Tour the home on Saturday the 14th and Sunday the 15th from Noon until 1:30 PM
Loveland, Ohio – The potential owner will renovate and occupy a home situated on land once owned by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Paxton, a Revolutionary War veteran. The original White Pillars home was built by Paxton’s daughter and is now an iconic structure in the Loveland community. The White Pillars homestead is a historic treasure located prominently in the White Pillars subdivision.
This is a rare opportunity to renovate and enjoy a true piece of Loveland history. 6 fireplaces, vaulted kitchen addition, newer 3-car carriage house w/2nd flr. Some renovation already started on 1st flr with attention to period details. The 2nd floor requires complete restoration. The exterior must comply with historic guidelines. There is an application process for all buyers.
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History of White Pillars
The property upon which the White Pillars homestead sits was first settled by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Paxton (1739-1813). Paxton was a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He commanded a company of Bedford County Rangers in the Second Battalion of the Bedford County Militia during the Revolutionary War and is reported to have served with General George Washington at Valley Forge. Paxton is also reported as leading the advanced guard of General Anthony Wayne’s forces during the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
Paxton emigrated to what would later become Loveland in 1795 on what is now White Pillars. Paxton had five children with his first wife, Isabelle (who died in 1780) and six with his second wife, Martha (1751- 1835).
Paxton built the first log cabin at what is now White Pillars. When he died in 1813, he was buried on what became a private Paxton family cemetery that still exists today and is maintained by his descendants. The cemetery is a short walk from this home and is also in the White Pillars subdivision.
Paxton’s daughter, Isabella, and son-in-law Captain John Ramsey built the first portion of what is now the White Pillars homestead in the 1830’s. Over the years, the house was added onto and sold several times. One of the subsequent owners supposedly married a woman of the South who missed the plantation homes of her childhood. To make her feel more at home up North, the house was appointed with five white Grecian columns; thus, the name White Pillars. During World War II, members of the DuPont family lived at the home while living in the Cincinnati area to assist with the conversion of industry for the war effort.
In 1995, the City purchased White Pillars and the remaining 86 acres with the intention of building a commercial campus park around the home. After a number of zoning battles, the City eventually sold 70 acres to a residential developer who built high-end single-family homes and lifestyle townhomes. The White Pillars homestead was retained by the City of Loveland and is the centerpiece of the White Pillars community. The grounds around the home still have two to three acres, and the City retained other property along Bares Run for green space and riparian corridor preservation. Thus, the White Pillars homestead is now part of a premier and modern residential community.
When the City purchased the property in 1995, it agreed to maintain the home in perpetuity. In 2003, the City undertook an exterior renovation of the homestead. This involved replacing all windows, reroofing the house, connecting the property to water and sewer, removing a historically inappropriate kitchenette, tuckpointing the brick and repainting the house. Funds were not available for interior restoration, though improvements were made to the HVAC and furnace system.
At the same time, the City was undertaking the exterior restoration, City Council formed an advisory committee to determine the eventual use of the house. The initial plan was to make the home available for community events, weddings, and other similar functions. The plan at that time involved building a visitor center behind the house to provide accessible restroom facilities and necessary event space. The Committee recommended that private funds be raised for the interior restoration and the construction of the visitor center. Through 2007, no funds were ever secured for this plan.
In 2008, the City began to change direction and explore a resident curatorship. A number of meetings were held to discuss this and other possible uses for the property. The City recognized that the initial vision of making the homestead a historic attraction with a visitor center through private funds was not likely to succeed. In September of 2008, the White Pillars Advisory Committee recommended that the City should pursue a resident curatorship to restore and preserve the home.
In 2009, a curatorship was executed, and extensive work was completed on the first floor of the building including an addition to the structure and the construction of the Carriage House (detached garage). The work was not completed per the agreement and the dates outlined within the agreement were not met.
In 2019, Loveland City Council transferred the Homestead property to the Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) with the intent that the property be sold to a third party, who would renovate and occupy the structure as opposed to the City maintaining ownership as was the case with a curatorship agreement.
