A W. Drahner Rd. house that’s been a familiar fixture in Oxford since the 19th century will soon come tumbling to the ground.
Demolition of the three-story Dominican Center, located on the Dominican Sisters of Peace property, is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Feb. 17. The Lapeer-based North American Dismantling Corporation is handling the project.
‘It’s sad, but we’re living in a world of change,? said Sister Audrey Rash, secretary at the Dominican Sisters Motherhouse and former director of St. Mary’s Retreat House. ‘Part of me wants to keep it open and have people live there.?
But she realizes that’s just not practical.
According to Sister Jacqueline Baum, administrator for the Dominican Sisters of Peace Oxford campus, ‘it’s no longer a wise (financial) decision? to maintain and heat the 7,500-square-foot house.
‘No one is using (it) sufficiently for that,? she said.
For the same reasons, the Dominican Sisters are also having North American Dismantling tear down the 2,300-square-foot, single-story building that used to house the independently-operated Children’s Garden Montessori school. Based on lease records she had, Sister Jacqueline said the school operated there from 1992 until it closed in November 2013. It’s been vacant ever since.
‘We should be out of there (working) for two weeks,? said Oxford resident Tom Bailey, a senior estimator and project manager for North American Dismantling. ‘We won’t be able to topsoil and seed (the areas) until the spring. The majority of the big trees (around the buildings) are all going to stay.?
For many years, the Dominican Center served the nuns in a variety of ways.
Back when the Dominican Academy was still in operation, the center served as a residence for the high school girls who attended it, according to Sister Audrey. After the academy closed in the late 1970s, the center was used to host catechism classes and retreats for various groups, most recently high school students, she said.
Sister Audrey recalled how much fun it was cleaning the center during the summers.
‘We had a lot of good times in that house because there are so many cubbyholes,? she said. ‘It’s such an odd house (in terms of its mishmash layout). It’s almost like a Harry Potter (type) house in some ways. It’s really neat for exploration.?
It’s estimated the house was built sometime between the 1840s and 1860s, according to Kim Maul, who’s the secretary at the St. Mary’s Retreat House on the Dominican Sisters property. The house was originally part of the Coyle Estate, which was acquired by the Dominican Sisters in 1948.
When first constructed, it was just a one-story house. A ‘major renovation? was done sometime in the 1920s, resulting in the house people see today, Maul said.
‘If I had a half-a-billion dollars, I would save that place,? she said.
But since Maul can’t do that, she did the next best thing. She called in an architectural salvage company to save some unique windows, fixtures and moldings.
‘I love old buildings. I like to see that kind of stuff saved. That’s our history,? Maul explained. ‘I didn’t want to see some of those architectural details go to waste and end up in the dump.?
Since November, the Oxford Fire Department has been using the Dominican Center for training purposes.
‘We really intended to demolish everything in the spring of last year and then the fire department asked us if we would let them use the Dominican Center for practice,? Sister Jacqueline said.
Not only is the house spacious, it’s divided into many small rooms and has narrow staircases, making it the ‘perfect? challenge for search-and-rescue exercises,? according to Fire Chief Pete Scholz.
‘It’s a good training tool,? he said.
‘It’s such a hodgepodge (inside). There’s no rhyme or reason (as to how it’s laid out),? Maul noted. ‘I was always fascinated by what I saw.?
On Saturday, the center was used for Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) training.
Firefighters from Oxford, Addison, Orion, Auburn Hills and Independence participated in the exercise.
When deployed a RIT’s sole job is to rescue downed firefighters trapped inside burning, smoke-filled structures.
Although using the center has been a boon for the fire department, Scholz is sorry to see it disappear from the local landscape.
‘It’s a shame it’s going to get destroyed,? he said. ‘If they didn’t do anything to it, the thing would probably stand for another 50 years. It’s phenomenal.?
He noted how the basement contains large hand-hewn wooden beams.
‘It’s just as solid as can be,? Scholz said.