North Branch Nursery owner Tom Oberhouse and wife Laura Landry Meyer will showcase their renovated historic home in Pemberville for a fundraiser.

It seems there was a strong demand from the local community that wanted to see the finished work. Now, they will get the chance, from 2-5 p.m. on October 23.

The property on 135 West Front Street was originally built in 1885 and then sold for $1,500, according to research by Pemberville historian, the late Dale Bruning.

The Oberhouses have spent tens of thousands of dollars bringing it back to speed, while adding a touch of their own.

“It’s gorgeous,” said Carol Bailey, who spearheads the fundraiser to benefit the Pemberville Opera House. “They will be able to go through it and see how gorgeous and how beautifully decorated it is and what an old house can actually become.

“You’ll be able to tour the whole house and the garage back there, which is essentially a carriage house,” Bailey continued. “As far as what you see, they are going to have pictures of the whole process from start to finish.”

Oberhouse said, “A lot of people mentioned they wanted to see the house and there was nothing else going on in town. In normal times, there would be lots of building going on and it wouldn’t be that exciting, but since no one else is doing anything there was a lot of interest. So Carol approached and we said we’d be glad to do it.”

The fundraiser is to benefit project costs associated with constructing an elevator at the opera house, which is located in another historic building, the town hall.

To attend the open house, the Pemberville-Freedom Historical Society is asking for a $10 donation. Jazz guitarist Chris Buzzelli will be entertaining with background music at the wine bar.

When Oberhouse was growing up in the 1960s and 70s, local historian, Bethlehem Lutheran Church secretary and Pemberville Leader writer Angeline Sandwisch lived in the home, which was known as the Sandwisch House.

The Oberhouses moved into the home in May, but work has been ongoing since September of last year. The 3,200 square foot home has five bedrooms and is built mostly on a stone foundation.

Oberhouse says most of the renovation was done by contractors, including a mason that laid old barn foundation stone around the porch. Some of the materials were provided by his nursery, which will have been in business 30 years next year.

“There is not much original. We pretty much gutted this one so the heating and plumbing are all new,” Oberhouse said.  “The kitchen is amazing — it was built by a local guy here in Pemberville. It is just gorgeous. We’ve been working on it all summer and it will probably never be done. We have projects lined up for next year. This summer we built a driveway, next summer we’ve got to do back drives.”

Wife Laura, a Bowling Green State University professor, in a description of the renovation e-mailed to The Press wrote, “There are several items in the house that were preserved to recognize the families who have previously lived in the house. In the entry way is a watercolor painting of the house when it was purchased along with a shadow box frame. The frame is a collection of various items from the house and found in the walls, such as an old shoe, silver spoons, and other items symbolizing the original structure.

“The original front porch posts were refinished and placed as decoration in the dining room and master bedroom and the stair posts were refinished and used for the new staircase,” Laura continued. “The original cast iron wall sink was re-glazed and used as the sink for the upstairs bathroom.

“With a love for nature and Tom owning North Branch Nursery, many outdoor natural elements are included in the decorating. For instance, the walls are painted earth tones with leaves imprinted into the paint in the entry way and the master shower integrates river rocks. A specific intent was to create ‘views’ from inside the house to the outside. The front double doors are positioned in order to appreciate the front porch stone posts. These posts were created with the stones from the foundation of the Kokomoor barn in Pemberville that was demolished.

“The side windows off the entry and dining area look out to the white pine tree and flagstone walk along the side of house. The kitchen and most vanity cabinets were made by Steve Fork of North River Woodworks. The centerpiece is the island countertop which is made of four different woods: white oak, cherry, walnut, and maple which compliment the white oak cabinets kept in a natural finish.”

When 52-year-old Tom and his new wife Laura were married, they each brought two children to the family. The children were also involved in the renovation.

“When renovating the house, the goal was to provide space for all four children — Nick (20), Aubrey (18), Ellie (16), and Nathan (14),” Laura wrote. “Each child decorated their bedroom, so each reflects that child’s personal taste and preference, with the exception of Nick.

“Nick is currently a junior at Ohio State and was unable to be home during most of the design decisions, so his room is a hybrid that accentuates his interest in cars. Aubrey made several blacksmithing pieces found in the house, including a table in the entry that uses one of the original floor heating vents as the table top. Ellie’s bedroom exhibits her interior design interest with a mix of colors and textures. Nathan’s room looks out the back of the house and has an alcove for his bed which is his man cave. 

“All of the children’s bedrooms are on the second floor along with a ‘hang out room’ and some nooks for playing the piano and reading. We plan to ‘age in place’ in the house, so the upstairs can be closed off once the kids leave the nest. The downstairs was designed with some universal design principles to ensure that we could age in place, such as a doorway that can accommodate a wheelchair.”

There was another reason why Tom and Laura purchased the home in June of last year.

“It’s got a huge front porch because we all like to sit on the front porch. The actual reason we bought the reason is because we had to have a house that is on the parade route for the fair. We actually have a parade viewing room, too. We even designed the master bedroom so there is a window in case you are in the bathroom during the parade,” Tom said.

Laura wrote, “For (Tom’s) birthday this past year, a bronze plaque was engraved with ‘Parade Viewing Room’ on it to commemorate his passion for Pemberville and its parade.”

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed