Angela Janes has known for the past 10 years that she wants to open a business that functions as an event center and reception area. She just didn’t know where.
That changed this summer when she saw Logansport’s historic Pollard Nelson House listed for sale.
“I have kind of had my eye on running an event center for about a decade,” Janes said. “I just kind of get on realtor.com and see what’s out there. Over the years I’ve looked at lots and lots of houses, and nothing has ever felt right. When the Pollard Nelson House hit realtor.com, I took a little road trip and I was blown over by it’s potential and it’s history. I thought, wow, this could really be it.”
The Pollard Nelson House was built around 1845 by merchant Colonel Philip Pollard and is one of the oldest homes in the city. The house retains many of the original features it was built with like an elevator, a marble bathroom, the original hot water heaters, a wooden spiral staircase and crystal chandeliers.
Janes said she and her husband were shocked by how well the house has been preserved and maintained by its previous owners.
“We thought, OK, the property is great, but how about Logansport? Is this the right environment for it?” Janes said. “We did a little checking and it really felt like (an event center) was a resource that Logansport could use. That was exciting.”
Janes and her husband Troy worked with local realtor Martin Lewellen to buy the home. Their purchase was finalized Sept. 24.
While they plan to update and restore certain features, the building overall is intact and structurally sound. Janes added she appreciates the history of the home and wants to preserve its unique features for future generations.
“A lot of those rich details are still preserved,” she said. “Some of the other fun details that I love are these big, beautiful pocket doors that are still on their original hardware tracks and function beautifully. I mean, there are six fireplaces. They’re not currently functioning, but we’re hoping to get them up to speed. We think that’s really amazing too.”
Janes recently became excited when she was in the upstairs bathroom and noticed the way the sun reflected off painted tiles on the walls. She began to wonder whether the tiles on the floors and walls could be a particular type of subway tile made in the 1800s. She peeled off a small portion of the paint to get a better look.
“I honestly think that might be what it is,” she said. “Now I’m like, holy cow. I thought this was a cool bathroom anyway, but now it’s even better. We can get the paint off that and have the old, original subway tile on the walls. That would be amazing.”
They have also discussed making the old elevator functional as well, but that is one item on a long list of repairs and renovations. The Janeses are hoping to start renovations soon so they can book events at the house next summer.
Janes envisions beautiful weddings in the house, but she said it would also be perfect for quinceaneras, office parties, baby showers, conferences, Christmas dinners and any other events the community can think of.
So far, members of the community seem excited at the prospect of an event center within the city. Residents and board members at the last Logansport Board of Zoning Appeals meeting expressed positivity at the idea of the Pollard Nelson House opening to community members.
Bill Bauman, administrative and staff assistant at Kroeger Funeral Home, expressed concern about parking in the area but added that he is overall very happy the house is being put to good use.
“I’m glad you’re moving in next door,” he told the Janeses. “…I’m very happy that you are going to own the building and preserve a historical part of Logansport.”
While Janes has never worked as an official event planner, she has spent a lot of time and has experience planning family and church events.
She plans to use the home’s first floor for actual event space and possibly renovate the second floor into offices, staging rooms, private spaces for brides to get ready, or possibly even living space. However, the Janeses are not planning to move into the house at this point.
The family currently live in West Lafayette and are elements of whether they will permanently relocate to Logansport right away. However, Janes said they may give moving more consideration once her daughter graduates high school.
Janes added that everyone in Logansport has been wonderful so far and that she is excited to become more involved.
“From the first moment that we met with Martin Lewellen, we have just thoroughly enjoyed everyone we’ve met,” she said. “I just feel like the community is so friendly and warm. I just couldn’t be happier about the opportunity to take this gem that really belongs to the community and have time to be a steward over it while interacting with these people who have been so great at reaching out to us and welcoming us. I couldn’t be more excited.”