Representatives of the Friends of the Lathrop House and St. Joseph Parish met on Tuesday morning, November 12, at the parish to discuss the relocation and preservation of the Lathrop/Vogt residence. The representatives of the Friends of the Lathrop House met Tuesday night with that group to report on a jointly developed proposal to save the house.

The representatives of both groups agreed that the relocation of the residence was the only option that allows the Parish to proceed with its expansion plans and the house to be preserved. St. Joseph Parish has offered a location in the northeast corner of its adjacent parking lot as a site for the residence. The Friends of the Lathrop House are also in favor of this site as it is proximate to the Harroun Ravine, thought to be a route traveled on the Underground Railroad. The Parish is willing to enter into an agreement with the City of Sylvania to trade the land for the site for property the City owns and leases to the Parish at the front of the parking lot.

The Parish has agreed to cooperate with the Friends organization to winterize, secure and insure the house.

Once the Friends of the Lathrop House has raised the money to finance the move and the terms of the agreement are finalized, the Parish has also agreed to contribute financially to support the relocation/preservation of the residence and to permit the house to be studied and documented to further accommodate the goals of the Friends of the Lathrop House.

The representatives of both groups were very enthusiastic about the results of these meetings and view this as a win – win situation for the entire Sylvania community. The Vogt/Lathrop House, a historically significant structure to many, will be preserved. St. Joseph Parish has the needed land for expansion of its school and several other parish services. The Friends of the Lathrop House and St. Joseph Parish are committed to work to finalize the agreement and to relocate the house as soon as possible.

The Friends of the Lathrop House are seeking donations to enable the group to relocate and renovate the residence to a living museum. Checks can be written to "Friends of the Lathrop House" and delivered either to Boyd Montgomery, the group’s chairman, or to Jim Smythe, its finance chairman, directly or through the Sylvania Historical Society at 5717 N. Main Street, Sylvania, Ohio 43560.