Table of Contents

• Introduction
  
  
• West LibertyHeights-Early History
  
  
• West Liberty Heights Subdivision Map
  
  
• Lot 1,
  2509 West Liberty Street
  
  
• Lot 2,
  730 South Maple Road
  
  
• Lot 3,
  744 South Maple Road
  
  
• Lots 4 and 5,
  758 and 770 South Maple Road
  
  
• Lots 6 and 7,
  2527 and 2541 West Liberty Street
  
  
• Lots 8 and 9,
  2553 and 2561 West Liberty Street
  
  
• Lot 10,
  2569 West Liberty Street
  
  
• Lot 11,
  2571 West Liberty Street
  
  
• Lots 12 to 16,
  2530 to 2570 Bens Street
  
  
• Lots 17 to 33,
  800 South Maple Road
  
  
• Lots 34 to 41,
  2515 TO 2575 Russell Street
  
  
• Lots 42 to 55,
  Part of South Maple Park
  
  
• The Surrounding Area
  
  
• Some Remaining Questions
  
  
• Sources
  
  
  

Why a West Liberty Heights Site?

I am in love with my house, and enjoy living in my neighborhood.  That's what motivated me.  I want to document the neighborhood history .  I want people to know what this small corner of the world was like and what a wonderful place it was.  I welcome any additional information and photographs that anyone can provide. 

In the spring of 2000. I was living just down the street at 1235 S. Maple, when I got the house-hunting bug. I wanted an older home. Laura, my daughter, had moved into her house at 3209 Nordman Road the previous summer. It’s an adorable older home, with lots of character.

I wanted one too. I began by going to open houses, then hired Linda Lombardini, now at Trillium, to help me with my house search.  At this time, the market was HOT, with homes selling very rapidly, and buyers bidding against each other. I looked at several houses in the $169.000-$175,000 price range but the ones I liked were gone before Linda could put in my offer.

When Linda mentioned 2509 W. Liberty, I checked it out and said that I didn’t think I wanted to live on such a busy corner.  It was strange that even though I had passed it often on the way to the grocery store, I never remembered seeing it before.  I asked Terry from next door at 2553 W. Liberty, if she had ever been inside. She said that all she remembered was the woodwork.

So, I told Linda I would look at it. It was love at first sight. I went inside, and even though it was full of moving boxes and in some disarray, I thought it was beautiful.

It was the nicest of any of the houses that I had seen. It was in really good shape compared to some of the others, and had a wonderful feeling about it. I could not hear the traffic inside and no longer cared about it anyway.

I loved the hardwood floors, the natural woodwork, the room layout, the wooded views, the upstairs hallway railing, the plaster walls and ceilings, the front porch, and the original kitchen cabinets (I’m still very grateful that no one had updated the kitchen). There was an unfinished room at the top of the stairs that I could envision as a master bath--which I added in November 2003.

I also liked the fact that the cellar stairs were easier to negotiate (with my rheumatoid arthritis) than any of the others that I had seen and that there was a separate entrance to the cellar.  And, the original stove and washing machine were still in the cellar.

I WANTED IT. It was listed for $175,000. Probably because of the location and the fact that it was a rental (no open house) I was able to get my bid accepted before it was gone. I think I bid $172,000. After the inspection, we negotiated, and the final price was $169,000.  I closed on May 15, 2000, and moved in around June 9.  I did not have to do any interior cosmetic work right away, and the furnace was new in 1999.  I added central air, had the house painted, put an automatic door on the garage, made a few other changes, and moved in. 

I have enjoyed living here ever since. Every day I am still very happy to have found this house. I enjoy watching the traffic, and the noise doesn't bother me a bit. Sometimes when I am talking to someone on the porch, we have to pause our conversation to let a gravel truck pass; but I don't mind. The noise is a small price to pay for being able to afford this house.  If the house were a just a few blocks east on Liberty, I'm sure it would be out of my price range.

After I had lived here for awhile, I became interested in finding out more about the people who built this beautiful house and the others who lived here before me.

This site is a result of my research into the history of my home which is on Lot 1 of the West Liberty Heights Subdivision.  I especially want to thank Glen Steinman, Benjamin and Eleanor Steinmans' son, and Esther Kaercher, who used to live at 744 S. Maple Road, for their help.