Gregg-Crites Octagon House
Ohio| Posted: 12/21/2005
BACKGROUND
The Roundtown Conservancy of Circleville,
Ohio contacted the National Trust Loan Funds
in need of emergency financing secure the future
of a beloved local landmark, the Octagon
House. Known as the Gregg-Crites home
(1855), the building was threatened with
demolition to allow construction of a big-box
retail store. The house had already been
moved from its original location and was sitting
atop girders awaiting the final step. The National
Preservation Loan Fund provided a
$65,000 loan to help to defray the relocation and foundation construction costs and to
finance the placement of the house on its new foundation.
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
The Gregg-Crites home was built by George Gregg between1855 and 1856. Though
octagon houses were once quite common in Ohio and the Midwest,
now only 34 are left standing in the state (about a dozen
are barns) and the architectural style is considered quite rare
nationwide. The Gregg-Crites example is particularly significant
because of its connection to Circleville’s history. It is believed
that it was built to mimic the octagonal courthouse that stood
at the center of the town’s original, circular pattern. That
structure was destroyed in the 1840s when the city blocks
were reconfigured into squares. The Gregg-Crites house is
also unique for its symmetrical purity. Its brick and frame construction
features a free-standing spiral staircase and a cupola.
The interior first-floor ceilings are 14-feet in height and all
rooms have a fireplace in the inner wall with a doorway opposite
leading to the outer veranda. Given its historical and architectural
significance as well as the impending demolition
threat, in 2004 the Ohio Preservation Alliance named it one of
the state’s Most Endangered Properties.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In an effort to save the Gregg-Crites House from demolition, the Roundtown Conservancy entered into discussions with the developer, the Don M. Casto Organization. As a
result, the developer donated the house, two acres of land on which to move the house
(part of the original parcel on which the house stood) and $5,000 to help cover the estimated
$200,000 in moving costs. Requests to the retailer for financial support were
unsuccessful. The Conservancy was able to raise more than $40,000 and obtain a
$150,000 bank loan. Its closing is conditioned upon placing the house on its new foundation,
however, which NTLF support makes possible. Now that the Conservancy has
secured the house, next steps include identifying a new use for the property and the surrounding
land. Possibilities being considered are a museum, welcome center, art gallery,
or some combination of those uses.
For more information contact:
National Trust Loan Funds
202-588-6360
http://www.nationaltrust.org/loan_funds/loan_case_studies.html
NationalTrust_LoanFunds@www.preservationnation.org
