The Brickhouse, known as Syler’s Place in 1975 and later as Syler’s Restaurant, was originally the Weed Building. Quite appropriate for a herb and tea company, let alone a Meigs County place, I digress.
Farmers Bank bought the building in 2005 (or so) and had plans to restore it to its glory. Then 2008 happened, and the bank decided not to move ahead. It sat empty for 10 years. The roof leaked horribly, the weather was coming in the windows, and the place had no heating or cooling for that time. It never actually went on the market, but it was known that the bank wanted to sell it. It was a word-of-mouth thing, and by the time we saw it in 2015, it was getting ready to be added to the tear-down list.
When I saw it, I knew it would be a very big deal to try and save it. My partner/husband thought differently. I know he had good intentions, wanting to help create a home for my tea company and for us, but I recognized it for what it was: a HUGE and costly undertaking.
In 1995, I bought Meigs County’s oldest department store, Rutland Department Store, and learned what it took to save a place. More importantly, I learned what it meant to a community to save one of the remaining buildings and businesses in a small town. The department store fix-up was nothing compared to what the Brickhouse was going to be, nothing.
We bought the building at the very end of 2015, hired masonry workers immediately, and had a new roof and gutters put on in early 2016. There was much work to be done; with each layer we uncovered, we saw more and more damage that needed to be tended to. I brought in old-school craftsmen to help, and woodworkers where I needed expertise. We tore up wood that had been glued to the original floors, then sanded and restored the floors, walls that had wallpaper, paneling that had wallpaper, drywall, and then wood lath, and finally brick.
David worked in Columbus and was only home on weekends. From late spring of 2016, I was basically camping in one room upstairs. We had water on the first floor in the spring of 2016 and electric, so I was able to cook some and used the small shower that wasn’t renovated that was on the 1st floor. I was onsite full-time with contractors and those friends and family who came to help. I spent endless hours on many various projects within the BH. There were lots of moving parts for sure.
I remember that first winter sitting with kerosene heaters in what became “the big riverside room,” 3 masonry workers, 4 Amish roofers, and me. 2016 was difficult, to say the least, and as it turned out, 2017 was even more difficult. My husband David was very intrigued with the Pomeroy project. He felt it was something we could easily do. He was so wrong. So wrong that after a year of working on the project, he left. Me, the town, the project, all of it. After dinner one evening, he said it was too hard and left. Went to Columbus and never spent another night at the BH.
Everyone was surprised, most especially me. I had no knowledge, we never spoke of a problem, nothing. I was devastated, shook to my core. I had already become the general contractor for the project, setting aside my Herbal Sage Tea Company for a while to focus on the renovations. It was so messed up. I was so messed up.
We had moved the Herbal Sage Tea Company to one side of the first floor as soon as we got it ready and certified to blend in, which was the end of 2016. The main parts of the first floor had been done (ish), and the 2nd floor was the main focus after that. So I was committed to working and living in the BH for months before David left. I put all my eggs in one basket, as they say. I needed to stay and make it work. The good news is folks stepped up to help, and although it took me an extra few years, I stayed with it and got it done.
I love everything about the BH now. My fondness for all it is, grateful for saving and then living in such an awesome piece of history. I am proud that I persevered and completed the project. There is still more to do, but it’s solid, saved, and feels amazing within her walls. All of my guests felt a huge sense of welcoming, warmth, and connection when they stayed. Of course, some enjoyed the ghosts more, but that’s another story.
I wanted to add that in the first year of saving the building, I had folks pull into the parking lot, come out of their vehicles, and thank me. Some hugged and were so grateful it was being saved, not torn down. I guess I didn’t really deeply understand what it meant to save the BH or how much history its presence meant for those who grew up around Pomeroy. I was deeply moved by their authenticity and sense of connection. Some of the people remember me fixing up the Rutland Department Store, but many more just “knew” the building, and the fact it was being saved meant so much. I often call the BH the Mothership on that side of town. So large, so beautiful, and a true cornerstone in town. I was humbled by the love and gratitude expressed to be during the project and during the first flood I encountered.
The story of my partner/husband leaving me early on in the project spread so quickly too. I felt as though I was living in a fishbowl, right there in town. There was nothing I could do except be vulnerable and accept help. There was nothing else to do. I was taken care of, and therefore the BH was too. It’s as though I saved the BH, then she saved me.
Herbal Sage Tea is back to flourishing, The Brickhouse is still our home, and Pomeroy is still my town. This has been an amazing journey. I feel so blessed to have Susan and United Plant Savers as the new pilot. I will always care for my sacred brick jewel, all it took away and all it has given to me.
