By Colin McEwen
Record-Courier staff writer
Historic Ravenna has now officially gained another historic location.
Built in 1905, the Byers DiPaola Castle at 5551 S. Prospect St. has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.
The home usually can only be seen from Prospect Street when the leaves on the surrounding trees have shed for the winter. The rest of the year, it is tucked privately just beyond the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks.
It joins only a handful of other structures in the community on the National Register.
The Queen Anne-style house was built by inventor and local business leader John F. Byers and reportedly was designed by architect Charles Henry, a family friend.
The estate was recommended for nomination to the National Register earier this year for its local architectural significance and as a reflection of Byers' ingenuity.
Byers was the founder and president of the John F. Byers Machine Co., which was one of Ravenna's largest employers in the early 20th century. He manufactured his own patented inventions in Ravenna.
Trained as a stone mason, he engineered the process and equipment for making the distinctive cast stone units used to build the house, integrating a unique ventilation system for the cellar in the design. Byers used local materials to build the grand estate " carving stone on site and using nearby trees for the home's elegant detail.
As a twist, Byers never actually lived there. As the construction neared its completion, he stepped on a nail while roofing the home and died of tetanus shortly after.
The home is one of only 12 nominations in the state to be approved this year by the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places.
Tom Wolf, a spokesman for the Ohio Historical Society, said in order to be considered, buildings undergo rigorous scrutiny and must meet one of four criteria to be approved " in addition to being more than 50 years old and a building of historical significance.
"There's actually a public process, it's not just a rubber stamp," he said. "I think it's something that helps raise public awareness of a property, and encourages it to be preserved."
Peggy DiPaola owns the historic estate with two of her six sisters. Her father, Sam DiPaola, bought the home in 1951, and the property has stayed in the family since.
She said she also was pleased because of the reasons for the honor " its architectural significance and recognizing the Byers legacy.
"The fact that we received the (distinction) is an honor for the house, and memorializes the structure itself and the Byers family. My sisters and I are very proud the Ohio Historical Society and the National Parks Service for recognizing the house."
She said much of the research on the nomination was done by Phylilis Cettomai, the former director of the Reed Memorial Library, and Record-Courier Editor Roger Di Paolo and and gave credit to both of them.
DiPaola said the honor is one the family " as well as the city " will cherish for years to come.
"There are a lot of lot of local treasures in Ravenna that should be taken care of and preserved," she said. "I'm a person who supports preservation."