Historic house to be moved for the third time with outside help
Oscar Bautista
Contributing Writer
College of Wooster is hoping to find third party to relocate Overholt House
“The College recognizes that it isn’t just a house that has the designations for being an old home, but that it’s an iconic residence in Wooster; there isn’t any other like it,” said David Broehl, past president of the Wayne County Historical Society.
Overholt House, a preserved late nineteenth century Stick Style residence, has been part of the College’s campus since 2001, currently sitting at the northern-most point on campus and it has been used for college office space. However, through the years, it’s been relocated twice because of construction for new parking lots for the Wooster Clinic. Now, the College and the Wayne County Historical Society are in the process of finding a third party that would possibly relocate it a third time or donate components of the interior.
“The College decided a bit more than a year ago that we no longer had a programmatic need for Overholt House, and we moved the Office of Interfaith Campus Ministries out in the summer of 2015,” said John Hopkins, associate vice president for college relations and marketing.
On Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, the Request for Information (RFI), detailing instructions for parties, figures on costs and some historical information about Overholt was released.
“Today [Sept. 12, 2016] is the end of the formal RFI period so we hope to receive a few responses,” said Doug Laditka, associate vice president for facilities management and development at the College. “We have had at least half a dozen interested parties, but it is difficult to know if they are truly interested and have the ability to repurpose the house, until we see their proposal.”
The RFI to the community sets a list of questions for those interested regarding how the third party will plan for the removal and reconstruction of Overholt, how the party will repurpose what is salvaged and where their intended relocation site is. Since there are various elements with the process, determining the right party for this task is crucial.
“The selection committee has not established the criteria yet, other than the respondents’ need to demonstrate they have the aptitude and resources to re-purpose and renovate the house,” said Laditka.
Up until Monday, Sept. 26, the College will be evaluating all proposals thoroughly and will finally name the party that will be awarded the contractNov. 7.
“The College is to be commended enormously for their decision to request proposals and to fund $25,000 to remove the house and rebuild it in another location,” said Broehl. “It probably would’ve been easier to just tear it down. It’s an incredible gift.”
After Overholt’s relocation, the College will dedicate the lot to green space.
If there is a failure to finalize a plan for the house, the house will be demolished.
