History lives and breathes in the Old West End.
“There’s a sort of enchantment,” said Chris Hanley, president of the Old West End Association, of the neighborhood’s treasure trove of Victorian architecture. “They take your breath away. There is just something here.”
The Old West End is home to “the biggest collection of homes like these east of the Mississippi,” Mr. Hanley said. They were built between the late 1800s and the early 1900s, each reflecting the ornate designs of the period. A foliage-rich neighborhood when it was established, the Old West End was originally the stomping grounds of the some of the city’s wealthiest families.
Today the tight-knit community continues to preserve its historic architecture. With a steadfast commitment to their neighborhood and the historic homes within it, residents work together to learn and grow in their preservation efforts.
“There are so many challenges that come even just from preserving these houses that for many years neighbors have figured out how to band together,” Mr. Hanley said. “Whether it’s protecting these houses from the city, from demolition, or solving issues and addressing issues like security that they have built these networks of meeting together and collaborating on things as big as the Old West End Festival.”
Finley Gleason and Chuck Madrigal own a home at 2202 Collingwood Blvd., which was built in 1901 for Edward Ford, the president of the Edward Ford Plate Glass Co. The pair said the historic home requires an immense amount of upkeep, which can be costly.
“We’re in our seventh year here and it was a real mess when we got it,” Mr. Gleason said. “You put a new ceiling up, you patch the walls; everything is in transition, and we also live here.”
Matt Mishler speaks similarly about his home at 2210 Robinwood Ave. He said it’s well worth the work, but the biggest challenge in maintaining historic homes like the ones in the Old West End is the endless laundry list of responsibilities.
“The infrastructure is wearing out. I mean things like plumbing, the roof, and the electrical might be from another era or just tired and worn out and needs replacement, so that’s difficult and expensive,” Mr. Mishler said.
But it’s a unique community, said Mr. Mishler, who moved there more than seven years ago from Lambertville.
“We had a beautiful house, and it was a lovely lot, but none of the neighbors really talked to each other. And so moving to the Old West End, we were welcomed in the extreme and people made us feel very much a part of the community,” Mr. Mishler said. “They just took us for who we are and saw that we liked our house and we’re fixing it up and cared about the neighborhood.”
Contact Shayleigh Frank at sfrank@theblade.com.
First Published January 22, 2023, 2:00 p.m.
