Scott Boulevard is a narrow, hilly street of unique, well-preserved, one-of-a-kind homes that mark the postwar era’s atomic age of prosperity. The Hanna House at the west end of the street has been selected as the Bowling Green Historic Preservation Commission’s building of the month.
During the 1940s, Martin and Julia Hanna had four children, Martin Shad, Caryl, Harold, and Drew, and their Craftsman-style home at 607 W. Wooster was bursting at the seams. Julia was inspired by a Good Housekeeping magazine in which a plan for a five-bedroom Colonial-style house struck her as being just about perfect. Her brainchild, the Hanna House, had to reflect the modern times in every way.
Julia and Martin met with architect Carl Buckingham Hoke of Rossford, who drove down Scott Boulevard, part of a new development on the western edge of Bowling Green, and found two lots totaling 1.76 acres, with a stand of large ancient red oak trees and rolling topography: the ideal park-like natural setting.
Martin and Julia engaged the architect Harold Munger of the Britsch & Munger Architect Group in Toledo to design their new home. Drew Hanna remembers coming home for lunch from kindergarten and first grade at Church Street School to find his mother and Munger hard at work on the design at the dining room table. Plans were drawn and revised, and finally Munger presented a rendering and model based on their collaboration. Instead of the originally proposed Colonial style, the house they envisioned was a prime example of what is now known as a Mid-Century Modern Design.
Harold Munger drew heavily from the schools of Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Neutra, using the sense of compression by leading from small spaces like the kitchen to openness and light in the living room, in a design that draws in natural light and the feeling of being immersed in nature.
Construction commenced in June of 1955 and the Hanna family moved in on Labor Day of 1956. The house was built by the Riegsecker family of Archbold, who were Mennonite craftsmen known for their exceptional woodwork. Except for the pecky cypress paneling in the foyer and den with its natural holes and grooves, the entire house is finished in white birch, and all of the doors are solid core, many of them louvered. All were handcrafted by the Riegseckers.
The home, at just over 4,700 square feet, holds six bedrooms and four full bathrooms. The entry foyer welcomes visitors with pecky cypress walls and an open stainless-steel rail staircase with floating red-oak stairs.
The living room, with its 11-foot ceiling, includes a wood- burning fireplace surrounded by floor-to-ceiling stone. A large window in the dining room overlooks the screened patio. The family room is distinguished by a wood-burning fireplace, pecky cypress walls, concealed cabinets, and built-in bookshelves. The 34-by-17-foot recreation and banquet room features a 12-foot ceiling for playing basketball, large windows, and a pass-through to the kitchen. Additional materials are cranberry sandstone from Indiana, slate flooring, and Carnegie steel beams.
The idea was for the house to be not only beautiful, but practical as well. Julia Hanna was quoted in a Toledo Blade article: “clutter—simply cannot develop.” The light-colored walls, solid natural birch doors, vinyl tile floors, and ceramic tile walls and floors wipe up easily.
The Hannas traveled to the Chicago Furniture Market to select all their new modern furniture: Baker, Herman Miller, Noguchi, and Charles Eames … all of which filled the home. Julia spent many years bringing her dream family home to fruition. You cannot turn a corner, open a closet, or enter a room without noticing everything in its rightful place. Aside from some painting and normal home maintenance by the Hannas, everything remained intact as built for the 65 wonderful years that the Hanna family was in residence.
The new owners, who think of themselves as the new caretakers, moved into the house in October 2020. They engaged K&E Interior Design Services and the meticulous craftsmanship of Jamie Tyrell to advance the home in what Drew Hanna called “bringing forward the modern feel,” updating the kitchen and adding heated terrazzo floors. The original Mutschler birch kitchen cabinets with Paul McCobb polished pulls and original appliances were thoughtfully removed and are now at the Wood County Museum awaiting future display.
The unique architecture of the home is intertwined with family history: Martin Hanna’s mother Myrna Reece Hanna (1878-1955) was the first woman representative from Wood County in the Ohio State House. She sponsored legislation that gave Bowling Green Normal College the authority to grant bachelor’s degrees, turning it into Bowling Green State College. During her two terms in office (1929-1932), she also advocated for Fort Meigs, parks along the Maumee River, and protecting the rights of rural counties like Wood. The former Hanna Hall on the BGSU campus (now the Robert W. & Patricia A. Maurer Center) was named in her honor when the old elementary school building was renovated and rededicated in 1960.
The Hanna law firm, which Martin formed in 1971 with all three of his sons, fought vigorously over decades for landowners whose property was being targeted for expropriation for pipelines or interstate highways, including the Ohio Turnpike. Martin’s eldest son M. Shad Hanna (1940-2001) was a member of the BGSU board of trustees from 1976 to 1986, and its chairman in 1985-86. Caryl Hanna McCormick (1941-2023) graduated from Northwestern University and taught speech and English in Warren, Michigan, for 35 years before retiring in 1998 and returning to the family home on Scott Boulevard.
Harold “Hal” Hanna (1946-2017) represented landowners in over 700 suits and served on the boards of the Wood County District Public Library and the Bowling Green Parks. In 2003 he co-chaired the campaign to renovate the public library. Drew Hanna (born 1947) continues to practice law in Bowling Green and is active in the community. He has served as chairman of the Eminent Domain Committee of the Ohio State Bar Association and been a member of its Council of Delegates.
The children who grew up at 881 Scott Blvd. carried on their grandmother’s legacy as distinguished members of their communities. Efforts are being made to add their family home to the National Historic Registry, preserving the place for its atomic-age architecture and for the memory of the Hannas who lived there.
(The home’s current caretakers as well as Historic Preservation Commission members Heidi Reger and Geoff Howes contributed to this article. Drew Hanna added information on the house and his family.)
Would you like to nominate a historic building or site for recognition? You can do this through the city website at – https://www.bgohio.org/FormCenter/Planning-13/Historic-BuildingSite-Nomination-Form-83
You can learn more about the Historic Preservation Commission by attending their meetings (the fourth Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m.) or by visiting the webpage at https://www.bgohio.org/436/Historic-Preservation-Commission.
