1666 East Broad Street

1666 East Broad Street
Stallman House

Lot 5 and part of lot 4 Stones Broad Street and Woodland Avenue Subdivision

This 12 room Tudor Revival Arts and Crafts style house was designed by architects Stribling and Lum for Frank A. Stallman. Construction began in 1904 and the house was completed in 1906. The $15,000 house featured a cast tile roof, half timbering on second floor, corner tower with conical roof with wide flared eaves and diamond paned leaded glass windows. The house was demolished in June 1988.

Frank Augustus Stallman was born January 28, 1857 in Kirkersville, Ohio, son of Christopher A. and Nancy Nepp Stallman. He married Kate O. Pacaud Magnuson on September 18, 1897 in Franklin County. Kate was born about May 1862 in Maryland. They had four children: Rei (July 3, 1880 - June 1, 1884), Faith Louise (June 2, 1885 - August 25, 1951), Wayne Augustus (December 24, 1890 - June 8, 1968), and Howard Park (February 21, 1897 - February 18, 1980).

Stallman and his son are profiled in the History of Franklin County, Ohio by Opha Moore, published in 1930: "Frank A. Stallman - Outstanding among the citizens of Columbus, both for his business ability and for his public-spirited concern in the affairs of the community, was Frank A. Stallman, who died in 1919. He was born at Kirkersville, Ohio, June 28, 1857, the son of Christopher and Nancy (Neff) Stallman.

"Frank A. Stallman was a child of twelve when his parents moved to Columbus. He attended the public schools, and in 1878 secured employment at the trunk factory of J. A. Vandergriff, with whom he was connected in different capacities for a number of years. In 1889 he formed a partnership with Calvin R. Starr, under the name of Stallman & Starr, for the manufacture of trunks, on West Spring Street on the site now occupied by the Fort Hayes Hotel. This business was successful and was continued until 1894, when Mr. Starr retired from the firm. The business was continued by Mr. Stallman individually until his death in September, 1919.

"Mr. Stallman was widely known in the industry as the originator and the most pronounced exponent of the dresser or wardrobe trunk. In the early nineties he began working on the idea of sliding drawers instead of trays and made several different kinds before adopting the one which was marketed. He advertised it extensively and the Stallman Dresser Trunk became favorably known throughout the world.

"Some years before his death, Mr. Stallman purchased a farm east of Gahanna on which he spent a great deal of his time modernizing. It was the ideal of his life to retire to this farm and he was starting the construction of a residence for this purpose at the time of his death. For some time he had devoted most of his energy to the management of the farm and his other real estate holdings, his trunk factory being under the management of his son, Wayne A. Stallman.

"In 1879 Mr. Stallman married Kate Pacaud Magnuson, a native of Baltimore, Maryland. She died June 6, 1925, and is buried by the side of her husband in the Greenlawn Cemetery. They had three sons, Ray, who died at the age of four; Wayne A. and Howard P., and one daughter, Faith, the wife of Norman J. Feliman, all of whom survived him.

"Mr. Stallman took a keen interest in Columbus real estate and developed several south side tracts, one being Siebert Street from Parsons Avenue east, and another was Long Street from Woodland Avenue east.

"He was a member of several local clubs, a charter member of the old Ohio Club, later the Athletic Club ; the Columbus Chamber of Commerce ; the Masonic Club and Shrine."

"Howard Park Stallman - One of the prominent younger men in the real estate business at Columbus is Howard Park Stallman, whose office is located at 71 East State Street. He was born in this city, February 21, 1897, the son of Frank A. and Kate (Magnuson) Stallman. Mrs. Stallman, who died in 1924, was the daughter of John and Martha Ellen (Davis) Magnuson, of Columbus, formerly of Baltimore, Maryland, and natives of Sweden. A complete sketch of Frank A. Stallman, deceased, is found elsewhere in this volume.

"Howard Park Stallman was graduated from high school in 1916 and entered Ohio State University in the fall of that year. During the summer of 1918 he enlisted in the Officers Material School and was stationed at the Great Lakes for eight months. Upon the death of his father in 1919 he and his brother, Wayne A. Stallman, took over the management of the Stallman Trunk Company, which they conducted for three years. In 1922 he entered the real estate business, with offices at 8 East Broad Street, later moving this office to the Huntington Bank Building, and in the fall of 1929 moved to his present location at 71 East State Street, where he specializes in the building and selling of apartment houses and business buildings, and also in the management of office and apartment buildings.

"Mr. Stallman married, December 31, 1923, Miss Katharine Thomas, the daughter of Dr. David H. and Mrs. Thomas. Doctor Thomas, who was a prominent physician of Columbus, died in 1920. He is buried in Greenlawn Cemetery. His widow resides in Bexley. Mr. and Mrs. Stallman are the parents of twins, Christopher and Charlotte, born January 4, 1930.

"Fraternally he is affiliated with Goodale Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, the Phi Gamma Delta, American Legion, and the City Club. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Episcopal Church."

Wayne A. Stallman purchased 1559 Granville Street on October 27, 1920.

Stallman died September 18, 1919. Kate died June 9, 1925. They are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

The Stallmans sold the house to Goldie J. Wildermuth on September 9, 1919 including a mortgage of $13,500.

Roy Lee Wildermuth was born February 15, 1876 in New Lexington, Ohio, son of Lafayette and Sarah E. Webster Wildermuth. He married Goldie Musser Johnson in Franklin County on June 6, 1905. Goldie was born about 1885 in Nelsonville, Ohio, daughter of Edward and Helen Musser Johnson. They had three children: Frances J. (1918), Roy Lee, Jr. (May 24, 1920 - May 1978).

The Wildermuths were listed at this address in the 1924 City Directory. Roy was Vice President and General Manager of The Lorain Coal and Dock Company. Roy was also an attorney. He was a Municipal Judge. He ran in the Democratic Primary for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in May 1932. His advertising blotter states that he was "2 Years Assistant City Attorney, Resided in Franklin County 45 Years. Resident Bexley. Member of Law firm Sandles, Ulrey and Wildermuth. Twenty Years Combined Legal and Business Experience, Five Years Municipal Judge. Graduate Ohio State University."

In 1925 the Wildermuths lived at 238 S. Parkview Avenue in Bexley.

The Wildermuths moved back to Woodland Park in 1933, taking up residence at 223 Woodland Avenue, later the home of Emerson Burkhart. They moved to Upper Arlington about 1941.

Goldie died August 11, 1965. Roy died February 9, 1969. They are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

The Wildermuths sold the house to Theodore Ebersbach on February 28, 1925. In 1920, Ebersbach was a superintendent of a coal mine. In 1930 he was a construction contractor. He lived in Pomeroy, Ohio.

Months later, on September 19, 1925, Ebersbach sold the house to Thomas M. Sherman. Five days later on September 24, Milton Floyd Loofbourrow bought the house.

Milton Floyd Loofbourrow was born in April 17, 1872 in Mt. Sterling, Ohio, son of Otho William and Malvina Loofbourrow. He married Bertha Elizabeth Zahn in Madison County on March 12, 1901. Bertha was born March 15, 1870 in Madison County, daughter of Peter and Catharine Zahn. They had children, Mark A. (1906 - 1972) and Alan G. (1912 - 1990).

In 1909, Milton was President and General Manager of the Broad Oak Automobile Company at 621-627 East Broad Street and 622-628 Oak Street. The company was established in 1906, incorporated in October 1908 and had a stock of 75 units and dealt in Chalmers-Detroit, Pierce-Arrow, Rapid Trucks and White Steamer vehicles. In 1916 they dropped the Chalmers line and picked up the Chandler cars.

By 1922 the Broad Street buildings were razed, but the 70 car capacity garage was still standing on Oak Street. That garage was formerly the Broad Oak Roller Skating Rink and Garage owned by the Broad Oak Company. In 1906, Robert C. Kyle was President of the Broad Oak Company and D.G. Buchanan was Secretary. The address was 620-630 Oak Street.

The Loofbourrows are listed in the 1928 City Directory at this address. Milton's occupation then is real estate.

Loofbourrow died in Columbus on November 20, 1939. Bertha died in 1951. They are buried at Pleasant Cemetery in Mt. Sterling, Ohio.

The Fletchers bought the house from the Loofbourrows on February 2, 1933.

Dr. Fred Fletcher was born September 5, 1879 in Irville, Muskingum County, Ohio, son of Alfred Elmar and Margaret McLaughlin Fletcher. He married Bertha M. Holland in Franklin County on September 1, 1921. Bertha was born November 14, 1884 in McArthur, Ohio, daughter of Charles Watson and Sarah Margaret Ullom Holland.

During World War I, Dr. Fred Fletcher was an assistant professor of surgery at Ohio State University College of Medicine, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Medical Corps of the United States Army, was commanding officer of Evacuation Hospital No. 31 at Nantes, France.

In 1931 the Fletchers lived at 854 East Broad Street, Apartment 1. 854 East Broad Street was a large home that had then been divided into four units. Recently that house was the law offices of Calig & Handelman, and was for sale in 2013.

Fred was a surgeon. In 1935 he had an office in the Mark Building, 247 East State Street. His office hours were 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Bertha died October 17, 1953, she is buried in McArthur, Ohio. Fred died at the VA Medical Center in Dayton on April 15, 1962. He is buried at the Dayton National Cemetery.

Fletcher sold the house to the Lion Realty Company on July 24, 1953.

From 1954-1960 the house was the offices of The Columbus Hospital Federation and the United Hospitals Building Fund.

The Lion Realty Company sold the house to the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio on November 13, 1967.