Terrace Park Building Survey

A Project of the Terrace Park Woman's Club

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214 Harvard Avenue

PhotosLegacy Version

General Information

No:   214  
Street:   Harvard  
House Name:   John Moarn or Moran House  
Historic Plaque:     
Owner Info:   N  
Built:   c1890  
Sec:   23  
Subdivision:   Sibley  
Lot:   86-87  
Architect:     
Cont/build:   J. W. Sibley? Said to have been same as 202 Harvard (Mary Beth Tarkington)  

Description:   This was built as a frame farmhouse.  When it was for sale in 1960 it had downstairs a living room 16x13, and dining room 15x14, a kitchen 14x12 (modern), and a bath.  Upstairs there were 3 bedrooms: 13.9x12.5, 15x13.3 and 15.8x13.4.  (see photo)  It's since had many additions and remodelings.   
Owners:   8F  
Original Use:   Residential  
Current Use:   Residential  

CHANGES:
As Built:   N  
Added To:   Y  
Subtracted From:   N  
Replaced:   N  

Description Of Changes:   1960 - Stewart Tarkington Sr. built the pool. 1962 - Stewart Tarkington added a bed room and extended the living room & added a fireplace. Also added a mud room & utility room behind the kitchen. Prior to 1962 the only bathroom was downstairs and the staircase opened up into the kitchen. In 1962 the downstairs bathroom became a half bath and the staircase opening was walled up and a new opening was created in the living room. Upstairs additions included a hallway lined with closets, a full bathroom and a 4th bedroom. Outside, the front porch became 2 story with a big lantern. On the back of the house a serpentine patio across the entire width of the house was built. (Information from Mary Beth Tarkington who lived there from c. 1956-1973) 1975 -Gerald Hudson erected a tool shed. 1978 - William Bahl erected a 2 car garage. 1997 permit for the Manceras to put on a very large addition, possibly doubling the house area (RWA Architects). 2006 Mancera permit to replace pool house & expand garage/storage (Jane Yancey). 2011 Permit for Cris & Monica Wilson: alteration (Classic Kit Design; Bruckner Dev. Inc.)  

Stories:

Story 1: John Moarn (or Moran) is listed as one of the Founding Fathers of Terrace Park. They petitioned for incorporation of the village in June 1892. (see 202 Harvard & 429 Elm for other family members.) There's also more information about the Moran and Grace families in the Terrace Park Historical Society People File - burials in St. Andrew Cemetery in Milford.
Story 2: Mary Beth Tarkington's other grandparents, Joseph and Madeleine Tarkington, lived on Wooster Pike in a big old brick house on the hill. Their house had a music room, parlor, two dining rooms, two kitchens, two staircases and a foyer that seemed bigger than my whole house! ..... The house had a tower that I was told they used to look out for Indians and a wrap-around porch. There was also a carriage house. My grandfather died in 1965 and in the early 1970s my grandmother had it torn down and they built apartments. As I look back on it, they missed the bed and breakfast era by about 10 years. Fixed up, it would have been a great B&B. (Mary Beth Tarkington)

Story 3: Mary Beth Tarkington who grew up here enjoyed the openness of Terrace Park. Now she sees most back yards are fenced in. She remembers, On my block, we could see up the alley and across the alley to see who was outside playing in their back yard. Our parents would stroll across the back yards and talk, compare tomato plants. Now everything is fenced in and it seems less friendly. She is dismayed to see the smaller houses torn down and replaced with 'McMansions'.


Story 4: Debbie Oliver - president T P Garden Club 1994-95

In September 2026 I (Carol C. Cole) received an email from Stewart Tarkington Jr. I believe I've heard from him before as well as from Mary Beth Tarkington. Both are obviously very interested in the Terrace Park home where they grew up. They both appreciate and use our Building Survey site from time to time. He writes that he "lived there until 1968 when I married Joan Ostendarp, 900 Princeton Drive. Both of those houses have been changed so much, I would be afraid to walk inside. The only part of the Harvard house that I still recognize is the two story porch I helped build 66 years ago." Then he says "Thank you again for such a wonderful job on that website." He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.