Staff photo / Bob Coupland
Brittany Jarrett, left, and Laura Altobelli, both of Niles and with the Niles Historical Society, look over various plants inside the historic glass greenhouse at the Ward Thomas House property in Niles. A fundraiser was held Sunday to raise money for renovation work at the greenhouse.

A fall craft and vendor market took place that allowed the public to see the greenhouse and the surrounding grounds. Brittany Jarrett, event coordinator, said there were 45 vendors and small businesses who set up on the Ward Thomas House property.

She said proceeds from the event will help the Niles Historical Society and All About the Pawz Rescue in Austintown.

Jarrett said the historical society is planning to have barring placed over the aging greenhouse to prevent water from getting in and to prevent buckling.

“It is still in fairly good shape but this is something we want to get taken care of before it becomes a problem,” Jarrett said.

Jarrett said the greenhouse is one of only 12 glass greenhouses in the United States.

She said many greenhouses have a plexiglass frame, but the greenhouse on the property is actual glass, which makes it rare.

She said plans are to begin work on the greenhouse next spring, with the barring to protect the wood and prevent rain water from getting into the wood panels that hold the glass together.

She said many visitors attended the fundraiser.

“I hope those who were here felt the nostalgia of the property, of the buildings and museum. I feel it is important for Niles to celebrate what we have here in our city,” Jarrett said.

She said the greenhouse is well maintained.

Inside the greenhouse are a large Queen of the Night plant and snake and spider plants.

Audrey John, curator of the Ward Thomas House, said the uniqueness of a glass greenhouse is what makes it one of the attractions on the property.

GREENHOUSE HISTORY

She said the original greenhouse was built in 1925 by Lord and Burnham Company from New York after it was requested by the Jacob Weddell family.

The company built a two-section, 50′ x 34′ glass greenhouse on the estate, with more than 400 pieces of glass and cypress wood strips supported by metal bars running the length of the greenhouse.

John said the Wedell family loved fresh flower arrangements year round in the home and the greenhouse provided a place for the family’s gardener to grow the flowers.

Anna Marie Beagle, president of the Niles Historical Society, said the greenhouse restoration work will be a future project.

In June,the greenhouse was opened to the public for tours and was open again on Sunday.

John said visitors could walk through the little garden house to the glass greenhouse and out the back doors to the brick patio filled with garden furniture and colorful plantings.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the greenhouse.

John said there is rust in the greenhouse and termites have been chewing at the wood in the garden house, making restoration necessary.

She said some replacement parts had to be shaped by hand and more than 400 pieces of glass were replaced.

The society acquired a $30,000 grant along with $47,000 in local donations for the project. L.L. Klink Co. was the contractor for the greenhouse and volunteer George H. John restored the attached garden house.

Audrey John said restoration of the greenhouse started in 2003 and was completed in 2005.

“The building of the greenhouse 100 years ago, and now being able to walk through it and visualize what it was like years ago is a real treasure. After seeing delight on the faces of the people touring for the first time, it was certainly well worth saving, and to continue to care for it years from now,” she said.

Donations can be sent to the society at P.O. Box 368, Niles Ohio with a notation “greenhouse” to help with the maintenance of the gardens and greenhouse.

Jarett said proceeds from Sunday’s fundraiser will help All About the Pawz in Austintown, which is an animal rescue that deals with mostly dogs and cats.

She said the rescue has helped with the many stray cats in the area, noting two litters of kittens were found on the Ward Thomas House property this summer.

“They helped us with the cats and handled the costs for what needed to be done to get six cats fixed,” Jarrett said.

COLORING CONTEST

A coloring contest for children took place Sunday that was hosted by Altobelli Real Estate.

Winners were Ryan Gerberry, first grade; Timmy Bube, second grade; Allessia Pagano, third grade; and Dylan Leibert, fourth grade. Each winner received a $50 prize.

Beagle said the society will be taking part in the pumpkin walk at the McKinley Memorial Library in Niles on Saturday.

A program, Night at the Museum, for children in grades K-3 will be 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 25, also in coordination with the library.