Sylvania to buy Underground Railroad site

Sylvania City Council yesterday voted to appropriate the historic Lathrop House and its surrounding property across Main Street from St. Joseph Parish, which had planned to demolish the building to make way for expansion.

City officials said they offered to buy the site for $400,000 and have given the church until tomorrow to accept or reject the offer before going to court to take the property through eminent domain.

Council President Keith Haddad said during negotiations yesterday, it became clear St. Joseph officials would not move from a deadline of March 31 to reach an agreement.

He said council decided it had no choice but to move to take the property, which was a stop on the Underground Railroad for fugitive slaves.

To exercise eminent domain, a municipality must show a public purpose for the property. Earlier, the Toledo Area Metroparks said it would manage the property and present programs about the Underground Railroad.

The church has had a permit to raze the building for more than a year.

The ordinance authorizing use of eminent domain to take the property will not take effect until the church rejects the offer or the deadline of 8 a.m. tomorrow expires without a response from the church.

The city also filed for a temporary restraining order in Lucas County Common Pleas Court to prohibit the church from damaging the property until then, but Judge J. Ronald Bowman denied it.

Judge Bowman said there was no evidence that an emergency situation existed, which is one of the elements necessary for such an order.

He said two attorneys representing the owner, the Catholic Diocese of Toledo, told him they knew of no immediate plans to raze the structure.

The site has been a contentious issue since the church bought it about 18 months ago and said it intended to tear down the 1830s building.

A citizen’s group called the Friends of the Lathrop House formed and, in an agreement with the church, said they would work to find the money necessary to move the house. The church agreed not to demolish the structure while they worked to that end.

Ted Ligibel, chairman of the group, said it has about $160,000 in cash and pledges to move the building, but its involvement lessened as the city and church worked to negotiate where the building should go.

Dr. Ligibel, director of the historic preservation program at Eastern Michigan University, said he was "pleasantly surprised" by the city’s action. He said the significance of the house on its original setting can’t be overstated.

"It just doesn’t get any more important than this," he said.

Charles Niehaus, an attorney who is one of those negotiating for the church, said he was disappointed by the city’s action. He said all interested parties had known of the March 31 deadline since late last year.

He said he couldn’t comment for the church on the city’s final offer.

The Rev. Richard Wurzel, pastor of St. Joseph, did not return a call seeking comment.