House of Grace welcomes guests
By Curtis Robert Tyree
The House of Grace Bed and Breakfast, located in Strasburg, Ohio, is a historic Colonial Revival home that, for the first time since being built, is owned by someone other than the family that built it.
The house was built in 1902 by G.A. Garver, co-owner of the Garver Bros. Co., the world's largest country store, said Gail Owen, owner of the House of Grace Bed and Breakfast. In the 1950s, G.A. Garver's son, John Garver and his wife Grace, purchased the house and both lived here until their deaths. The name of the bed and breakfast came from Grace, the previous owner.
She was a very beautiful lady. She and her husband donated an organ to the local United Methodist Church, where Grace was the choir instructor for 60 years. The organ that was donated has made a complete circle and is now back here in Grace's house. I took voice lessons from her, here in this house. So it's a very interesting thing to now be the owner of it.
The house was started in 1901, but when the original store the Garvers owned burned down in 1902, the construction crew was reassigned to help with the construction of the new three-story building in downtown Strasburg, which still stands to this day. G.A. Garver moved into his new home in 1903, which was very lavish for the time. Each of the floors in the main area of the first floor has its own unique parquet, and everything was made with oak, including a three-story open staircase with a large stained-glass window as the focal point.
All of the woodwork is original, said Robert Owen, also an owner of the House of Grace Bed and Breakfast. ìThe only thing we had done was new coats of wax and a polishing. Along with all the original woodwork, there are five stained glass windows, all of which are original.
The house went up for auction in December 2005. Gail Owen's daughter, Darla Reding, encouraged her to purchase the house, realizing that it could become a bed and breakfast. After some convincing, Robert and Gail decided to take the plunge and purchase the house, sight unseen, relying solely on Darla's decision. Upon seeing the house after the auction, Gail and Robert were in agreement with Darla, knowing that it could easily become a beautiful bed and breakfast.
We did a lot of work after we bought the place, but only in so far as to bring it up to date, with new plumbing, electrical wiring, hot water heaters and new furnaces,î said Gail Owen. ìWhen we bought the house, part of the upstairs was an apartment. We had the newer wall that had been put up for the apartment torn down, and then you could really see the beauty of the design.
There are four rooms available, each with their very own, distinctive, personality. The Lavender Room, which was G.A. Garver's original bedroom, is a luxurious room with a king-size iron bed, private bathroom with a walk in shower, and a slipper-styled claw foot bath tub. The Fireplace Room with a queen-size oak bed also has a private bath with a walk in shower. What set this room apart are the original fireplace and the stained glass window, which looks beautiful in the morning. Grace's room has a king-size oak sleigh bed, and reading area with bay window. This room shares a bathroom with the Sunshine Room. The Sunshine Room is bright blue and yellow with two full-size iron beds.î
The first guest of the House of Grace Bed and Breakfast was Paul Garver, a grandson of G.A. Garver. He stayed in the Fireplace Room, which was also his father's room. The Garver family watched with interest the progress of the renovation, and in July, after the dedication of a new organ in the United Methodist Church, the Garver family was invited to the house to tour and visit the family's old home.
It was a unique day to see several generations of Garvers going through the home that G.A. built, said Owen. ìThe House of Grace is a great place for families to spend time because they can rent the rooms and stay together, which is great for reunions, weddings or vacations. They can stay in a homey environment and not feel cut off from each other like in a hotel.
The whole house is unique unto itself. There's a Dutchman Pipe vine in the yard, which is at least 100 years old, that we now have winding around an arbor next to an original fountain and pond. It's a beautiful spot for pictures.
The House of Grace Bed and Breakfast opened for business August 1. The lure of comfortable rooms, in a historic home, with a fresh breakfast in the morning, sounds good to many.
We make breakfast for the guests, which changes all the time, but there is always something sweet, fruit, juice and coffee, and everything is served family-style in the formal dining room, said Owen. ìThe guests really enjoy it, and love to just sit and talk. There have been times where it's nearly noon and the guests are still sitting around the table talking. We want them to be as comfortable as possible during their stay.
We have wireless Internet available to our customers to make it easier for them to stay in contact, and we do take credit cards as well. Unfortunately, due to the design of the house, we are not handicapped accessible, and we do not allow animals to stay. We do love it when children stay with us. We love kids, which comes with having 18 grandchildren.
The House of Grace Bed and Breakfast is located at 410 N. Wooster Ave. in Strasburg, Ohio. For more information or reservations, call 330-878-5396 or visit the Web site at www.houseofgracebnb.com.
