Oberlin College Landmark Endangered – Feb. 1963

Throughout the 1960s, the Lorain Journal seemed to regularly feature photos of fine old homes and other buildings that were scheduled for the wrecking ball. In some cases, there was a public outcry from citizens who wanted to save the historic structure, but their efforts usually failed, because it's difficult to fight progress.

But sometimes the citizens win – and here's just such a case. The article above, entitled "Apartment Now Faces Opposition," which appeared in the Journal on Feb. 19, 1963, tells the tale of Barrows House, the former home of Oberlin College President John M. Barrows. The Oberlin College building was slated to be demolished to make way for a proposed retirement center.

And then a funny thing happened. As the article noted, "City Council was presented with a petition Monday night bearing the signatures of more than 160 citizens who object to the destruction of Barrows House, 207 S. Professor St., to clear the two-and-a-half acre site for the proposed retirement center."

From the article, it also sounds like there were critical variances that were needed to make the project happen. 

The petition accomplished its goal. According to oberlinlibstaff.com, "The house was threatened with demolition, averted in 1963 when Professor Warren Taylor led a community campaign to prevent the Firelands Retirement Center from rising on the site."

Happily, Barrows House is still there on South Professor Street, sixty years later. Click here to visit its page on the Oberlin.edu website.

Courtesy Google Maps