(Written by Sandra Faulkner and Josh Atkinson, owners and occupants of 207 N. Grove St.)
The Bowling Green Historic Building of the Month for September is a house that had its beginnings as a church.
The home at 207 N. Grove St. was originally built by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. The date of construction was a bit of a mystery and is still a little unclear.
According to the Wood County Clerk’s Office in 2007, the dates for construction of houses built around the turn of the 20th century were not commonly recorded. Instead, dates were simply tracked by changes in taxes collected from properties over the years.
In other words, if a house was built on an empty lot in 1906, the taxes would go up the following year. In that way, then, the clerk’s office understood that the date of construction was 1906.
However, as this property was a church, no property taxes were collected. Nevertheless, the clerk’s office was able to determine that the church had been built between 1914 and 1916.
In 1945 the Diocese of Cleveland sold the property to the Church of the Nazarene. The name “Church of the Nazarene” can still be found on the northeast cornerstone of the house.
It remained in their possession until 1974 when it was sold to Judy Conibear and her father, who was an architect. The two converted the church into a home.
Over the years, the house has gone through many changes. At one point, it was painted white. Later, it was intentionally (we think) covered in vines and creeper; this was done most likely to keep the house cooler in the summers.
Most recently, a new wall has been added to the front, along with the present rock garden. If you think the rock garden looks a bit like a cemetery, that’s intentional.
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
