Knopp House is gone

by Sue Serdinak

The pre-Civil War home long known as the Knopp House was razed from the Village Green on Aug. 2 by simple mayoral action.  

Asbestos in the pre-Civil War building was removed and trees were trimmed or removed before it was razed. Photo by C. Wells

In recent years, the Richfield Town Trust offered to convert the building into a Richfield Visitors Center if the village would make improvements to it.

Later, the Richfield Historical Society offered to pay some of the cost to move the building to Broadview Road, near the Historical Society, and install public bathrooms in it.

Last year, Jim Fry, proprietor of the Stone Garden Historical Farm, offered to take the building away, but he couldn’t do it immediately.

On July 2, Mayor Bobbie Beshara announced that the village had received a bid of $6,000 to demolish the house, and she was authorizing the demolition to proceed so the structure would be gone before the Ohio Flags of Honor memorial.

With the building gone and trees and bushes removed, the Green now has a larger open area. Photo by C. Wells

With a large contingent of the service department working on the site, trees were cut down and trimmed, and the wooden structure was easily razed.

Two days before the memorial flags arrived, sod was installed and watered, and the Green was opened up for the service.

Paul Swan, president of the Richfield Historical Society said, “The village council passed an ordinance two or three years ago to repurpose the house and move it next to the [Historical Society] Museum, making the house an asset to the community.”

He added that he feels demolishing the house was an abuse of the power by the mayor, but that he was not speaking for the organization but personally.

Featured image photo caption: The pre-Civil War house, referred to as the Knopp House in deference to its most recent owner, was the source of many debates about its future before it was razed.  Photo by C. Wells