ERIE COUNTY, Ohio — A home nestled on the wooded riverbanks of the Huron River has drawn comparisons to Tolkien’s Hobbit dwellings. But the current owners of a newly listed $900,000 Erie County property prefer to point out its history and the hard work it took to turn a dream into reality.
“Up on top was the second largest grain port in the world in the 1800s,” said Ron Johnson.
He explained that the deeper-than-average Milan Canal connecting the Huron River with the Great Lakes allowed for larger ships to distribute the locally grown grain. The plethora of tall trees nearby made it an ideal place for shipbuilding.
“That’s the last one that was built down here,” Johnson said, pointing to a painting of a schooner hanging on his wall.
Johnson’s walls are a testament to the passions and interests he honed in his home over 45 years. They are mingled with family photos of hand-carved and metal-sculpted animals, light fixtures made from branches and wildlife he taxidermied himself.
The walls themselves are 20 feet below ground in some areas as the 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home was built into a hillside.
“I have a love for this I can’t really explain, except that I put a lot of hard work into it,” Johnson explained of the property.
He told News 5 that he originally planned to build a traditional A-frame house 150 feet from the road. But he was inspired to create something unconventional when he stepped into the wooded lot behind the original site.
“I started having a dream, like a little boy, stiffening up and I could fly or do anything I wanted. And I’d seen this house underneath my feet,” he recalled.
The following day, Johnson shared his vision for an underground home with an architect, who shared it with a landscape architect. The dream first took shape with a 3D model. Then, from 1977-1978, builders poured concrete and used cutting edge technology of the time to create the home.
Over the next 45 years, Johnson poured his own style and ingenuity into the property, adding a gazebo, workshop and log cabin.
“I’d like to stay here. Just kick the dirt in over the windows and just leave me here,” he laughed. “But I guess that’s not going to happen.”
The nearly 8-acre property has become difficult for the 85-year-old to maintain. Now, he’s looking for the right buyer to take over the reins.
“To price the property, I had to go nationally because there’s nothing around here. I found one (similar) house in Ohio that sold about 10 years ago,” said Matt Zytkowicz, a realtor with Century 21 Transcendent Realty.
He said the house, listed for $900,000, has garnered interest from around the country. Its energy efficiency and eccentricity have both been selling points.
Johnson hopes a buyer will appreciate the home’s unique style, history and the investment he’s made in the property over the years.
“If you’re an energetic type of people, that like the outdoors, like challenges, I’ve already got all the hard work done,” he laughed.
Interested buyers can contact Zytkowicz at (419) 602-5775.
