Dornberg House, Stories of Woodland Park
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93 Woodland Avenue
Brenholts House

Part of Lot 1 Woodlands Addition and 21 and Part of 20, Callender & Rockwell's Addition. 

William and Julia A Felton purchased this lot on March 12, 1890 from the estate of David Taylor, executor Henry C. Taylor, for $2,000.

William Felton was City Council President in 1883, a merchant, real estate dealer and Civil War veteran. In 1894 he was President of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. The Feltons lived at 81 Fifteenth Avenue in 1900.

Alfred Brenholts purchased the property from the Feltons on December 20, 1905 for $6,500.

The house was designed by architects Marriott & Allen (John M. Marriott and Albert M. Allen) in late 1906, with construction occurring in 1907. The estimated cost of construction was $20,000.

Alfred Brenholts was born February 25, 1858 in Zanesville, son of George Washington and Margaret Melissa Lee Brenholts. He married Clara Alma Bates in Muskingum County on April 20, 1881. Clara was born October 4, 1857 in Nelsonville, Ohio, daughter of Ely and Eunice Coe Bates. They had a son, Roy D. (August 12 1886 - December 24, 1962).

Alfred was a coal operator and real estate dealer. He was a partner founder of the Imperial Coal Company. He and his son Roy were president and treasurer respectively of the General Hocking Coal Company. Alfred also had interests in The Pike-Floyd Coal Company, The Hocking Coal & Land Company and The Modern Coal Mining Company. Brenholts was president of the Down Town Realty Company and Brenholts Realty Company (located at 1015 Outlook Building in 1924). 

Brenholts purchased 12-14-16 East Broad Street in 1919. It's reported that he and his son Roy established the Clock Restaurant in 1925 in the former Bott Brothers Billiards, a Columbus landmark, now occupied by the Elevator Brewing Company. The 1929 City Directory lists Roy and Alfred as proprietors of Brenholts Bros. Billiards, located on the 2nd floor of 165 North High Street. 

Alfred rented out the house at 911 Franklin Avenue after they moved to 93 Woodland. Roy lived at 1555 Clifton Avenue in 1915. In 1917 Roy moved into 911 Franklin Avenue where he lived through 1927. He moved in with his parents at 93 Woodland before moving to 1441 Eastwood Avenue by 1929.

The Brenholts had a number of live-in servants over the years. In 1910, the Brenholts employed a 31 year old Eva M. Miller. In 1923, Roy Bolton was their chauffeur. From at least 1925 through 1932, they employed a Japanese "horseman," Toyosaburo "Harold" Ozaki, born about 1900. Their cook in 1926 was Margaret Courtney. And in 1930-31, 24 year old Sophia Anna Kern worked for them and lived in the house. In 1933, Charles W. Brooks was their chauffeur.

Alfred died at home of prostate cancer on March 11, 1939. Clara died January 2, 1940. The Brenholts are buried at Greenlawn Cemetery. 

Roy Brenholts sold the house on August 6, 1940 to the Brooks.

Earle Lyman Brooks was born August 25, 1895 in Rochester, New York, son of Edward Irving and Gertrude Elouise Loder Brooks. His second marriage was on November 6, 1934 in Covington, Kentucky to Gwendolyn "Gwen" Mae O'Dell. Gwendolyn was born October 25, 1912 (or October 31, 1913) in Dayton, daughter of Delbert Clyde and Lillian Ruth May Cole O'Dell. Gwendolyn's parents had accidentally drowned at Summit Lake, in Akron in 1918, and she was raised by adoptive parents. Earle and Gwendolyn had four children, including Chapin Cole (1935), Cynthia Faith (October 25, 1936), Daryl Diane (1938) and Earle, Jr. (February 28, 1941 - 2000).

Earle graduated in 1918 with his JD from Albany Union Law School in New York. He then moved to Dayton, Ohio where he practiced law. Brooks was a WWI Army veteran and also served in WWII. About 1920 he married Anna Marie Breidenbach. Anna was born in March 1899 in Ohio, daughter of Carl H. and Anna Danner Breidenbach. They had a daughter, Virginia A. (June 12, 1921). In 1930 they lived in Dayton on Marathon Avenue. They divorced around 1934. Anna remarried John Boxwille Merton in Wayne County, Indiana on September 28, 1934, a marriage that didn't last long. Anna Merton and Virginia were living on Marathon Avenue in Dayton in 1940. 

Earle and Gwendolyn lived in Tampa, Florida between 1938 and 1940, returning to Columbus and taking up residence at 234 South Harding Road. Their next move was to 93 Woodland Avenue. 

In 1942 Earle was in the home building business. He was then President of Homecrafters, Inc. In 1945 he was President-Treasurer of Dependabilt Homes, Inc. and associated with the Columbus Realty Company. 

The Brooks moved to 1056 Westwood Avenue in Grandview Heights in 1950 when they converted 93 Woodland Avenue into apartment units. Earle then had an office at 66 Cleveland Avenue and seems to have gone back to practicing law. 

The Brooks divorced before 1953. Gwendolyn married Richard H. Wilson in Franklin County on February 20, 1953. Earle married a third time, before 1956, to Lucille.

Gwendolyn Wilson was later a singer in Columbus (1958) and an interior decorator in Cleveland (1960). In 1964 she lived at 1439 Ashland Avenue in Grandview Heights.

Earle died on July 21, 1975 from an accidental fall down stairs in his Westwood Avenue home. Gwendolyn died March 31, 1980 in Westminster, Maryland. Earle is buried at Sunset Cemetery in Galloway.

In 1950, 93 Woodland had been divided into 13 apartments. In 1951 the residents included:
Peter C. Gallagher, die maker, Apt 5
Three separate directory listings for Apt 6:
- Emily C. Logan, assistant librarian
- Robert W. (washer, Columbus Automotive Repair Service) and Mary Clowney
- Charles M. (manager, Holiday Shoe Store) and Jeanne Pence
Peggy Wood Nesbitt, typist, Florence V. Donald,
Mrs. Eleanor Lowell, secretary, Apt 11
Donald R. and Betty J. Schumacher, Apt 12 (later lived on Brunson Avenue)
Robert B. and Joan Ray, U.S. Army
Donald L. Fisher, public school teacher

In 1952, the auditor's records indicate the carriage house was also converted to apartments.

In the 1957 and 1959 City Directories the house is listed as the "Woodland Lodge Apartments."

On May 5, 1977, the executors or Earle's estate sold the house to David E. and Betty J. Evans of 788 Francis Avenue in Bexley. They continued to rent the house as apartments.

David Elton Evans, Jr. was born July 25, 1915 in Columbus, son of David Elton and Helen M. Gee Evans. His second marriage was to Betty Jeanne Knox in Franklin County on September 26, 1943. Betty was born March 3, 1921 in Marietta, daughter of John J. and Edna Anna Murphy Knox.

Betty died in Bexley on June 21, 1980. David died May 2, 1990 at a nursing home in Fairfield County, Ohio. The Evans are buried at Glen Rest in Reynoldsburg. 

Evans was living in Boynton Beach, Florida on October 5, 1983 when he sold the house to David V. and Sallie J. (Mathews) Ammerman.

Ammerman was a barber and owned the Main Bexley Barber Salon in Bexley and Channingway Hair Salon in Reynoldsburg. The Ammermans lived at 1246 Mulford Road in Grandview Heights, moving to New Jersey about 2009. David died September 12, 2013 in West Orange, New Jersey. 

The house was rented out as apartments at least until 1994. In 1993 some of the residents included:
Anthony V. Davis, Apt 2
Joellen M. Poindexter and Vita R. McMahan, Apt 6
Robert Glasco, Apr 8
Seth L. Armstrong, Apt 12

On November 21, 1994 the house was forfeit with a number of other properties to the State of Ohio on a foreclosure for land tax liens. The Recorder shows the Ammermans got the house back on January 31, 1995, but at a Sheriff's sale on May 3, 1995, Heartland Bank took title for $54,000 on a debt of $103,091.24.

On December 21, 1995 it was purchased by Debora A. Barrett.
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93 Woodland Avenue, April 2014
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William Felton, circa 1911
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Alfred Brenholts, circa 1921
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Clara A. Brenholts, circa 1921
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Roy Brenholts, circa 1925
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The Ohio Architect and Builder, January 1907
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Earle Lyman Brooks, circa 1916
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Gwendolyn O'Dell Brooks, circa 1931

Alfred Brenholts estate created an interesting legal case regarding a trust he established and estate taxes. 

"Alfred Brenholts, of Columbus, Franklin county, Ohio, died testate in the early spring of 1939, leaving an estate of approximately $250,000. Under the provisions of his will he gave to his wife, Clara A. Brenholts, their residence property located at 93 Woodland avenue, and directed that this bequest should be in full of all dower and distributive interest in his real and personal property, including year's support and any and all other rights, interests and claims which his widow might have in and against his estate. This same clause of the will contained the recital that testator had from time to time made gifts and advancements of personal property and real estate to his wife, and had made further substantial provision for her in a deed of trust under date of December 30, 1933, in which provision had been made for the distribution of the net income from real estate known as No. 12-14-16 North High street, in the city of Columbus, and the further recital that for the foregoing reasons the provision made for the wife in Item IV of the will was in full of all interests in decedent's estate.

Reference was made to the fact that provision had been made for decedent's sister under the deed of trust, and therefore no further bequest was made to her under the will. Special bequests were made to the decedent's four surviving grandchildren and certain bequests were made to designated eleemosynary or charitable institutions. The residuum of his estate was bequeathed to his son and only child, Roy Brenholts."

"The trust agreement introduced in evidence in the instant case is very lengthy, comprising more than six and a half pages of closely typewritten matter. It can serve no useful purpose to copy this instrument in this opinion or to make any extended reference thereto. Suffice it to say that when the instrument was executed Alfred Brenholts was seventy-one years of age and, so far as is known, in good health. The property transferred under the trust instrument was exclusively real estate, located at 12-14-16 North High street, Columbus, Ohio, and of the value of more than $150,000. Mr. Brenholts had owned it since 1919. It was exclusively a building used for renting to numerous tenants. Mr. Alfred Brenholts' only child was a son who was engaged in the real estate business and prior to the execution of the trust instrument he gave detailed attention to this particular piece of real estate. Mr. Brenholts had other real estate, included in which was a farm that he was operating more or less as a hobby, giving particular attention to growing and grafting trees. The son, Roy Brenholts, by reason of matrimonial troubles had been very heavily in debt. In 1936 Roy Brenholts settled all his difficulties with his wife for the sum of $56,000, and his father furnished the money so to do. The son Roy received nothing under the trust indenture except a 5 per cent compensation for administering it. The beneficiaries were, first, the wife of the donor, who was to receive liberal allowances in such amount as the trustee saw fit and so long as she lived, to take care of her household and any and all other expenses.

Second, a sister of Mr. Brenholts was to receive $100 per month so long as she lived. Mr. Brenholts had been making contributions in this amount for quite a while before the execution of the trust indenture.

Next, the four grandchildren of the decedent, all being children of Roy Brenholts, were to receive such a sum or sums as the trustee deemed necessary to assist in their care, maintenance, and comfort. There were further directions that the contributions should be liberal in case of sickness, accident, operation, or other unforeseen emergencies. The trust was to continue as long as the wife of Alfred Brenholts lived, but in no event to terminate before the year 1950.

At the termination of the trust the corpus or the proceeds thereof were to be divided equally among the four children of the son Roy, with provision for its continuation in the event of the minority of said children."
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