adds an additional layer of review for new construction, often elevating the design.

I moved to Lakewood from Nashville. Nashville has used Conservation Zoning in a number of districts. Conservation Zoning (as opposed to full Historic Zoning) was intended originally for low-income areas and is criticized by some as being "preservation light," as it only covers demolitions, new construction, and the addition of heated space (dormers, porch enclosures, etc), but not other alterations like windows and siding. Even this level of control would be better than nothing.

If Lakewood enacts a preservation ordinance and creates a preservation commission or local review board, the city would also be eligible to become a Certified Local Government (CLG) and would be eligible for small planning grants through the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). With the entire city being eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and residents having a strong desire to balance historic preservation with new development, becoming a CLG could expedite reviews at the SHPO.


________________
Michael Fleenor
Director of Preservation Programs
Cleveland Restoration Society

[Ed FitzGerald]

Michael:

Thank you for your informative post.

I am planning to introduce 2 pieces of legislation at the next council meeting. The first would extend the jurisdiction of our demolition ordinance; the current version requires a permit and notice to be given, but not for residential structures. I am also interested in including language which would cover "de facto demolition."

Second, I will be introducing a process by which we can begin to designate certain properties as historic landmarks, with the protection that goes with that status. Our City could really use the expertise of the Cleveland Restoration Society as we try to draft these ordinances. Hopefully this will be the positive outcome of an unfortunate situation.

[Grace O'Malley]

Has anyone who posted here with concern over the property actually called and talked to the owner?

In fact, it might be wise to invite him to the meeting seeing as it is HIS property that is not only being publicly discussed, but may be the target of restrictive legislation.

I find it hard to understand how this is suddenly a major concern when this property has been in obvious decline (peeling paint, overgrown yard, etc) for years and the property taxes have been in arrears.

[Matthew Charboneau]

...

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
Amen.

[STOSH BURGESS]

I agree with Matt. This is really a private matter. Imagine loosing your family's home and not even knowing where your going to live. It all seems a bit insensitive to the home owner that is dealing with enough, to have the city get involved. One moment people are pushing to tear down neighborhoods the next they are trying to save some flower pots.

[john crino]

I think the appropriate thing to do is to have someone from the city speak directly with the owner to express the city's concerns and see exactly what the situation is before we demonize this person and use possible legislation to interfer in his personal crisis. Maybe this has been done already but we should have as much info as possible before we speculate on the worst case scenario.

[Ed FitzGerald]

John:

I agree with you that there should be attempts to mediate this situation before the house is stripped of its architectural fixtures. I've spoken with the owner as recently as this morning, and I hope to continue speaking with him. But to be clear, this is not a solely private matter- there is a pending foreclosure action in court, with a sheriff's sale to follow. The question is whether the owner should auction actual structural elements of the home- not personal property- which will greatly diminish its value just prior to a sheriff's sale. We're talking about actual portions of the structure which have historical significance. And legally, its not clear at all that that can be done.

To make an analogy, a neighbor of mine recently had his house foreclosed upon. It was a terrible situation for his family. But if, just prior to foreclosure, an auction company came in and sold off his porch, dormers, tile roof, etc., my neighborhood would be up in arms just as this neighborhood is- because the resulting shell of a home would affect everyone's property values. When you add the fact that this is one of the premier historic residences in Lakewood, those concerns are obviously magnified.

As to legislation, we currently have a demolition ordinance which requires a permit before a commercial structure is destroyed. This was passed exactly so that before a structure is destroyed, the community can explore other options, including mediation. It seems to make sense that this be extended to residential homes.

I hope the owner keeps his home- I just don't want the home destroyed in the process.

[OTTO LOMBARDO]

Mr. Fitzgerald please spare me the nice nice. I called YOU this morning to complain about the disruptive letter you sent to my auction agent. The fact that I have not been contacted or invited to the meeting tonight ( LHS 7pm West Cafeteria) speaks volumes of its sponsors interest in the truth. There has been a great deal of misrepresentation published about me on these pages. If you want to hear the truth from the only person who knows it, join me tonight to crash their party.

[Ed FitzGerald]

Nevertheless, I am still hopeful that there are some productive conversations that can still be had. My cell phone number is 216-338-9479, I'll keep it with me, please leave a number if you call. I also had a letter hand-delivered to your home to try to stay in touch. You are more than welcome to attend this evening, I hope you do.

[Stan Austin]

To All--- I think everybody has shown great concern about this issue.

And everyone recognizes that the paramount issue is the concerns of the homeowner.

I look forward to a very civilized gathering of concerned Lakewood folks.

Councilman Fitzgerald has taken the lead and I trust in his good judgement to have a productive meeting.

This has presented a plethora of contradictory issues that have to be addressed.

See you all ther and let's have a good discussion!

Stan Austin

[Shelly Gould Burgess]

I'm starting to feel misled. Have I been conned into thinking well of Mr. Fitzgerald? Can't make the meeting...Please, someone write about it.

Thanks!