This is another Clintonville building I’ve been curious about; it has a very strong presence on North High Street. Externally it is a virtual twin to the building across the street, 3110 North High Street (compare them here); and the current owner told me he believes it is a Sears home.

Here’s a summary of ownership based on research plus the auditor’s site:

• 1893–DeWitt and Nellie Washburn
• 1920–Austin M Ojeda, Mabel Mathews Ojeda
• 1924–Clara B Lawrence and Sadie J Ulrich
• 1935–Marshall H and Agnes E Bullock
• 1964–Agnes Bullock; by Dec 1964 the property was put up for sale
• 1966–Edward G and Maxine Tracey
• 1988–Partnership of ASdad [? or Asaad] Sabag [or Sabing] & Josephine H Millisor
• 1997–Yoshiaki Yoshinari and Arved Ashby Jr (North Oak Gallery).
• 2020–Ashby Arved Jr
• 2021–current owner

In August 1893, John F Coe sold some property, 300 acres, in Clinton Township to Dalton DeWitt Washburn for $5600. I’m not sure this is the same property as 3125 North High, but it may well be. Old maps show Washburn owning an extensive piece of property at this location between what is now North High Street and the Olentangy River.

In 1901 (April 15), the Washburns sold some of their property, along with additional acres, to William and Clara Kimble (aka Kimball). William was a dairyman; see my book page 52 for a photograph of his nearby dairy. The 1910 census shows the Kimballs as living at 3119 N High, next-door neighbors to the Washburns at 3125 N High. That said, in 1906 the Washburns themselves had an address on South Front Street, and also owned several lots in the Northwood housing subdivision, so they did not move to 3125 N High immediately after purchasing from Coe.

The Washburns were “members of society” (who among us isn’t?! In this case, I mean that they were listed on Columbus’ Blue Book) and I assume they were the owners who built the current large brick house, with a yard of about 3 acres. Maps from 1910 show a brick building at that location, likely this house. They certainly bought and sold other properties in the Old North or Clintonville neighborhoods, as well.

The Washburn family lived at the 3125 North High property until 1919. Sadly, DeWitt Washburn died in 1915, leaving the property to daughter Eliza and her brother Revilo DeWitt Washburn. Son Revilo died intestate in 1916 (at age 16) so his sister Eliza inherited this and several other properties. Dewitt’s wife Nellie, as guardian for Eliza, sold the property in 1919, when Eliza was age 16 [sic], to Austin Ojeda. The property sold is described as being 255 feet deep.

Ojeda lived in the house with his family until 1922. (A portion of Lot 1 seems to have been sold off around 1920.) He had graduated from OSU in 1910, in Engineering, so was still a young man. In January 1922, Ojeda relocated to New Orleans, and later to Chicago (and later to Argentina), where he was appointed consul representing the Argentine government. In March 1922, two acres of “good fertile ground with a number of fruit trees rear of 3125 N High” were put up for sale. Ojeda subdivided his property in 1922 and may have built the brick homes immediately to the west. Initially, the Ojedas tried to rent the house out; it is described as being “an eleven-room single brick with reception hall, music room, large living room, dining room, breakfast room and kitchen on the first floor; 4 large bedrooms on the second floor; two servants rooms on the third floor; a large [cemented?] basement with two furnaces, one for gas and one for coal; a large garage suitable for three cars.” Wow. I’m wondering where that garage was located and what egress it had. By the following year, Ojeda was attempting to sell the house instead of renting it, and in 1924 Ojeda sold it to sisters Clara B Lawrence and Sadie J Ulrich.

I believe it was Clara and Sadie who “duplexed” the house between 1924 and 1930. Clara and Sadie let apartments during their ownership; the 1930 census shows 8 people living at this address. The house remained duplexed until very recently (ca 2024). Clara and Sadie advertised it as a property with great commercial potential when they sold it to the Bullocks.

Marshall H Bullock (b. 1882), was a manager with Western and Southern Life Insurance Company. The Bullocks never lived at 3125; in 1930 and 1934 they with their 6 children lived at 36 West Lakeview, and by 1942 lived at 40 West Schreyer. Marshall died in 1963. Agnes continued to own the 3125 property until 1964. Though Marshall and Agnes owned the property, they likely purchased it for their son Donald H Bullock M.D.’s practice. Donald graduated medical school in 1934. Dr Bullock was listed as having this address as his practice and also, for a time, as his residence. Donald died in 1981 at age 73.

After Marshall died in 1963, Agnes sold the property, in 1964, to the Traceys. This is what the house looked like in 1964 and 1965.

Edward Tracy was an art instructor from his home and had a lively advertisement for his instruction, gift shop, and gallery. Dog sitting! Children entertained!

I do not know anything about the Millisor and Sabag partnership, though I found a Josephine H Sica Millisor, from Marion OH, who died in 2001 at age 81.

This nice realtor picture shows the house in 1966. I especially like it because it shows the outside entrances to the duplex, on the south side of the house.

I believe the building served as the North Oak Gallery under artist Yoshiaki Yoshinari’s ownership. The Clintonville Spotlight did a nice article on the building in 2021.

And a final note: the building may well be visible in the streetview here.

[Links courtesy of the Columbus Dispatch, the County Recorder, and Clintonville Spotlight. Specific citations can be found by clicking though the links. The 1964, 1965, and 1966 photos are from the MLS realtor files at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.]