Ohio Soldiers' & Sailors' Home, Cottage M, U.S. Route 250 at DeWitt Avenue, Sandusky

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS OHIO,22-SAND,1D-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Ohio Veterans' Home was established in as the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, the result of efforts by the Grand Army of the Republic to ensure state care for sick and destitute Ohio Civil War veterans. The Home opened in November, with 17 residents. During its peak years it had over residents, and since its opening it has served over Ohio veterans from all major U.S. conflicts. The name was changed to Ohio Veterans' Home in Current population is about The Home is the legacy of Ohio's movement in the century to establish state-supported institutions to aid the handicapped, the ill and the destitute. For an overview of the Home, see HABS No. OH-2360. Cottage M is one of 16 cottages eventually built at the Home.

The cottages housed residents in dormitory rooms with a capacity of seven to a room, seven rooms to a cottage. The Home's eastern portion is dominated by the cottages, most of which were arranged in a ring around the dining hall. Cottage M is currently vacant. OHIO SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS* HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No. (Page 2) PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date(s) of erection: Board of trustee meeting minutes are not precise as to which cottages were built at which times. It is known that cottage F was completed for the opening of the Home in November of and that all the cottages were completed by 2. Architect: Construction of the entire Home was under the supervision of Henry C. Lindsay, architect, of Zanesville, Ohio.

Landscaping and design of the grounds was by Herman Haerline of Cincinnati. 3. Original and subsequent owners: The Home has always been owned by the State of Ohio and was created by an act of the state legislature in 4. Builder, contractor, suppliers: Board minutes do not indicate who built Cottage M. The firm of Douzbach & Decker bid on all cottages and did construct several, but board minutes indicate that A. Feick & Bros, and John H. Murphy also built cottages. There is no way of being sure which firm built which cottages. 5. Original plans and construction: The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home resulted from an act of the legislature in which created a board of trustees empowered to select a site and arrange for construction of the Home.

The board was further required to oversee operation of the Home after its completion. The act resulted from efforts by the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Ohio, to provide care for honorably discharged Ohio Civil War veterans who were disabled or required other assistance in living. The G.A.R., formed by Union Army veterans immediately after the Civil War, became a formidable lobbying force at both.... the state and the national levels, and it aggressively looked after veterans' interests for many years. Starting July 1, the new board reviewed sites in 14 Ohio;:: communities. On July 30, after eight ballots, Sandusky received three of five board member votes and was chosen as the Home's: " location.

100 acres three miles southeast of the downtown areav;.:.;; OHIO SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No. (page 3) were acquired, and the City of Sandusky agreed to lay water, sewer and gas lines and to ensure extension of a street railway to the site. Seven architects submitted sketches of proposed designs for the Home, and on September 1, Henry C. Lindsay was selected as architect for the project. On the same day, Herman Haerline was chosen as Landscape Engineer. Haerline's plans for the grounds were approved by the board on March 1, On March 17, the board approved Lindsay's designs for the administration building, dining hall, laundry, bath house, boiler house, chapel, hospital, and three styles of residential cottages.

There were to be twelve cottages, four in each of the three styles (eventually sixteen were built). Contracts for the first buildings, some of the cottages, were awarded on April 20, A cornerstone laying took place on July 20, The Home opened on November 19, with 17 residents. The mess hall, boiler house, laundry and cottage F were then complete. In May of the board authorized construction of the stable, surgeon's cottage, quartermaster's cottage, and workshops. In September of Lindsay was instructed to prepare plans for a library and an assembly hall. All the principal buildings were constructed of local Sandusky blue limestone, quarried on the site. The quarries, in the western portion of the grounds, today are three large duck ponds.

Construction continued until though most of the major buildings were completed by 6. Alterations and additions: Cottage M has not had any additions, and it has had relatively few alterations. The original slate roof has been replaced with black asphalt shingles, and during this work an eyebrow window in the north slope of the roof was removed. On the east and west elevations, second floor windows were converted to doors for access to fire escapes. On the interior, lighting, heating and plumbing systems have been updated, and closets and storage areas have been partitioned off in the hallways. B. Historical Context: Ohio was a leader in establishing state institutions for the handicapped and disabled.

As early as the the state had established a facility for the care and education of the deaf, and other similar institutions followed during the OHIO SOLDIERS1 AND SAILORS' HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No. (page 4) mid-nineteenth century. By the there were facilities for the deaf, the blind, the mentally retarded and the insane. These were generally headquartered in Columbus, the capital, but branch institutions were established in other parts of Ohio as well. The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home was an extension of this government-supported "helping hand" attitude, an attitude strongly urged along, in this case, by the lobbying efforts of the Grand Army of the Republic.

The G.A.R., formed by Union Army veterans shortly after the end of the Civil War, disavowed any political ambitions or purpose, but in fact the organization vociferously fought for and protected Union veterans' interests. In such areas as unpaid enlistment bounties, care of deceased veterans' orphans, establishment of memorials, construction of county memorial buildings, and veterans' pensions, the G.A.R. was a potent force throughout the late century and into the Spurred by a sense of obligation to the former soldiers and sailors who had preserved the Union in the (something which G.A.R. members were happy to remind people), both the national and state governments responded generously.

They established veterans' and orphans' homes, war memorials, and memorial meeting halls, and they appropriated aid for indigent soldiers and their families, provided for burial of deceased veterans, and passed laws giving state employment preference to honorably discharged veterans. The G.A.R. was organized along military lines, with commanders and quartermasters and the like, and with statewide organizations known as departments. Each state department was composed of various local organizations known as posts, membership in which might range from just a few men in small towns to several thousand in the large cities. Histories of the G.A.R. indicate that recruitment of members and then getting members to attend meetings and support the organization were a continuing source of trouble.

However, even in periods of low membership and seemingly little potential political influence, the G.A.R. was able to accomplish a remarkable amount and achieve many of its goals. This was perhaps aided by the fact that many public figures and politicians were G.A.R. men and were thus a ready audience for the appeals of the "old soldiers." The G.A.R.'s Department of Ohio came into being with the organiza- tion of the first posts in mid-1866. Records apparently are incomplete as to which was the first post, but organization proceeded rapidly and the first Annual Encampment (meeting) was held in Columbus in January of with 135 posts reported as having been created. Membership increased rapidly at first, then declined, probably as a result of gradual cooling of war passions as time went on.

At the end of 303 posts were reported in Ohio, but by there were only 19 posts, with 800 members. OHIO SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS* HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No, OH-2360-D (page 5) This fell to eight posts and 368 members by Remarkably, membership increased dramatically in the By the end of 200 posts with members were reported, and by late there were nearly Ohio members of the G.A.R. This rapid increase matched what was occurring in the organization nationally. Membership hovered between and nationally until the late then shot up to by This appears to have been due to the aging of the Civil War veteran population and the realization that G.A.R. membership could enhance one's social and economic situation late in life.

The Department of Ohio could claim a number of accomplishments, even during its lean years of low membership. Those who were members in the late and early appear to have been energetic and astute politically. Their greatest accomplishment of the period was establishment of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home at Xenia, Ohio in the early Other lobbying efforts directed at the Ohio legislature during the resulted in relief from taxation for real estate used by G.A.R. posts; provision of state support for indigent soldiers and sailors and their families; state payment of burial costs for veterans; construction of numerous war memorials and memorial meeting halls; and preference in state employment. The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Sandusky was a direct result of G.A.R. lobbying.

At Ohio's Annual Encampment, Department Commander Brown reported that as a result of visits during the preceding year to posts throughout the state, he had acquired the "unspeakably painful intelligence that many old Soldiers had been compelled to accept homes in the County Infirmaries." The total was 382 soldiers. Brown found this unacceptable, feeling that Ohio's Civil War veterans deserved better and indeed were entitled to some reward by the state for their loyal service. To him the answer was a state soldiers' and sailors' home. Brown's fellow G.A.R. member, Ohio Governor Foraker, assisted in calling a large meeting of G.A.R. members in mid-February, and by early March a bill had been introduced in the General Assembly. All G.A.R.

posts were provided with a copy and were urged to write in support, which occurred and which resulted in passage of a appropriation by late April. Later bills provided additional funding. The Home was intended as a residential facility where veterans could live out their lives for free, but it also had hospital and nursing-care facilities for those needing such care. The breathtaking speed with which the idea of a state home was OHIO SOLDIERS* AND SAILORS' HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No. OH-2360-D (page 6) conceived and made into law was equaled by the rapidity with which the Home itself was built. It took, only a little more than two years from the appointment of the first board of trustees in to the opening of the first buildings in Sandusky in November of PART II, ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A.

General Statement: 1. Architectural character: Cottage M is built of local Sandusky blue limestone, as are all the major buildings at the Home. Like the other buildings, its walls are of blue limestone and trim elements are of red sandstone. The Home's buildings generally are constructed in a simple Romanesque Revival style, the hallmarks of which are the extensive use of masonry; a generally massive, heavy feeling; use of round- arched window and door openings (though not exclusively); and a relatively small window-to-wall ratio in comparison with other styles. Cottage M fits right into this overall character. It has substantial stone walls trimmed with wide red sandstone water table, sills, beltcourses and window arches.

Windows are set into arched openings on both the first and the second floors. At the top of the walls, a heavy stone cornice is supported by large stone modillion blocks. Unlike some other cottages at the Home, cottage M has retained most of its historic fabric, and it has a high degree of integrity. Its original wood porch roof is substantially intact, and is the small wood canopy at the rear door. It has its original wood windows, and it appears to have all of its original chimneys. On the interior, the original open wood stairway remains intact. 2. Condition of fabric: The building is in good condition. It has not been used in some time, but it has not been allowed to deteriorate significantly. It shows signs of wear and use, but no major deterioration has occurred. B.

Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: OHIO SOLDIERS* AND SAILORS' HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No. OH-2360-D (page 7) Cottage M is about 60 feet square, though its series of offset walls gives it an irregular plan. 2. Foundations: The building is set on a stone foundation, the foundation material being the same as that in the walls. The bedrock in this area is just a few inches below the surface of the ground, so foundations are not very deep. 3. Walls: The building is of bearing-wall construction, the material being the local Sandusky blue limestone quarried on the site. The stone is coursed ashlar, with water table, beltcourses, cornices and window and door trim of red sandstone. Wall dormers rise above the roof on the north, west and east elevations.

These dormers, two on each elevation, have red sandstone copings and round-arched attic windows. One dormer on each elevation has a carved red sandstone decorative panel in a basket-weave design, 4. Structural system, framing: The building has a wooden structural system supporting the interior and the roof. None of this structure is exposed. 5. Porches, stoops, balconies, bulkheads: The building has a porch on the front (north) elevation. It is original and consists of a stone base with columns and a sloping roof of wood construction. The porch floor has been re-done in concrete, and metal pipe handrails have replaced the original wood ones. The slate porch roof has been replaced with black asphalt shingles.

In addition, stone has been used to infill spaces in the porch base where wood lattice screens once existed. There is a small sloping canopy roof, also original, on the south elevation. 6. Chimneys: The building has four stone chimneys, all original. Three are near the peak of the pyramidal main roof, and one is in the west slope of the main roof. It appears that no original chimneys have been removed. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: OHIO SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No. OH-2360-D (page 8) The building has two doorways, the main one on the north elevation and a secondary one on the south elevation. The main doorway has double doors, the secondary a single door. All doors, which are of wood and have windows in their upper halves, appear to be of relatively recent date. b.

Windows and shutters: All windows in the building appear to be original. They are round-headed double-hung sash wood windows. Window openings are trimmed at their heads with thick arcades of red sandstone, but there is no side trim. 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: The main roof is pyramidal in shape. Intersecting it on its four sides are hip roofs covering the building's principal rooms. The roof is covered with black asphalt shingles. Gabled wall dormers intersect the hip roofs near their lower edges. b. Cornice, eaves: The cornice is of smooth-faced stone, supported by stone modillion blocks. Eaves end at the cornice and are hidden from view by extruded aluminum gutters. Original gutters appear to have been stop gutters. c.

Dormers, cupolas, towers: The building has six wall dormers, two each on the north, east and west elevations. The south elevation appears never to have had dormers. C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans : a. Basement: The building has a partial basement under its northern portion. b. First floor: The first floor has three dormitory rooms and a dayroom or television room. The main doors lead into an entry hall and then the central hallway. To the left, the first room is a dormitory, and the dayroom is on the right. Next, a closet OHIO SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' HOME, GOTTAGE M HABS No. OH-2360-D (page 9) occupies part of the hallway, then a clerical room is on the left and the common bathroom is on the right.

At the rear, dormitory rooms are to the left and right of the hallway, and at the end of the hallway is the stairway to the second floor. c. Second floor: The second floor is identical in plan to the first, except that there is a dormitory in place of the dayroom, and there are small closet areas instead of the clerical room. 2. Stairways: There is one stairway in the building. It is an open stairway, built of wood, with an ornate newel post, turned balusters and a varnished rail. The walls of the stairwell have wooden wainscoting. All stair woodwork except treads and rails has been painted. 3. Flooring: Flooring throughout is wood, about four inches wide, and appears to be original. 4.

Wall and ceiling finish: Walls and ceilings are of plain, smooth plaster with no decorative moldings or other trim. They are painted in a variety of light institutional colors such as white, blue and beige. Some rooms have a low vertical wooden wainscoting, which also has been painted. 5. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The dayroom and dormitories have no doors. They are reached by plainly-finished arched openings, some of which have been partially infilled with drywall. Interior doors, which are found on closets, the clerical room and the bathrooms, are both varnished hollow-core wood doors and paneled doors. They do not appear to be original. The entry hall has a set of double doors similar in design to the main exterior doors. b. Windows: Windows are original wood double-hung sash.

They have wood trim in a flat, simple design. 6. Decorative features and trim: OHIO SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No. (page 10) Little in the way of decoration exists. The dayroora has an original brick-and-wood fireplace mantel, which is fairly simple in design and has been painted white. Wooden trim at windows is original and is flat and very simple in profile. It, too, has been painted. 7. Hardware: All hardware is residential in character and includes door handles and latches, locks, hinges and window latches and locks. It all appears to be of recent date. 8. Mechanical equipment: a. Heating, air conditioning, ventilation: Heating is by steam, provided by the central powerhouse. It is distributed through free-standing radiator units which appear to be of recent date.

There is no air conditioning or ventilating equipment. b. Lighting: The building has simple, utilitarian lighting. Both fluorescent tubes and ceiling-mounted incandescent fixtures are in use. Much of the wiring is surface-mounted. c. Plumbing: Plumbing is confined to the two bathrooms and consists of contemporary lines and fixtures of recent date. D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation: The 100-acre site of the Ohio Veterans' Home is in a southwest- northeast orientation. The entire site is flat, except for the lakes near the west end, where the water surface is several feet below adjacent ground level. Cottage M is on the north side of the oval-shaped ring of cottages surrounding the dining hall.

The main elevation of the building looks north over the parade ground, the large open space which occupies the northeastern quarter of the Home's grounds. The building is surrounded by moderate sized trees and has some foundation plantings. OHIO SOLDIERS* AND SAILORS' HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No. OH-2360-D (page lT) 2. Historic landscape design: When Che Home opened in the entire site had very few trees and was quite flat and featureless. Site design appears to have been focused mainly on building placement and roadway location, with a recognition that, in time, trees would grow and fill in some of the open spaces. This has in fact happened, and the site today has numerous large trees. As originally planned, most of the Home's buildings were concentrated in the eastern half of the site.

Thirteen of the cottages formed a ring around the dining hall, and three others were located to the east along an entry road. Utility and support buildings were concentrated along the south edge of the site, and west of the cottages were the library, assembly hall, and nursing and hospital facilities. The lakes formed by quarrying were next to the west, and a cemetery occupied the west end of the site. The entire northern half of the site was always open space. This historic plan remains largely intact today. 3. Outbuildings: There are no outbuildings associated with cottage M. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A. Original Architectural Drawings: These are not available. B. Early Views: Miller, John C.

Souvenir Book of Views, Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home (Sandusky, Ohio: Alvord & Peters Co.), Spies, August. Spies' Gallery of Photo-Engravings - Soldiers' and Sailors' Home Sandusky, Ohio, (Sandusky, Ohio: Privately published), Witteman, A. Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home Near Sandusky, (New York: The Albertype Co.), C. Interviews: None was conducted. D.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS OHIO,22-SAND,1D-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

1. Primary and unpublished sources: OHIO SOLDIERS* AND SAILORS* HOME, COTTAGE M HABS No. OH-2360-D (page 12) Board of Trustees minutes, Ohio Soldiers* and Sailors' Home, Proceedings of and Annual Encampments, Department of Ohio, G.A.R., Ohio Historical Society archives. "Ohio's Pride. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Home," Sandusky Register, November 19, State of Ohio real estate inventory, "History of Ohio Veterans' Home," unpublished typescript, 2. Secondary and published sources: Beath, Robert B. History of the Grand Army of the Republic (New York: Bryan, Taylor & Co.), Dearing, Mary R. Veterans in politics (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press), Hiss, James E. "Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home," National Register of Historic places nomination form, Miller, John C.

Insights to Life at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home (Sandusky, Ohio: Alvord & peters Co.), . Souvenir Program of the Anniversary, Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION Cottage M is within the footprint of a new 300-bed domiciliary/nursing facility to be built at the Home with assistance from the Veterans' Administration. Because of requirements for location of this facility in relation to existing nursing facilities and supply and services areas, and also because of the design requirements of the new facility, cottages H, L and M must be demolished. Prepared by: Jeffrey T. Darbee Title: Historic Preservation Consultant Affiliation: Benjamin D. Rickey & Co, Date: November, ' ?-iy. ;'i$V& OHIO SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' HOME, ; COTTAGE M HABS No.

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