By Harry McCawley, The republic
harry@therepublic.com
THE historic Irwin home and gardens have been sold to a Columbus couple. They plan to convert the mansion into a bed-and-breakfast immediately.
Chris and Jessica Stevens of Columbus purchased the estate from Will Miller for $1.25 million, according to documents filed Tuesday with the Bartholomew County auditor's office.
The inn will be managed by Jim and Eve Jackson, Jessica Stevens' parents, who plan to move from Indianapolis and occupy part of the home.
"We hope to have rooms available to the public by February," Jessica Stevens said Monday, after both parties signed final documents. "There will be a total of five rooms/suites that will be available for public use, and we'll also make the gardens available to rent for special parties or events."
End of an era
The transaction ends a connection between the historic Fifth Street property and the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller families that dates to 1864, when Columbus banker Joseph I. Irwin selected the downtown property as the site for his family home.
Over the past 145 years, it has been home to four generations of the family, several branches of which shared it at the same time.
The last family member to make it a permanent residence was Clementine Miller Tangeman, who died in 1996. She and her brother, philanthropist J. Irwin Miller, grew up in the home.
The property was sold by Will Miller, son of J. Irwin and Xenia Miller. He had purchased it from the estate of his aunt.
Stevens said the family intends to continue the generations-old tradition of having the gardens open at selected times during the week.
Although the gardens have attracted global attention, the new owners acknowledge they have considerable work ahead of them in restoring the area to its former beauty and hope to be able to work with local garden clubs with that goal in mind.
The Jacksons, who recently retired from careers in Indianapolis, will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the newly named Irwin Inn and Gardens.
"Our initial plans call for a limited staff in operating the inn," Eve Jackson said. "We will probably have one person for maintenance and upkeep, while we will prepare the meals and see to the administrative details such as handling reservations."
Stevens said the interior of the mansion is practically in a move-in status already.
"We intend to begin taking reservations in February," Jessica Stevens said. "Right now we're trying to arrange an opening program whereby we would offer the first night we are open in an auction with the proceeds to go to local not-for-profit groups."
Three suites and two single rooms will be available, including the bachelor's quarters on the third floor that were the principal domain of the late W.G. Irwin when he lived in the house in the first half of the 20th century.
Stevens said rates at the outset would be in the range of $175 to $350 per night based on the type of accommodation and the time.
Many of the original furnishings in the large Italianate home have been retained by the new owners, who intend to make few, if any, structural or design changes.
The future use of other elements on the property that covers an entire city block is not so firm.
A gardener's cottage that fronts Sixth Street is unoccupied, but the Jacksons indicated it might serve as a rental property in the future.
"We're really not certain what we will do with the greenhouses at this point in time," Stevens said. "They would require quite a bit of work to return them to their original purpose."
In addition to the plant life, the gardens feature artwork that reflects the previous owner's interests and history. The gardens were designed by Massachusetts architect Henry Phillips and inspired by a garden in Pompeii.
Information about the inn will be available on the Internet at http://irwingardens.com and by phone at 812-376-3663.
