This year, The Blade’s interns explored a variety of Toledo's neighborhoods. The following ongoing series highlights those communities.
When she was a Whitmer High School student, Michelle Klinger, 60, recalled feeling envious of peers who lived in Lincolnshire.
It was novel at the time: 293 long, sprawling ranch houses with floor-to-ceiling windows and a low-slung roof — all united by a private neighborhood pool and park.
“This neighborhood was where all the young, hip families lived. I wanted to be part of that excitement and that new way of thinking,” Mrs. Klinger said.
The Lincolnshire neighborhood generally is bounded by I-475 to the north, Secor Road to the east, Central Avenue to the south and Woodley Road to the west.
1) All ranch-style homes
2) Lincolnshire School students lobbied to made the state insect a ladybug
3) One of the last neighborhood pools in Toledo
4) Midcentury modern aesthetic
The houses were built by designer and builder Donald Scholz, a pioneer of the midcentury modern architecture movement.
By the 1950s, modernism was mainstream. “Everybody wanted to forget the past,” Mrs. Klinger said. Coming out of the war, America was optimistic — and the suburban neighborhood was born out of that.
When it started, Lincolnshire was largely middle to upper middle class and attracted swaths of families.
Steven Smith, 71, has lived in his home since his parents bought the house in the early 1950s.
He pulled out his vintage viewfinder to show photos of his Lincolnshire house being built. The surroundings and home looked vaguely the same as now — the only clue as to the photo’s age was the old Cadillac parked in front.
Mr. Smith’s father had served in the war and was a newlywed. Some residents wondered how Mr. Smith’s father, a tool and die maker, could afford the neighborhood, Mr. Smith recalled. Many small business owners lived here, including the owner of King Radiator. He added that the neighborhood’s nickname was “Little Israel,” as it boasted a strong Jewish community.
Living in Lincolnshire Woods, Mr. Smith would leave the house each day to build a fort and come back for dinner. He treasured the neighborhood pool, where he swam both leisurely and for the Lincolnshire Sharks swim team.
“The worst thing was, if I got in trouble, ‘you can’t go to the pool today.’ That was like death,” Mr. Smith said.
Before the I-75 highway was built, Lincolnshire was quieter, he explained. It was a true suburb.
There would be block parties that gathered the neighborhood for a giant potluck. Mr. Smith said his mother had eyes on the back of her head, which meant there was a network of Lincolnshire mothers spying on you.
With so many young families in the area, and the majority of kids attending Lincolnshire School — which is now a Washington Local Schools district building — residents became close.
Marla Bobowick, 57, attended Lincolnshire School from 1969 through 1978. In 1975, she was part of the Lincolnshire School second grade class that successfully lobbied to make the Ohio state insect a ladybug.
It was “easy” growing up in Lincolnshire, Ms. Bobowick said. Her friend Merrill’s house was right around the corner. They could go “back and forth” between friends’ houses all the time. The jungle gym and even her piano lessons were within walking distance. She used the words “warm,” “friendly,” and “comfortable” to describe Lincolnshire in the 70’s.
“They’d just walk in the house. You didn't lock the door during the day,” Ms. Bobowick said. “They’d just come in, make themselves at home, get a cookie, a glass of milk and you would just go in someone else's house and do that.”
Growing up in Maumee around the same as Ms. Bobowick, it was a long term dream of Mrs. Klinger’s to live that Lincolnshire life. However, Mrs. Klinger would have to wait for the older generation of residents to either pass away or move out of their houses.
Come Father’s Day in 2017, Mrs. Klinger found her dream listing and joined a fresh flux of neighbors moving in. She said her house was “preserved, kind of frozen in time” — only one family had lived in the house since Scholz built it.
The last decade has seen a revitalization of the Lincolnshire area, explained Loren Noyes, 37, Lincolnshire Association president, crediting the neighborhood turnover.
In 2017, the Secor shopping area was “a ghost town,” he said. The movie theater was abandoned and other buildings were neglected. Now, there’s new restaurants, and other attractions.
Mr. Noyes and his wife, Mary Beth, moved to the neighborhood around early 2015.
The architecture is a major selling point. Older residents and people with mobility issues like that it’s a single story home with no risk of stairs, Mr. Noyes explained.
“We want to stay here forever,” Mr. Noyes said. “And this house will serve us whether we're handicapped or we're old or young.”
And though Lincolnshire School shut down, families often choose the neighborhood because it’s in the Washington Local School district, Mr. Noyes explained. He guessed that half of new residents are younger families while the other half are established adults. His own daughter, Molly, 5, will start kindergarten this fall.
“Just knowing that someone is looking out for you and knows who you are, I think is a very comforting feeling,” Mr. Noyes said.
Bill Becker, 50, who was relaxing at the pool with his grandchildren, said the closeness of the neighborhood reminded him of the movie Sandlot. He said there were at least 100 people gathered at their Fourth of July party.
To Mrs. Klinger, the neighborhood is intentionally built to encourage interaction and neighborliness.
“It's not meant to just have people be reclusive and never see their neighbors,” Mr. Noyes added. “I mean, we live in glass houses.”
First Published December 6, 2023, 1:00 p.m.
