Center Street Home On Historic Homes Tour
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
As a youngster, Jerry Lessig kept an eye on the two-story house across the street. His pretty Sunday school teacher lived at 823 E. Center St. and the boy thought of a variety of reasons to visit the beautiful brick home.
The teacher, probably one of Allen Widaman's daughters, grew up and moved away, but Lessig, who became Warsaw's civil engineer, also had an eye for good construction. He bought the Walter Gable-built house in 1964.
Current owner Sharon Dinkel, Lessig's daughter, said the crush on the Sunday school teacher is a family legend and she's not sure of the details.
What she does know is her parents purchased the property when she was 14 and she's back home with her husband, Roger, and her dad, who lives with the couple.
The colonial revival style house is one of seven sites on the 2004 Kosciusko Historic Properties Tour Sept. 25.
The house was built in 1925 for attorney Allen Widaman. A Dr. Hillary bought it in 1956. There are 11 rooms and a full basement topped by a large attic space used for storage.
"Of course I left home as soon as I could after graduating high school and moved to Fort Wayne," she said. She married Roger, whose job with Tolkeim Corp. as the European engineering division manager took the couple overseas for years.
Her mother, Joan, died in 1998. The Dinkels purchased the house two years ago and have started renovations. They plan to maintain the home's interior structure.
Of course, one tiny change in the 79-year-old building has led to major projects. An inconsequential leak in the bathroom meant the whole house was replumbed. A tiny flicker in one light fixture led to a complete rewiring. Repairs to one section of the wooden soffit meant replacement of the entire gutter system.
The Hillarys were told to paint the dark-stained woodwork white to make the house more attractive for resale, Sharon said. "No one would buy a house with dark woodwork. The white paint made it clean and modern."
She plans to strip all the paint off and restain the wood. The carpeting in the foyer and dining room was removed to reveal hardwood floors in "pretty good shape.
"The house is big enough that it's not uncomfortable to live in while while we're working. There's plenty of space to spread out."
One thing that "has to go" is green shag carpeting still down in several rooms. "It was really elegant in its time, but I can't wait to get rid of it."
On the east side of the house is a sun room once used as a library. It's an office space now.
The first floor has a large dining room, living room with a working fireplace and kitchen. An open stairway leads to the second floor, where there are four bedrooms and a bathroom.
Two upstairs bedrooms have been redecorated and Sharon has big plans for the kitchen.
Although the house sits along Center Street, noise from the busy thoroughfare is barely noticeable.
To the west is a busy convenience store with gasoline pumps that was in business when Sharon was a child.
"Mom was always sending us next door if she ran out of anything, I find myself over there a lot, too," she said.
Other sites on the Sept. 25 tour include: Tippecanoe Country Club, 7245 N. Kalorama Road, Leesburg; Mike and Wendy Meck, 2889 E. CR 750N, Leesburg; Joe and Myra Sands, 8162 N. CR 200E, Milford; Tom and Carolyn Robinson, 4355 W. CR 600N, Clunette; Mike and Jodie Hall, 3968 W. CR 600N, Clunette; and Rebecca Coplen, 751 E. Fort Wayne St., Warsaw.
Tour tickets are available at the Old Jail Museum, 121 N. Indiana St., Warsaw. Ticket cost is $10 prior to Sept. 24 and $12 the day of the tour. [[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
As a youngster, Jerry Lessig kept an eye on the two-story house across the street. His pretty Sunday school teacher lived at 823 E. Center St. and the boy thought of a variety of reasons to visit the beautiful brick home.
The teacher, probably one of Allen Widaman's daughters, grew up and moved away, but Lessig, who became Warsaw's civil engineer, also had an eye for good construction. He bought the Walter Gable-built house in 1964.
Current owner Sharon Dinkel, Lessig's daughter, said the crush on the Sunday school teacher is a family legend and she's not sure of the details.
What she does know is her parents purchased the property when she was 14 and she's back home with her husband, Roger, and her dad, who lives with the couple.
The colonial revival style house is one of seven sites on the 2004 Kosciusko Historic Properties Tour Sept. 25.
The house was built in 1925 for attorney Allen Widaman. A Dr. Hillary bought it in 1956. There are 11 rooms and a full basement topped by a large attic space used for storage.
"Of course I left home as soon as I could after graduating high school and moved to Fort Wayne," she said. She married Roger, whose job with Tolkeim Corp. as the European engineering division manager took the couple overseas for years.
Her mother, Joan, died in 1998. The Dinkels purchased the house two years ago and have started renovations. They plan to maintain the home's interior structure.
Of course, one tiny change in the 79-year-old building has led to major projects. An inconsequential leak in the bathroom meant the whole house was replumbed. A tiny flicker in one light fixture led to a complete rewiring. Repairs to one section of the wooden soffit meant replacement of the entire gutter system.
The Hillarys were told to paint the dark-stained woodwork white to make the house more attractive for resale, Sharon said. "No one would buy a house with dark woodwork. The white paint made it clean and modern."
She plans to strip all the paint off and restain the wood. The carpeting in the foyer and dining room was removed to reveal hardwood floors in "pretty good shape.
"The house is big enough that it's not uncomfortable to live in while while we're working. There's plenty of space to spread out."
One thing that "has to go" is green shag carpeting still down in several rooms. "It was really elegant in its time, but I can't wait to get rid of it."
On the east side of the house is a sun room once used as a library. It's an office space now.
The first floor has a large dining room, living room with a working fireplace and kitchen. An open stairway leads to the second floor, where there are four bedrooms and a bathroom.
Two upstairs bedrooms have been redecorated and Sharon has big plans for the kitchen.
Although the house sits along Center Street, noise from the busy thoroughfare is barely noticeable.
To the west is a busy convenience store with gasoline pumps that was in business when Sharon was a child.
"Mom was always sending us next door if she ran out of anything, I find myself over there a lot, too," she said.
Other sites on the Sept. 25 tour include: Tippecanoe Country Club, 7245 N. Kalorama Road, Leesburg; Mike and Wendy Meck, 2889 E. CR 750N, Leesburg; Joe and Myra Sands, 8162 N. CR 200E, Milford; Tom and Carolyn Robinson, 4355 W. CR 600N, Clunette; Mike and Jodie Hall, 3968 W. CR 600N, Clunette; and Rebecca Coplen, 751 E. Fort Wayne St., Warsaw.
Tour tickets are available at the Old Jail Museum, 121 N. Indiana St., Warsaw. Ticket cost is $10 prior to Sept. 24 and $12 the day of the tour. [[In-content Ad]]