Historic Lazarus Home in Downtown Columbus Undergoes a Preservation-Focused Revival

The Columbus Metropolitan Library Main branch is a grand architectural treasure of Carnegie generosity, but it’s not the only stately building on the block. Just a side street over is the historic Lazarus House on East Town Street, built in 1879 by Fred Lazarus Sr., who with his brother Ralph ran the beloved F&R Lazarus Co. department store that was founded by their father. In the same way the Lazarus family breathed life into Downtown Columbus, partners Abigail McLean and Mark Sweeney have done the same for the 7,000-square-foot home.  

Inside the structure—which has been divided into three well-appointed apartments, of which McLean and Sweeney have a sprawling three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit—many original details live on. From parquet floors to ornate fireplaces to wavy glass windows and newel posts, the Lazarus House retains its Victorian charm amid a curated, eclectic blend of décor.  

While the home may look like something out of HGTV, the renovation process was much more involved than what TV rehabbers would have you believe. “We pushed our limits in terms of creativity and problem-solving, because whenever you dig into an old house, there are so many sins of the past in every wall,” Sweeney says.  

The couple found many surprises, from small delights (gold buttons buried in the yard, a coin from 1889, an old illustrated deck of playing cards) to larger statement details (the original parquet floor in remarkably good condition after 150 years). After buying the home in September 2020—during the height of the pandemic when the cost of building materials was skyrocketing—McLean and Sweeney strived to keep or repurpose as many of the original features as possible. 

Susan Keeny, preservation director at Columbus Landmarks, a nonprofit that protects the city’s architectural legacy, assisted the couple in navigating the preservation process. At the Lazarus House, Keeny saved the windows—and the couple a lot of money, providing them with a list of vetted vendors who specialize in historic homes after helping them determine that the windows were stable. “I think a lot of people hear restoration and think restoration is going to be more expensive than buying new. We were like that, but [restoring] ended up being a third of what we expected to pay, and it had all the efficiency, safety and livability,” Sweeney says.  

Columbus Landmarks works hard to combat preservation misconceptions. “Preservation doesn’t mean you save something in amber,” Keeny says. “I like to see adaptive reuse. Homeowners need to understand what you have and take away carefully. Everybody is so anxious to do the rehab based on HGTV where it’s always demo day, but it should begin with an examination first, so you understand what you have.” 

Indeed, McLean and Sweeney did incorporate new, appropriate elements into the home, such as custom-made kitchen chairs from Edgework Creative, rounded at the top to mimic the arched doorways throughout the house. “Edgework sketched out like 30 rudimentary sketches based on the inspiration we sent them. They sketched all these designs, then we picked two we liked. They came out beautifully,” McLean says.  

The couple also had to get creative with their rooftop patio—a feature that was important because they have two pre-teen boys and not much of a lawn. While the family spends time in the nearby Topiary Park, they also wanted an outdoor space of their own—a desire that required some creative problem-solving to get a blessing from the Columbus Downtown Commission, which helps ensure historic properties are keeping in accord with proper aesthetics. The commission was concerned an obvious patio door would take away from the building, so the door was masked to look like a window.  

In addition, the couple got creative with the bathroom between their boys’ bedrooms, adding a ladder that leads to a cozy hideaway, which they call the “Lazarus Loft.” “I wanted a little surprise for my boys,” Sweeney says. “Moving from Clintonville where they had friends and school was hard, so we tried to find fun ways to make this enjoyable. They now love living Downtown.”  

With 16-foot ceilings, the house had plenty of space for a little vaulted room. But the benefit isn’t just for the boys—they were also able to hide the HVAC equipment in a side room off the loft so as not to sacrifice floor space.  

Despite all the challenges, the renovation has been rewarding for McLean and Sweeney, and they encourage others to follow their example. “We want people to understand that saving an old home can be done, and it’s not as cost prohibitive as you think,” McLean says. “There are tax credits for historic homes and tax abatements.” 

The house also has been a dream come full circle. For many years, Sweeney’s grandmother worked as a master seamstress in the Downtown Lazarus department store, which closed in 2004. And when the couple put an offer on the house, McLean was diagnosed with cancer. Being immunocompromised during the pandemic meant she had to stay isolated on the second floor, away from her family, while undergoing chemo. “This was honestly one of the best places I could have imagined to heal in,” she says. “There’s a lot of natural light in here, so during a dark Ohio winter, it was amazing watching the sun travel through the windows.”  

During this time, McLean’s vision for the house came into focus. “For the year she was up here recuperating, she was secretly building an arsenal of beautiful home furnishings in her mind,” Sweeney says. “Although we were communicating regularly, it was more like, ‘How are you feeling? What can I do to make life easier for you?’ We weren’t connecting on what painting are you going to put in a house that isn’t even finished yet. But she knew where everything was going before the house was finished.”  

As the house was renovated, McLean’s health also was restored. She’s now in remission.  

“Being able to heal here and celebrate here afterwards has been an amazing experience,” McLean says. “Here’s to a fall filled with champagne.” 

This story is from the December 2023 issue of Columbus Monthly.