1728 East Broad Street

1728 East Broad Street
Crotti House

This Tudor influenced Craftsman style home was built about 1908 for Andre Crotti.

This parcel was originally owned by Josephine Ovens.

The Crottis lived here 1909-1914 before moving to 1592 East Broad Street. The Crotti family had a number of live-in servants at this house. From 1910-1912 Benjamin Barnard was chauffeur. In 1913 Otto Dowell was butler and Bethel Jones was the cook.

From 1915 to 1916, Joseph H. and Loretta B. Dunn
lived here with Dorothy L. Dunn.

Joseph Hartley Dunn was born December 1,1848 in Brooklyn, New York, son of English parents, William G. and Susan Cross Dunn. In 1874, he married Mary Spier. Mary was born in 1848 in Geneva, New York, daughter of David and Clarinda Hall Spier. They had two children, Ella M. (1877) and William G. (1878). Mary died August 24, 1879.

Joseph married his second wife, Lauretta B. Young November 10, 1881 in Franklin County. Lauretta was born in Ohio August 8, 1859, daughter of Colonel W.H. Young. They had three children, Warren C. (August 1882), Martha M. (May 1884), and Dorothy L. (February 1895).

Dunn was a dry goods merchant. The firm was started by Joseph's father, William in April 1869 as William G. Dunn & Company. In 1875 the store moved and Joseph was taken into partnership with his father. In 1885 the store was located in the Annex Block at 15 North High Street and is 1878 at 15-19 North High Street. In 1889, Joseph H. Dunn partnered with Daniel Henry Taft, Jr., and Joseph A. Hartley establishing the Dunn Taft & Company, at 84-88 North High Street, purchasing the stock of William G. Dunn upon his retirement. In 1915 the store was remodeled and consisted of 60,000 square feet and employed over 200 people. In 1930 the firm moved to its final location at 106-110 North High Street. The company went out of business in 1941.

In 1887 Dunn had a house built at 936 East Town Street, that part of Town Street later renamed Bryden Road. The family lived in this house until moving to Broad Street. In 1917 the widow Dunn moved to Grandview Heights, on "the west side of Wyandotte Road, one house north of Goodale Boulevard".

Dunn's son, Warren owned W.C. Dunn Photo Supply at 35 East Long Street which closed in 1918.

Dunn died of typhoid fever on June 28, 1905. Lauretta died April 24, 1922. The Dunns are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

Randolph S. Warner, Sr. purchased the house in 1917. His son, Randolph, Jr. lived there. Warner, Sr. lived at 640 East Broad Street.

Randolph Stephen Warner, Sr. was born November 21, 1853 in Unionville, Ohio, son of Stephen Cook and Lucy Ann Cunningham Warner. He married Mary Deshler on April 28, 1885 in Franklin County. Mary was born June 15, 1861, daughter of William. G. and Ann Eliza Smith Deshler. They had two sons, William Deshler (August 8, 1886 - March 24, 1932) and Randolph S., Jr. (January 18, 1892).

In 1889 Warner was a partner in King, Gilbert and Warner, manufacturers and dealers in pig and bar iron, steel and steel rails. In 1899 Warner became the first President of the Republic Iron and Steel Company in Youngstown, Ohio. Republic Iron and Steel Corporation, was once the third largest steel producer in the Unites States.

In 1900 the Warners moved to 640 East Broad Street. And in September 1901, Warner declined re-election as the President of Republic. Warner was vice president of Buckeye Steel Castings Company, the president of that firm being Samuel Prescott Bush, grandfather of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and great-grandfather of former U.S. President George W. Bush.

The steamer Randolph S. Warner was built in April 1901 by the American Steel Barge Co of Superior Wisconsin for the D.R. Hanna Co. of Cleveland Ohio. It was refitted for ocean service in 1920 and lost in 1921.

Mary died April 28, 1918 at 640 East Broad Street. Warner died October 4, 1921 in Geneva, Ohio. The Warners are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.

Randolph S. Warner, Jr. married Marion Van Cleef about 1916. Marion was born in Brooklyn, New York.

In 1920 the Warners employed three live-in servants at the house.

The house was left to the Warner brothers in a trust after their father's death. The heirs gained control of the trust in 1924.

In 1926, Randolph S. Warner, Jr. lived in New York City and was a Trustee of the R.S. Warner Estate.

On May 13, 1924 the Warners transferred the home to Charles S. Druggan

Charles Sumner Druggan was born March 4, 1879 in Athens, Ohio, son of John T. and Sarah Ann Hixson Druggan. He married Fawn G. Ramsey September 2, 1908 in Delaware County, Ohio. Fawn was born June 5, 1886 in Hilliard Township, Knox County, Ohio, daughter of Nelson and Annabelle Gammill Ramsey.

Druggan was an attorney.

By 1944 the Druggans had moved to 3919 Sunbury Road.

Charles died January 15, 1944 in Sunbury. Fawn died in Columbus on April 3, 1976.

Big Walnut High School awards a Fawn Ramsey Druggan Scholarship annually to a resident of Sunbury, Ohio, who is graduating from Big Walnut High School.

On August 21, 1944 the house was transferred to Agnes Houck.

Walter Aloysius Houck, Sr. was born June 29, 1889 in Attica, Ohio, son of Jacob and Carolyn/Caroline "Carrie" Walter. He married his second wife, Agnes Devaney in Franklin County on February 13, 1943. Agnes was born September 5, 1897 in Coshocton, Ohio, daughter of John and Mary O'Malley Devaney. Agnes was the widow of Paul Bryan and worked as a teacher.

Walter was a attorney. He passed the bar in 1914, but did not begin his practice until 1920.

Walter married Elizabeth Pirrung in 1916. Elizabeth was born February 27, 1895 in Columbus, daughter of John A. and Susan Wolfel Pirrung. They had four children: Walter A., Jr. (July 12, 1918 - April 8, 2001), John Pirrung (1921 -March 28, 2010), Henry Vincent (January 14, 1923 - October 12, 1998) and Susanne C. "Suzy" (January 15, 1925 - January 24, 2004).

Moore's 1930 History of Franklin County has this biographical sketch of Houck, "Walter A. Houck is engaged in the general practice of his profession in Columbus, and is not only one of the representative attorneys of Franklin County, but is also a broad minded, loyal and public spirited citizen. He was born at Attica, Seneca County, Ohio, June 29, 1889, the son of Jacob and Carrie (Walter) Houck...

The early education of Walter A. Houck was received at Siam, Ohio, and in 1907 he was graduated from Attica High School. He then taught school for two years in Reed Township, Seneca County, after which he entered Heidelberg College. After a year he returned to the teaching profession in Reed Township, but in 1911 entered Ohio State University. He was a member of the class of 1914, College of Law, and in that year was admitted to the Ohio State bar. During 1914 he was located near Toronto, Canada, as assistant general manager of a sand and gravel company, and in 1915 went to New York, and operated a farm near Owego. During 1916 and 1917 he engaged in farming near Wheatfield, Indiana, and in 1918 was engaged as attorney for the C. L. MacEachen Company, of Columbus. Since 1920 Mr. Houck has engaged in private practice in Columbus, and in 1927 removed to his present location, 8 East Broad Street.

In 1916 Mr. Houck married Miss Elizabeth Pirrung, the daughter of John and Susie (Wolfel) Pirrung, of Columbus. Mr. Pirrung, well known for many years in Columbus as a musician, is deceased, and is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Columbus. His widow resides in this city. Elizabeth (Pirrung) Houck died in December, 1925, and is buried in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Columbus...

Mr. Houck is a Republican, a member of St. Joseph's Cathedral and belongs to Columbus Council, Knights of Columbus, and Phi Kappa fraternity. He is identified with the Columbus, Ohio State, and American Bar Associations. In 1929 Mr. Houck was a candidate for municipal judge, and was defeated by only 168 votes.

The family residence is at 904 Bryden Road."

Elizabeth died at Grant Hospital on December 11, 1925 from the effects of "accidental burns from fire in house (conflagration)."

904 Bryden Road was formerly the home of Elizabeth's parents and later the Houcks. It's understandable that Agnes might have wanted to move and have a "fresh start" after their marriage in 1943.

Walter Sr., died November 6, 1968. Agnes died in Columbus on August 24, 1976.

On May 18, 1948 John W. and Dorothy P. Browning bought the house.

John Westley Browning was born June 11, 1899 in Portland, Meigs County, Ohio, son of Perry Edward and Maxie Geneva Price Browning. He married Dorothy P. Schoebel after 1940. Dorothy was born January 2, 1910, daughter of Richard E. and Theresa A. Merkel Schoebel.

In 1918, John was a dredge hand on the U.S. Oswego at Buena Vista, Ohio. He married Mary Alice Atkinson on June 13, 1921 in Meigs County, Ohio. Alice was born June 11, 1902 in Columbus, daughter of Frank Richard and May E. Reynolds Atkinson.

John and Alice divorced between 1943 and 1945. Alice (Pemberton) died in 1962.

In 1940, Dorothy lived in Cincinnati with her parents. The census lists her occupation as music teacher.

In 1949 the Brownings sold the eastern half of the double lot they purchased with this house to Fred R. Gardiner, the deed says the buildings he would build would "cost at least $15,000."

John died April 26, 1960. He is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in St. Bernard, Ohio with Dorothy's parents, the Schoebels.

Dorothy died December 14, 1991. She is interred the the chapel mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Garden.

Ronald L. Soriano inherited the house from Dorothy's estate. It was transferred to him on October 28, 1994.

Ronald was born April 29, 1964. He is a violinist with the Central Ohio Symphony and a medical technologist for Mt. Carmel Health System.

On October 19, 1999, Ronald sold the house to Roger and Leonard Parish.