The Bancroft home in Chagrin Falls is easily one of the most notable, and recognizable historic structures within the community. Standing tall atop Grove Hill, the historic home looks out over the village, still displaying all of its original architectural elements. The home, built in 1878 was constructed in the Italianate style with a WPA-built retaining wall wrapping around the property’s edges. The WPA stone wall surrounding the home was built later, during the Great Depression.

While the home has remained an iconic local structure for 144 years, at one point recently, it was in danger of demolition. Thankfully, the community was able to come together to save this beautiful piece of Chagrin Falls history.

In 2020, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy was able to come to an agreement in a deal with developer Robert Vitt to purchase the home and the 1-acre piece of land where it stands. The conservancy’s plan involved not only saving the home, but also opening up the southern area of the property as a public gathering space owned by the village, which will provide a spectacular view over the village of Chagrin Falls, just as it had been in the early days when the home was built.

Vitt had purchased the property in 2019. His plans were to demolish the home, and build five new homes in its place. Of course the people of Chagrin Falls were very much against this development, and had approached the land conservancy about purchasing the home. Upon seeing the love Chagrin Falls had for the old home, he was open to the agreement to sell, provided $600,000 was raised within 45 days, with a deadline of May 9, 2020. If the land conservancy had failed to reach this goal, they would have been forced to walk away, and Vitt would have followed through with his original plan to demolish the historic home.  

In 1878, when the home was built, it was known as the grand mansion atop the hill overlooking Chagrin Falls. From the property, you can see as far as the Civil War Memorial at Evergreen Hill Cemetery. Aside from just the beautiful views, this home provides a wonderful look back into the history of Chagrin Falls. As a park where people can come to take in this beautiful view, it will be a great addition that they will be able to learn about earlier years in the village.

History is an important part of the Chagrin Falls community. Residents are very determined to keep the history of their town alive, and this can be seen by simply taking a stroll through the village and admiring the old structures, all well preserved and maintained. Tradition is another thing which remains important to residents, and Grove Hill, aside from the historic Bancroft House, holds memories for many, with events like the yearly Grove Hill pumpkin roll in October. Through things like this, between young and old, memories and stories are kept alive. It’s clear that the people of Chagrin Falls will do all they can to maintain as much of the original charm of the village as possible. This is important not only for current, but future generations.

From March through May in 2020, citizens and businesses came together to support the effort of saving the historic home. Chagrin Falls Mayor Bill Tomko was also a large supporter of the effort, having been successful with many historic preservations in the past, and always a huge supporter of keeping history alive.

In a bit of a twist, Robert Vitt and his family had helped by cooperating with the sale, and even contributing some funds of their own to the cause. In similar situations, this does not happen often, as developers normally only want the old structures out of their way, and don’t care to listen to what community members have to say. With more than 2,000 people signing the petition for the community group called “Save Grove Hill,” it was apparent that demolishing the home would have been a terrible choice.

By April 27, 2020 the Western Reserve Land Conservancy had raised $350,000 to save Grove Hill. The Chagrin Falls Historical Society had contributed with a $15,000 donation towards the efforts. With a deadline of May 9, they didn’t have much time left to raise another $250,000. 

By the time that the fundraising had started, there were only five weeks to reach the set goal. To make things far more difficult, fundraising had started just as the COVID-19 pandemic was at its rise and Governor Mike DeWine had issued his stay-at-home orders.

With community volunteers working remotely, they were still doing all they could to come together and make this a reality. From organizing social media campaigns or creating yard signs to be displayed throughout Chagrin Falls, to sending out thousands of letters to potential donors, making follow-up phone calls and more, in only five weeks, the group was able to meet the goal of $600,000, saving the Bancroft house from demolition and redevelopment. The plans for new development of luxury homes were canceled, and as of 2022 the home’s restoration and preservation is underway.

I’m excited to see what this preservation of the past brings for the future of Chagrin Falls. Having visited the falls now for nearly half of my life, I’ve seen and photographed much of what I’ve experienced here, and it has all been wonderful. The local businesses, along with the owners are all great. I have loved capturing the historic elements of the town, visiting the parks and just wandering the village. It’s one of my favorite towns to visit, and I’m happy to see that now there will be even more to see when I visit. 

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