The idea for this company came from a couple different projects I saw while looking at two historic houses that were closed due to structural foundation damage. The first project was the Bimeler Museum in the village of Zoar, Ohio. I went to the Zoar Harvest Festival the summer after the big flood that caused the damage. I was in college at the time and was thinking how interesting it would be to work on a historic restoration/preservation project. The second project was the Frazee house that is located along the Ohio-Erie canal towpath trail near Brecksville, Ohio. Throughout the years I have seen the projects progress at varying rates. This year I was happy to see that foundation work had been completed on the Bimeler house, and I was really excited to find it re-opened with an interesting exhibit of late 19th through mid 20th century art. The fact that Zoar was being painted by itinerant artists before the community broke up speaks to the fact that people always saw beauty in the Zoar Village.
This is me at the Bimeler house in the village of Zoar, Ohio. This picture was taken after the structural remediation had been completed.
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This is a picture of me at the Frazee house. I had just finished a brisk jog in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
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Although the idea came from those two projects, the passion to execute this company has come from my wife and I restoring the house you see above. When we started thinking about furnishing the house, we bought a couple antiques and were hooked. Antiques have become a passion of ours, and we have dedicated many days and vacations to scouring through antique shops, shows, flea markets, auctions, and museums. After having worked for several years, I received my Professional Engineering license, and I am about to finish a Master's degree in Structural Engineering. I am ready to start this company that will combine my work experience with my passion for history and my vocational training.
As a millennial, I am afraid my generation is more interested in iPhones than history. For this reason, I think preservation and promotion of history is more important than ever. As my generation matures, has children, and starts to become the largest part of the work force, it is imperative historical destinations continue to be available to begin educating a whole new generation on who we are and where we came from. Hopefully these Historic sites will motivate others like they did me to become interested in history, antiques, or both. The goal is to provide the restoration/preservation community a company that is focused on history and cares about historical correctness so when people look at these historic destinations they see the beauty of form, color, and architectural lines of so many years ago. It is my sincerest hope that this gives you some insight into where I am coming from and that you will consider me for your next project.
Kyle Wittel, P.E.
As a millennial, I am afraid my generation is more interested in iPhones than history. For this reason, I think preservation and promotion of history is more important than ever. As my generation matures, has children, and starts to become the largest part of the work force, it is imperative historical destinations continue to be available to begin educating a whole new generation on who we are and where we came from. Hopefully these Historic sites will motivate others like they did me to become interested in history, antiques, or both. The goal is to provide the restoration/preservation community a company that is focused on history and cares about historical correctness so when people look at these historic destinations they see the beauty of form, color, and architectural lines of so many years ago. It is my sincerest hope that this gives you some insight into where I am coming from and that you will consider me for your next project.
Kyle Wittel, P.E.