Future of Berlin’s Pomerene House remains uncertain
The Pomerene House is one of only a handful of remaining historic structures in Berlin. Dr. Peter P. Pomerene was a physician and built a grand Victorian-style two-story house in 1879.
The Pomerene House is one of only a handful of remaining historic structures in Berlin, Holmes County’s oldest community. According to “Holmes County Historical Sketches,” Berlin was founded in 1816.
An 1875 map of Berlin shows Dr. Peter P. Pomerene as the owner of 33-acre and 9-acre parcels of land northwest of the public square. Pomerene was a physician and built a Victorian-style two-story house in 1879 just west of the intersection of state Route 62 and state Route 39.
Most recently the Pomerene House was rented to two retail businesses. Village Bears and More and Queen Anne’s Lace. After the respective owners retired, the house sat empty for several years and was listed for sale. According to the Holmes County Auditor’s website, Slice of Berlin, an Ohio Limited Liability Company purchased the Pomerene House this summer for $188,000. The owner could not be reached for comment but it is likely it will be torn down to make way for new construction.
“I have been in contact with a couple of Holmes County history-related groups, and the updated information is that there is no set date for demolition, though the owners are moving toward it,” said Julie Rohl, a preservationist at RichlandPreservation.org. “Also, the owner is open to the idea of allowing the home to be moved and would even consider donating it to a nonprofit for relocation, though there are moving costs which would have to be considered. I am still unsure if they would sell privately and, if so, for how much. Both nonprofits to which I spoke to do not have space for the building to be moved to.”
A plaque on the Pomerene House states Atlee Pomerene was a lawyer and statesman. He was a United States senator from 1911-23.
“I nominated the Pomerene House for the National Register of Historic Places in 1980,” said Steven McQuillin, preservation consultant. “Sen. Atlee Pomerene (son of Dr. Peter Pomerene) was a graduate of Vermillion Institute and headed the Teapot Dome Investigation. He was a 1928 presidential candidate.”
The Pomerene name is well known in Holmes County. The hospital in Millersburg is named after the Pomerene family, and there also was a nursing home with that name.
Dr. Pomerene was a distinguished physician and one of the charter members of the Holmes County Medical Society organized in 1858.
“Because I nominated the property to the National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s list of properties worthy of preservation, I feel a special need to try to be of help saving it,” McQuillin said. “There is government support for owners who invest their income producing landmarks. These are federal and state tax incentives that together can subsidize up to half the cost of the rehabilitation project.”
McQuillin has restored historical buildings around the country, as well as locally in Mansfield and Cleveland. He purchased the Vermillion Institute in Hayesville and restored it. The former college was built before the Civil War and sat empty for over 60 years. Today it serves as his residence and office. On a normal year, he opens it to the public twice a year for tours.
“Berlin is a beautiful community, and the Pomerene House is the visual and cultural centerpiece. Destroying it would really diminish the character of this community,” McQuillin said. “Also, because of the tourism in Berlin, it should be feasible to rehabilitate the building as a useful attraction, a place where people could learn about its distinguished history, especially its association with the Pomerene family and U.S. Sen. Atlee Pomerene, one of the greatest senators of all time.”
Anne Foster owned and operated Queen Anne’s Lace in Berlin for 13 years and in Shreve for 13 years before that. “It’s a cool house with so much character and room for a kitchen,” she said. “It would make a great tea room. Most of the shoppers in Berlin are women.”
For more information contact Rohl at juliejrohl@gmail.com
Repeated attempts to reach Pomerene House ownership were unsuccessful.