Horton hordes Hillsdale history

Home Features Horton hordes Hillsdale history

“How much do you want for it, and what are you going to do with it?”

Jeffrey Horton’s unique real estate mantra follows every inquiry into his property. He doesn’t care about price or buyer, but whether the buyer intends to preserve the history of the building.

For Horton, historical preservation is everything. The Dawn Theatre, Stocks Mill, and the Keefer House, among others, came under his care through a dedication to the community and the buildings themselves.

“These buildings talk to us, they suggest what they’d like us to do to them. We don’t own them,” Horton said. “We just possess care for them- they have a personality of their own, and we help them reclaim their former glory.”

In Temecula, California, Horton made his living as a dentist. He has always loved historical architecture, but it was difficult to pursue in California because of steep real estate prices. After coming to Hillsdale, he saw his chance to save the husks of historic Hillsdale.

Originally, his pilgrimage to Hillsdale was not about architecture at all, but charter schools. After deciding to open one in California, Horton chose Hillsdale’s classical curriculum as the basis for his own.

“We just really admired Hillsdale’s philosophy, and, having some children who were ready to enter school, the move made sense,” Horton said.

The Horton family moved to Hillsdale, the students entered Hillsdale Academy, and Horton and his wife Marcey started to buy Hillsdale’s buildings, saving them from their inevitable demolition.

Horton read a study that claimed that demolition is the only economically-sound option for buildings as old Hillsdale’s. For a man who cares for historical architecture as though it was an animate object, demolition will never be the fate of a building he owns.

Demolition is the word Horton hates most, because it means accepting that a building’s value as a historic landmark is no longer worth the money or worth the care.

“Dr. Horton loves this city, and he just didn’t want to see it collapse,” Director of Hillsdale Economic Development Mary Wolfram said. “He knows a lot about the history of the area, and it’s a noble thought, although difficult to see actualized.”

As the Hortons’ deeds stacked up, so did their plans for renovation. From a hotel in the Keefer Building to floor-level artisan shops to condos in the old mill, he hoped for a better city instead of just better profits.

“He was always so excited about his plans, and we were excited to see what he could do with them,” Wolfram said. “I could tell you about many property owners in Hillsdale who don’t care about their properties, who just let them deteriorate.”

While the hopes were high for Horton’s properties, soon problems surfaced.

“We had to fix the Dawn Theatre’s ceiling and part of the basement on the Keefer House,” Horton said. “We’ve now been working to secure the walls of the mill so that people won’t get injured.”

As the city began to crack down on Horton’s properties, which consistently violated building codes, concern grew that his plans wouldn’t pan out. The local Tax Increment Finance Authority (TIFA) offered to buy some of the properties, but Horton wouldn’t sell.

“He wouldn’t sell anything to us unless we agreed to follow his plans- for example, in the purchasing contract we would have to agree to turn the Keefer House into a hotel, which we can’t do without knowing that there’s interest in that development,” Wolfram said.

As his properties remained apparently unrenovated, the city began to wonder if he would ever fix them.

Horton’s possession of these buildings, however, extends far beyond simply owning them. Since he wants to see the buildings reclaim their original glory, he is willing to wait until the right developer comes along, however long that might take.

“If most people stand for a minute and think about what’s behind the walls and windows of the buildings, they would feel remorse,” Horton said. “Remorse that these buildings aren’t better maintained. Just because a building has lost its function doesn’t mean it can’t come back again.”

Horton understands that the city is unable to do much for the buildings, which is why he is committed to the massive cost and effort that go into restoring them.

“Our objective was not to be in business,” Horton said. “But to simply protect these buildings, and see them come alive in whole new ways reminiscent of the Hillsdale that once was.”