Illuminating history

The new Frost Village is aglow this weekend as Andrew Kalnow debuts his revitalization of four stately historic homes in Tiffin's Fort Ball District. The houses, off Frost Parkway around Monument Square in the oldest part of the city, are being renovated and are festively decked with holiday décor and lighting. The inaugural lighting ceremony was Friday evening and Kalnow invites people to walk through the Frost Parkway area to enjoy the holiday scene. Light artist Penny Barney said she used classic garland and wreaths on porches and in windows, and she lit the houses with white lights to reflect a "classic and tasteful" village that unifies the houses with similar looks while maintaining their individuality. This weekend's unveiling is a milestone for renovation projects that have been underway since 2012. "The Frost Parkway/Fort Ball Historic District is a very special place in Tiffin, both for its historical significance and its scenic beauty of setting on the Sandusky River with classic old homes and edifices," Kalnow said. Although he said the area has become run down in the last 50-plus years, he said there are bright spots such as the restored train station along the railroad tracks off North Monroe Street and the restoration work along the river 20 years ago. The area's history goes back to Tiffin's beginnings almost 200 years ago. However, Kalnow said the character of the area began to change after houses — and several people — were lost in the 1913 flood. Some houses that remained were moved away from the river and many people moved to other parts of town. In the ensuing years, the city built the river retaining walls. Also at that time, Kalnow said his great-grandfather, Meschech Frost, provided money to help rebuild the area, which became known as Frost Parkway, and presented the city with the Indian Maiden statue. As years passed, Kalnow said houses began to be divided into apartments from their origins as single-family dwellings, presumably because is was more profitable to offer housing to more people. In the last 50-plus years, he said the neighborhood has deteriorated. "The neighborhood gained a strong element of seediness, if not squalor, as the grand old houses were chopped up into low-rent apartments," he said. "I believe the area became known for drug problems. "I found it sad that this once-grand area had become so run down, particularly because Frost Parkway itself had benefited from a significant upgrade itself a few decades back with an initiate by (the Rev. Frank) Murd," he said. The 1999 renovation added brick sidewalks from the Washington Street bridge to the Perry Street bridge along and new landscaping, and the area is made festive each holiday season with Christmas lights. "It was a joy to see Frost Parkway, until you looked at the other side of the street," he said. "There are still a few very run-down houses and properties, which we can see that harks back to the condition of the whole area before I started with steps toward Frost Village." In fall 2012, Kalnow said he bought his first property in the Frost Parkway area at 8 Adam St., an 1880s brick home across from the monument. "I always loved this house for its perfectly symmetrical proportion and stately front porch with a touch of charming gingerbread woodwork," he said. "I viewed this as the cornerstone property of the Fort Ball/Frost Parkway area - a must-own if the neighborhood was to be turned to the better." In the beginning, he said he wasn't sure how the property would be used, but he had an idea for a small inn. "I figured that downtown Tiffin needed a classy hospitality property, and that the inn and improved neighborhood might ultimately become a destination because of the scenic beauty of Frost Parkway itself," he said. However, Kalnow said he saw three problems with his vision. First, he said the neighborhood needed to be visibly improved. Second, he said it was "crazy" to think about opening a hospitality business next to a railroad with constant whistles blowing. And third, he said he didn't think an inn on Frost Parkway by the monument would be a true destination unless downtown Tiffin became more interesting as a destination also. "So, I went to work on those three deficiencies," he said. He began to buy properties in the area for renovation, and he initiated a program to work with the state, the city, CSX and the universities to turn the railroad lines through Tiffin into "safe-zone" crossings, which would mean trains would no longer have to blow their whistles when going through town. And third, he said, "I also got distracted by turning my attention to helping revitalize downtown Tiffin." Those "distractions" included buying and preserving the East Tower as an example of "an incredible piece of architecture and history of Tiffin"; investing in The Empire restaurant; developing the East Green complex, "turning an urban wasteland into a top-rate amphitheater, and National Corner as a lovely gardened park with a splash pad." In the meantime, Kalnow said he renovated two properties between 2014 and 2018, which he bought as a package — 99 Frost Parkway on the northwest corner of Frost Parkway and Miami Street and the neighboring historic brick double townhouse property once known as Tunison Flats. "These properties were strategic for the revitalization of the neighborhood, given that many people drove by daily and turned the corner at Miami Street," he said. Both properties had been renovated and had new tenants in 2017 and 2018. From 2014-2017, he also bought 19/21 Adams St.; 24 Adams St., "the wonderful gray house on the pie-shaped corner of Adams and North Monroe Street"; 25 Adams St., "the stunning brick Victorian, which a decade ago was still a B&B (bed and breakfast)"; and 149 and 155 Frost Parkway. He said all except 155 Frost Parkway have been renovation projects over the past three years, and three of them were awarded historical tax credits, which means they meet specific renovation guidelines for historic buildings. One of the four, 24 Adam St., is fully renovated and occupied, and 149 Frost Parkway soon will be open for tenants with two full-floor apartments. In addition to restoring the houses to their former glory, Kalnow said he continues his quest to make the historic area a destination to draw visitors to Tiffin — to see the annual holiday light display, to become a year-round stop on local tours and to become a place for visitors to stay while in the area. "If you know anything about me from the initiatives I have taken in Tiffin, you will not be astounded to learn that I like making a difference, with personal involvement in projects," he said. "I have some sort of deep-rooted passion to make this a better place to live. I may have inherited that in the family gene pool as my parents and grandparents were significant and active benefactors for Tiffin."