The Monday After: Tour of historic Victorian home to boost Canton history group

The holiday style of the homeowners will be on display at a Canton Preservation Society's fundraising event this week.

Attendees will get a chance to view the Barber-Whitticar House, where David and Kathy Waltz live.

"We schedule open houses of historic homes from time to time to allow people to view the beauty of historic homes," said Joseph Engel, executive director of Canton Preservation Society. "Many people follow our open houses. This is the first one we have been able to schedule since Covid.

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"What is unique regarding this open house is that it is a historic home decorated for Christmas," he noted, "and the owners have decorated some areas to the period of time along with the owners having many vintage collections including toys."

The home will be decorated with more than 40 trees, a multitude of wreaths and many swags for the event on Thursday. Doors to the Waltz home at 519 Cleveland Ave. SW in Canton will be open to visitors from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door.

"Also on display are many antiques," says promotional material from the Preservation Society.

The Queen Anne architecture in the home has historical significance.

The home – known on the National Register of Historic Places as the Barber-Whitticar House – has six fireplaces, a butler's pantry, a third-floor ballroom and 14 total rooms in its 5,000 square feet of space. The design is highlighted by original oak paneling, hardwood floors and coffered ceilings.

"There is Christmas in every room of the house," said Kathy Waltz.

This is the second holiday tour the couple has participated in for the Preservation Society, her husband noted. The other was in 2012.

"This is an old house that's on the Historic Register," he said, "and I want people to see how an old historical house can be lived in – and it's comfortable living."

Recalling history of the home

While David and Kathy Waltz purchased the home in 2008, it was two years before they moved in.

"The home beside us had been moved from High Avenue, and we went to look at it," recalled David Waltz. "When we got here, I saw this house and I thought it was a cool house."

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The home, built in 1904 and called the Barber-Whitticar House on historical documents, originally was home to successful grain merchant Orrin Barber, the nephew of Ida Saxton McKinley. According to information from the Preservation Society, it was "one of several houses built in central Canton by members of an extended network of families who distinguished themselves as they built their town."

"A little over a block from the Barber-Whitticar House is the Saxton-Barber House, a Second Empire Revival building built by relative-by-marriage and businessman John Saxton, founder of Canton's major newspaper (The Ohio Repository)," said the information. "John's brother, James Saxton, is better known as the father of Ida, who married up-and-coming lawyer, later congressman, Ohio governor, and ultimately U.S. president, William McKinley.

"The Orrin Barber House was purchased during the 1920s by the Whitticar family for use as a funeral home. By 1975, a further adaptation of the structure resulted in its being transformed by the Whitticar family into 'La Galerie,' an establishment specializing in the display and sale of works by local artists."

Kathy Waltz said the structure has had a variety of uses during its past.

"It used to be 'Our House' coffee (shop) – a soup and sandwich place," she said. "That was one of the last businesses before it closed."

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By the time the Waltzes purchased it, the house had fallen into disrepair. The plumbing didn't work because copper pipe had been stripped from the structure. The electricity and gas were turned off. The attic, now finished into a ballroom, was merely a traditional storage space.

Waltz worked on the house himself until it was renovated enough for the couple to make it their home.

"I did most of the work, except for some plumbing and the counters," he recalled. He took time out during the low temperatures of winter.

The couple restored and enhanced the century-old home's Victorian-age charm.

"It's modernized," David Waltz said. "We're not living with oil lamps or anything."

A peek inside before touring

That Victorian style dominates the decor of the home.

"It's my favorite time in history," said Kathy Waltz. “So, I have turn-of-the-century items throughout. Most everything is antique. We don't have many contemporary things."

Christmas trees of various sizes dominate holiday decorations.

"Every room has at least one tree and some rooms have three, depending on the size and the shape of the room," she said. "Some trees are decorated by color and others by theme."

Snowmen and Santa trees inhabit the home, with gingerbread trees and trees decorated with Victorian-themed ornaments. Bannisters are adorned with greenery accented by balls, bows and beads. Winter village scenes are displayed throughout the home.

"Most have a Victorian theme," David Waltz said. "But some are more modern."

Visitors should take note of the natural wood – columns in the home are particularly ornate. That includes double fireplace mantels and three sets of pocket doors.

All of the mantels are decorated for Christmas, including one with an inglenook, which David Waltz noted is a Victorian term for "a gathering place in front of a fireplace."

Such nods to the past are found throughout the Waltz's home, a house which Joseph Engel, the president of the Preservation Society, said is both interesting in its own right and appropriate for an event raising funds for preservation work.

"This home is a true example of a well-constructed home in the city that has been saved from being torn down and shows the detail of craftmanship and quality materials used along with architectural details," said Engel. "This home is also an example of what can be done with a historic home when someone cares enough to save it.

"The history of the home has allowed it to be placed/listed on the National Register. This home is a true example of what The Canton Preservation Society stands for."

Kathy Waltz said she and her husband decided to put their home on display to the public because they, too, "want to preserve history."

"This home is an important example of early Canton history."

Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com. On Twitter: @gbrownREP

About the tour

WHAT – The Barber-Whitticar House: A Christmas Tour at the David & Kathy Waltz Residence. The event is a Canton Preservation Society fundraiser to advance the work of the society and show the holiday decor of the historic home.

WHERE – 519 Cleveland Ave. SW

WHEN – 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday.

TICKETS – Admission $5 at the door. For information call 330-452-9341 or email jcecps@yahoo.com

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: The Monday After: Tour of historic Victorian home to boost Canton Preservation Society