Ross Hornak Hopes to Restore Building to its Former Glory
As Ross Hornak looked at the now-defunct Burton Fox Inn, he said, “I’ve got a lot of memories here.” When his purchase of the historic property is complete, he will likely create many more.
As Ross Hornak looked at the now-defunct Burton Fox Inn, he said, “I’ve got a lot of memories here.”
When his purchase of the historic property is complete, he will likely create many more.
The building was appraised at $75,000 for an April 20 sheriff’s sale, which meant opening bids had to start at a minimum of $50,000. With an 8-percent buyer’s premium added to the sale price, Hornak, who owns TRI Excavating and Construction, will pay a total purchase price of $140,400.
“I forgot the auction was here today,” Hornak said last Thursday. “I called the bank real quick to see if, worst case scenario, I had enough in there to grab it if I could.”
His luck paid off.
The money from the sale will go to pay back taxes owed by current owner Charles Imars, with anything leftover from the sale of the property or contents applied to outstanding personal loans.
Auctioneer John Froelich told the gathered bidders, “You are bidding on the described property in as-is condition” and there would be no contingencies offered for financing.
The contents of the building and grounds may or may not be included in the sale — Imars has the 45 to 60 days between the auction and closing of the sale to remove loose items from the building, though Froelich believes much of what remains inside poses too big of an insurance risk to recover.
“I hope he wants it all,” Hornak said. “I hope he wants everything including the drywall.”
For the purchase, Hornak partnered with his wife, Dawn, owner of Lulu Tru Holistic Beauty and Wellness on Burton’s historic square. He remodeled the building Lulu Tru is housed in and hopes to do the same for the historic Burton Fox Inn, which has roots in Burton back to the 1800s.
“I want to get it looking like it used to look again,” Hornak said. “And I don’t have any plans for inside, just try to get this thing fixed up and get it dry and that’s about it.”
Built about 180 years ago, the large structure has had a number of owners over the centuries, but seen little human activity in the last seven years, Burton Village Fiscal Officer Chris Paquette said last year.
Imars, who has owned the Burton Fox Inn since 2009, was told by the Geauga County Building Department in September 2016 he needed to make repairs on the inn or have it razed.
There is a hole in the roof, the eves are open to the weather and raccoons had moved in. Sometime during the frigid winter of 2014-2015, the fire suppression system ruptured filling the basement with water.
Built on 5 acres around 1834 by James Peiffer, the building doubled as his home and the post office for the area, said Linda Mattern, a volunteer at Century Village.
The “Pioneer’s History of Geauga County” traces the inn’s origins to when a larger tract called Ye Olde Homestead was owned by Hiram Russell before Peiffer bought 5 acres, she said.
Hornak grew up about a mile and a half from the square and still lives in his childhood home.
“My family’s been here a long time,” Hornak said, adding he is unhappy to see old buildings in Burton falling apart.
A long-time friend of Imars, Hornak said he understood the seller’s position, too.
“You run out of money, things go bad, I get it,” he said.
Hornak estimated a full restoration of the building would cost him around half a million dollars, and would start with gutting the building, drying it out and removing mold issues and making it safe for people to enter.
“There’s a lot going on. A lot of stuff you can’t see yet; that’s the problem.”
