2008 Woodie Awards
Local house will move to Hueston Woods park
Vanessa Casanove
Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: Community
One of the buildings uptown will soon be taking a stroll down Brown Road.
The Township House, at 115 W. High St. next to the store Figleaf, will soon have a new location-the Pioneer Farmstead in Hueston Woods.
The structure will be moved Dec. 8. With financial help from Matt and Chris Rodbro's company, Red Brick Property Management, the structure will be moved on a trailer to Hueston Woods. Although an exact price was not released, the Rodbros, as owners of the structure, have paid for 100 percent of the costs.
Plans to move the Township House have been discussed and then dropped for several years, however the plans have finally seen progress. The Oxford Museum Association, The Historic Architectural Preservation Commission (HAPC), along with city councilor Greig Rutherford and the owners of the building, Matt and Chris Rodbro, have been working to find a new location. A few sites were discussed, such as the Black Covered Bridge, the Pioneer Farmstead and the DeWitt Log Cabin. Yet the Pioneer Farmstead was the ultimate choice.
According to the press release, the historic period of the Township House-circa 1880-is attuned with the other buildings on the new site. Unlike other possible locations, necessities such as restrooms and electricity are already in place.
The Township House is a one-story Italianate structure. It was built in the year 1880 and served as the Oxford Township clerk's office for about 70 years. While the building is old and hasn't been suitable for modern day living or businesses, the structure remains intact and is structurally sound. When the building is moved to Hueston Woods, it will undergo renovations to bring it up to code. It will become a place for visitors to walk through and look at the history of the area and the Township House itself.
Rutherford, also an architect working on this project, said he is pleased with the building's new location.
"The Pioneer Farmstead is a good location for the Township House," he said. "It's close to Oxford and the building will fit in with the other buildings on the site."
The Township House, at 115 W. High St. next to the store Figleaf, will soon have a new location-the Pioneer Farmstead in Hueston Woods.
The structure will be moved Dec. 8. With financial help from Matt and Chris Rodbro's company, Red Brick Property Management, the structure will be moved on a trailer to Hueston Woods. Although an exact price was not released, the Rodbros, as owners of the structure, have paid for 100 percent of the costs.
Plans to move the Township House have been discussed and then dropped for several years, however the plans have finally seen progress. The Oxford Museum Association, The Historic Architectural Preservation Commission (HAPC), along with city councilor Greig Rutherford and the owners of the building, Matt and Chris Rodbro, have been working to find a new location. A few sites were discussed, such as the Black Covered Bridge, the Pioneer Farmstead and the DeWitt Log Cabin. Yet the Pioneer Farmstead was the ultimate choice.
According to the press release, the historic period of the Township House-circa 1880-is attuned with the other buildings on the new site. Unlike other possible locations, necessities such as restrooms and electricity are already in place.
The Township House is a one-story Italianate structure. It was built in the year 1880 and served as the Oxford Township clerk's office for about 70 years. While the building is old and hasn't been suitable for modern day living or businesses, the structure remains intact and is structurally sound. When the building is moved to Hueston Woods, it will undergo renovations to bring it up to code. It will become a place for visitors to walk through and look at the history of the area and the Township House itself.
Rutherford, also an architect working on this project, said he is pleased with the building's new location.
"The Pioneer Farmstead is a good location for the Township House," he said. "It's close to Oxford and the building will fit in with the other buildings on the site."
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