Fortunately for their plans to embark on a major renovation project, Denny is a woodworker, and his specialty is building staircases and custom cabinets. His work definitely came in handy as the house was in a quite a state when they bought it.
“It was like panel town exploded in here,” Susan said. “A hoarder, I call him a ‘human squirrel,’ was living in here while it was boarded up. He dragged in a number of lawn mowers, and he had a lot of shoemaking and cobbler tools. It had that indoor-outdoor carpet from the ’70s and it was covered in dried beans.”
The couple stripped the home down and then started with structural changes, which included rebuilding a staircase, converting a back porch into a room and a bedroom into two bathrooms, creating an upstairs porch and adding a side porch the entire length of the home on the first floor.
Inside the home the couple installed new drywall, built custom cabinets and built-in shelving, installed new floors and renovated the bathroom. The electrical and plumbing had to be updated in the home, and the entire home was repainted. Not everything was done, but the couple was able to move into the home in 2000.
“That was a relief [moving in],” Susan said. “We had the kitchen, our bedroom and one bathroom completely finished. We’ve been working on it ever since.”
The renovation process is ongoing for the couple, and throughout their time in the home, they have had experiences and done research into the history of the home that has made the home rather intriguing. Denny said he had a rather unusual experience during demolition.
“I would sometimes be here demo-ing stuff, and nobody would be around,” Denny said. “And all of a sudden, I’d smell cigar smoke like someone was standing right beside me smoking. I’d look around and say, ‘hello.’ I’d look around and nobody was around.”
Susan and some neighbors also said they could smell cigar smoke at certain times in the home. Denny said one day he came home in November to a door ajar in their upstairs bedroom, a door that had always been locked. After that, Denny said the smell of cigar smoke never came back.
Records from the county recorder’s office show that a Frederick A. Hohmann lived in the home from 1909 to 1924. And according to U.S. Federal Census data, Hohmann’s occupation in 1900 and 1920 was cigarmaker. Susan said she sometimes still smells the cigar smoke, but thinks maybe Hohmann was just checking in with the home.
“During the renovation, we figured he [Hohmann] stopped in to see what we were doing and was OK with it,” Susan said.
The lot the home was built on was once owned by Henry D. Stout, who was a newspaperman. His death notice in a Dayton newspaper on May 13, 1884 said he was “possibly the oldest newspaper man in the State of Ohio … He has published newspapers in 20 different towns.”
Stout’s wife Elizabeth sold the land to Jacob Smith and Isaac Smith (Smith & Smith) in 1870. However, their company declared bankruptcy and the land transferred to Collins Wight and Augustus Kuhns (Wight & Kuhns), who actually built the home around 1875. Their partnership ended after the home was built and was eventually sold to a German immigrant named Philopena Ochs in 1876. She owned the home until her death 1909.
Susan and Denny continue to work on their home. In the future they hope to install a fireplace mantel and bookcases in the front room, and put up a wrought iron fence across the property. Susan said she adores her neighborhood and takes part in many events that the district holds.
“There’s a real sense of community,” Susan said. “We know almost everyone on our street … I’m on the Christmas tour committee. Denny and I have been involved in neighborhood government.”
And one point of pride the couple relishes is being one of the biggest stops every year during Porchfest, an annual event in St. Anne’s Hill Historic District. Because of the massive porch, bands have a lot of room to play, and last year Denny said that 500 people were in his yard to watch.
Credit: Chris West
Credit: Chris West
They again plan to host the band Nasty Bingo on their porch this year, so stop by the home for good music at a truly unique home that will continue to bring joy to its owners and neighbors for another 150 years.
HISTORICAL HOMES FEATURE
“Timeless Dayton” takes a look at historical homes in the region. The Dayton Daily News wants to share stories of historic homes and the journeys of restoration. Reach out to Reporter Jessica Graue at jessica.graue@coxinc.com.
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