Legacy Version

726 Park Avenue

Terrace Park, Ohio Building Survey

Click here to see photos Click here to see deed index Click here to see census
No: 726  Street: Park Name: Charles Corey House
Family: FOR SALE Owner Info: Y
Built: circa 1875 Sec: 29 Sub: George W. Corey Lot: 53, pt 52&54
Architect:  Cont/Build: George Washington Corey
#Owners: 9F Original Use: Residential Current Use: Residential
CHANGES As Built: N Add To: Y Sub From: N ReplaceN
The 1912 picture of the house shows just an open porch on the east (right) side of the house.  Later there were open 1st and 2nd floor sleeping porches on the east side with wrought iron railings.  Still later they were enclosed with concrete like the rest of the house.  1973 - the Carothers added a detached garage.  1991 - an L shape wrap around 1st floor addition was made to the rear (Christian Fasoldt, architect from Camden ME; Homespun Construction Co.).  The 1991 addition covered the old well and rain water cistern.  A wrought iron fence similar to the original was added.  2011 permit for Melissa Takas: Alterations/Lift roof (Tony Vilas).
Current Owner:  Date Fr: 2016 Date To: 
Original Owner: George W. Corey Date Fr: 1875 Date To: 1888 & 1889
Owner: Charles E. Corey (from father G. W. Corey) Date Fr: 1888 Date To: 1889
Owner: Flora B. Frazer Date Fr: 1889 Date To: 1918
Owner: Miles F. Eveland (& later Penelope L. ) Date Fr: 1918 Date To: 1920
Owner: Etta G. Dugan  (Jim Dugan (owned Plainville gravel business. Jim also at 729 Park) Date Fr: 1920 Date To: 1930
Owner:  Laura A. Fry Date Fr:1930 Date To:1943
Owner:  Hareword H. Fry et al Date Fr:1943 Date To:1944
Owner: (Fry - 4 Fry sisters including Fischer) Date Fr:  Date To: 
Owner: John H. Niles Date Fr: 1944 Date To: 1960
Owner: John B. & Jane Carothers Date Fr: 1960 Date To: 
Owner: Estate of Jane Carothers Date Fr :  Date To: 1990
Owner: Tracy Marin McMullen (& Peter H.) Date Fr : 1990 Date To: 2001
Owner:  J. Turner & Tracy S. Hunt Date Fr : 2001 Date To: 2011
Owner: Melissa Takas Date Fr  2011 Date To: 2016
Owner: Date Fr  Date To: 
Owner:  Date Fr:  Date To: 
Owner:  Date Fr:  Date To: 
1975 Owner:  John B. & Jane E. Carothers. G. W. Corey 53-55 pt 52.
Description: 2 story poured concrete Italianate Victorian Town House, gable roof.  The house was built by G. W. Corey for his son, Charles.  Faye Corey says it was built in 1875, others say 1880.  There were 6 fireplaces originally in the house.  The 3 upstairs ones are in the original condition.  The 3 downstairs ones were converted from coal to wood and one is inoperable.
Story 1: This is one of 5 Terrace Park buildings (726 Park, 722 Park, 729 Park [original 727?], 722 Wooster Pike, Community House) built at a similar time of poured concrete.  The story goes that during a depression/recession or panic as it was then called the owner of some barges on the Little Miami River suffered bankruptcy and Corey was able to obtain the powdered cement ballast from the barges at auction for almost nothing.  The buildings were poured a few feet at a time using hand made forms.  The concrete was scored while still wet to give the building the appearance of having been built of blocks.
Story 2: Clara Frazer was born in Terrace Park 21 March 1895 and died 2 December 1895, buried in Section 13 of Greenlawn Cemetery, Milford OH.  Was this a child of Flora B. Frazer?
Story 3: William H. Fry came to Cincinnati in 1851 from Bath England where he was born in 1830.  He was the  son of Henry L. Fry, a famous wood carver.  They claimed to have carved a throne for Queen Victoria, but this claim has not been substantiated. William's wood carver son Henry L. Fry lived at 726 Park, also carver daughter Laura and 3 sisters (3rd generation).
Story 4: "Laura Fry.  An important leader of Cincinnati women's decorative arts movement in 1870s and 1880s, she lived on Park Avenue in Terrace Park.  In 1878, she carved one of the nine panels on the Music Hall organ.  During her 1881-87 years with Rookwood Pottery, she developed a method for using a mouth atomizer to spray slips (wet clay) onto ceramics, which led to the development of the standard Rookwood glaze. Her father, William Henry Fry, was a noted wood carver and teacher."  from a newspaper article April 10, 1992.  (Cincinnati Enquirer?)
Story 5: Lillie Fry Fisher was born 16 February 1860 and died 30 September 1943, aged 83 years.  Laura A. Fry died 30 July 1943.  A Fry infant was born 25 December 1907 and died 28 December, 1907, aged 3 days, Motsinger Funeral Home.  They are all buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Miami Township, OH.  Arthur Duhme Fry (see deeds) was born 18 July 1911 and died  25 June 1985, aged 73 years, buried 28 June, 1985 in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati OH.  
Story 6: Dr. & Mrs. Niles' daughter, Louise, lived at 726 with them and worked at the Terrace Park Post Office.
Story 7: From Vergie & James MacMillan:"722 Park Avenue was built at the same time as 722.  When we moved to Park Avenue Dr. & Mrs. Niles and their daughter, Louise, lived there.  I can't recall the Drs. first name (perhaps James?).  She was Anna.  Louise worked at the Terrace Park Post Office.  I believe they had lived there about ten years when we arrived.  Jane and John Carothers bought the house from the Niles about 1960.  They totally stripped the inside and redecorated, replastering, etc.  The only  remodeling they did was to the kitchen and bath.  They were still living there when we moved from Terrace Park in 1977.  
Story 8:      The house was in very poor condition when the Carothers bought it.  The very elderly Niles had been living there in only a couple downstairs rooms.  The Carothers totally stripped the inside and redecorated, re-plastering etc.  The only remodeling was of the kitchen and bath.
     John Benjamin Carothers Jr. was born 30 August 1916 and died  23 October 1988 aged 72 years.  Jane Ellen (S) Carothers was born 9 September 1918 & died  25 February 1990, aged 71 years.  Both were buried 5 March 1990 in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati OH.  
Story 9: "The portion of the Carothers' property which contained the garage was sold as a building lot to Roy Allen (730 Park).  That garage was demolished and replaced with one within the bounds of the new lot.   I believe that the garage the Carothers built replaced a carriage house that burned.  A few people (each without knowing of the others) think they have heard the ghost of John Carothers coming downstairs.  (from Peter Lowry at 2 Oxford).  
1939 Map: Fry
1942 Map: Mrs. Laura A. Fry & Lily Fischer 
1951/3 Map: J. H. Niles M. D.
1959-60 Directories: J. H. Niles M. D. (Anna)
1962-88 Directories: John & Jane Carothers 
1990-91 Direct: (no name)
1992-93 Direct: Peter & Tracy McMullen Lowry  
1994-97 Directories: Mark & Jennifer Cleary (renters)
1998-99 Direct: "      (Lowrys moved to 2 Oxford)
2000-99Direct: (no name)     (Sold 2000) (Sold 2001)
2002-03 Direct: Turner Hunt
2004-07 Directories: Turner & Tracy Hunt
2008-12 Directories: Jeff Harrris & Shannon Scallan (renters or did it sell?)
2015 Directory: Melissa Takas