Planning committee recommends local landmark designation for John Brown House

The Planning Committee recommended approval of an ordinance to designate the John Brown House at 514 Diagonal Road as a local historic landmark.

Planning staff described the roughly 2.28-acre property, its Greek Revival cottage origins circa 1830, an associated barn and ancillary structures, and a historic stone wall along Diagonal and Copley roads. Staff said the Urban Design and Historic Preservation Commission found the property meets the citys landmark criteria and recommended designation.

LeeAnn Neff Heppner, CEO and president of the Summit County Historical Society, and Chaz Schreckenberger, an architect and vice chair of the historical-society board, spoke in support. They described the sites mid-19th-century connections: in the 1840s John Brown lived in the cottage while working with Simon Perkins on a large sheep operation; Brown later became a nationally known abolitionist and led the 1859 Harpers Ferry raid. The historical society said it invested about $1.2 million over a decade in restoration work to make the house "warm, safe and dry," stabilize the stone wall and install accessibility improvements.

Staff and presenters noted the site is listed on the National Park Services Network to Freedom and that the nomination treats the property as a campus that includes later additions that are 50-plus years old, such as a birdhouse structure and a retired voting booth. Committee members asked about why a nearby John Brown monument is separated from the house; staff explained historical donation and park-era decisions and noted recent park improvements that better expose the walkway to the monument.

The committee moved to suspend the rules, recommend a favorable report and advance the designation to full council.