Summary: With demolition of a 1950-60s era addition complete, work is officially underway on the restoration of historic Sloane House.
A historic Wooster home received a new lease on life on August 10 when work began in earnest to bring the house that one of Woosters most prominent residents once called home back to life.
The stately 1850s era brick home located at 439 North Market Street across from City Hall in the North Market Landmark District is known as Sloane House after its owner Colonel John Sloane.
Sloane, who served as a colonel in the militia during the War of 1812, went on to an impressive political career which included stints in the Ohio legislature and the U.S. Congress before being named the seventh United States Treasurer under Presidents Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce.
After 50 years of public service Sloane stepped out of the political lime light in the 1850s, opting to build the home on North Market Street where he lived until his death in 1856.
Much has changed since Sloan retired from political life to his North Market Street address.
A century later during the 1950s or 1960s a wooden addition was added to the rear of the home. Over time the entire complex was carved up into rented apartments.
Over the years local historians and community members watched in dismay as the historically significant home fell into disrepair and gradually deteriorated.
Families living in the neighborhood to the rear of the home along Buckeye Street, which is undergoing a renewal of its own thanks to the hard work of the residents, Habitat for Humanity and the Howey Houses project, repeatedly came before Wooster City Council to express their concerns about condition of the building and the effect it was having on neighboring residents.
With the utilities turned off, city building officials declared the house unfit for habitation but stopped short of condemning the house and forcing its demolition because the building was structurally sound.
Since then a no trespassing sign has hung on the front door of the once grand home.
With delinquent real estate taxes and unpaid city utilities bills eventually totaling nearly $20,000 piling up, Wayne County Prosecutor Dan Lutz filed a foreclosure action against the homes owner in September of last year.
In April of this year the Wayne County Common Pleas Court entered a judgment in favor of the county and directed that the property be sold at a sheriffs sale.
On June 22 in the lobby of the Wayne County Justice Center, the house got a new lease on life when retired OARDC Professor Forest Muir and Georgia Muir placed the winning bid of $26,500 on the home.
Just over six weeks later, the couple was on hand to watch the unsightly rear portion of the home fall with a little help from expert demolition crews.
They were joined by dozens of local area businessmen, city officials and scores of very happy neighbors.
While it will take time to restore the home to its former glory, the all important first step is now behind the Muir family.
Plans call for the remaining brick portions of the home to be restored and the building converted into leased commercial space.
