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Sorg Mansion sold

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409 View Drop Down
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    Posted: Sep 29 2013 at 11:53am
According to the BC auditors website the Sorg Mansion property has sold for $225,000.
Have heard it will become a bed & breakfast.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bocephus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 30 2013 at 1:40am
Please pass the popcorn LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 30 2013 at 6:05am
Hey, with the cost of rehabbing the mansion to make it an attraction, and the taxes to be paid, how many years of bed and breakfast people filling the rooms would it take to break even on this venture? Obviously not looking for the short term ROI are they. And, pray tell, what would make this location an attraction for all the "bed and breakfasters" to take them up on the offer?
I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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itsamee View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote itsamee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 30 2013 at 8:36am
If they could do that as well as make it a conference room / business meeting place, it might attract some more white collar jobs...
Itsa me, mario!
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409 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 409 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 30 2013 at 7:02pm
From MJ:

Sorg Mansion sold for $225,000

By Rick McCrabb

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN —

A Maryland couple has purchased the 126-year-old Sorg Mansion and plan to renovate the historic property and move to Middletown, The Journal has learned.

The mansion, located on South Main Street in the heart of the city’s historic district, was sold recently for $225,000 to Mark and Traci Barnett, who live in Baltimore, Md., according to the Butler County Auditor’s Office. Mark Barnett said he and his wife, who have purchased and renovated four homes, plan to invest another $400,000 to $500,000 to get the property “back to par,” he said.

The Barnetts plan to relocate to Middletown once the renovations are complete, and may turn the property into a bed-and-breakfast, said Mark Barnett, 56, a railroad engineer.

When asked whether he considers himself an investor, he laughed and said: “No. Crazy. Maybe.”

Rachel S. Lewitt, broker and owner of Finkelman Real Estate, which handled the property, called the sale of the mansion “a great day and another positive movement for the city of Middletown. It’s a complete win.”

Lewitt called the Sorg Mansion “a critical piece of Middletown’s history.”

She had been negotiating with the Barnetts for the last 18 months, she said. Mark Barnett said he saw the listing on the Internet and immediately was interested. He was impressed by the mansion’s exterior and the way the interior was preserved.

“They have done well to maintain the integrity of the property,” he said.

He said the roof immediately will be repaired, and the hope is to bring the property back to its original appearance, he said.

Jeffrey Diver, executive director of the Middletown Historical Society, said he was thrilled to learn the owners plan to preserve the “gorgeous building that has historical significance to the city.”

In September 2009, the property was listed for sale for $525,000, according to Middletown Journal archives.

The mansion has been home to dance and photo studios, a construction company and low-income apartments over the years, but more recently had become a haven for drug dealers and crime.

It was built in 1887 by Paul J. Sorg, one of Middletown’s first industrialist and first multi-millionaires, for $1 million.

The three-story, 12-bedroom, eight bathroom brick-and-stone Romanesque castle features 12-foot ceilings and fireplaces in every bedroom. There’s also a ballroom, formal dining room and library. Much of the original stained glass remains today, according to Lewitt.

The property has been in the Finkelman family since 1936, said Lewitt, the granddaughter of the late Harry A. Finkelman, who died in 2004.

She said her grandfather would be “really pleased” because the mansion has been sold to a couple with “good hearts and it’s in their hands now.”

Lewitt said she can’t count the number of hours she has spent over the years in the mansion. She was asked if she’s passionate about the property.

“Of course,” she said, dabbing at tears. “It’s a piece of artwork. Priceless beauty. We are so fortunate to have her in our city.”

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VietVet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 01 2013 at 7:44am
Ya gotta like this. Two private citizens who want to use their own money to restore some history in this town and relocate here. Beats the heck out of the city's method of using taxpayer loaner money to purchase a property, then give it away to a friend of the city. Guess railroad engineers make the cash to qualify for a transaction like this. At 56 years old, dunno if most would tackle a project such as this. I hope they succeed.

The article mentions the feelings of Rachel Lewitt, the granddaughter of Harry Finkleman. She mentions the mansion being a piece of history and that her grandfather would have been pleased with the new purchasers wanting to restore the property. Just wondering if Harry cherished the property, as Lewitt mentions, why did he convert it into apartments with all the ramifications that that entails such as the altering and damage by rental tenants?

Nevertheless, it is an opportunity for all of us to see some history come alive rather than to meet the city bulldozer program, so popular with the current regime. Now, if we could just get more private money involved, we may see some success down that way.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote enough is enough Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 01 2013 at 11:15am
Do not let Miss Lewitt's crocodile tears fool you. If see loved the property so much why did she not spend HER OWN MONEY to restore the property??? 
Enough is Enough
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Middletown29 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 01 2013 at 2:00pm
Finkelman allowed the Sorg to practically fall apart.
Do not believe they have feelings for anything other than $$$$$$
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike_Presta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 15 2013 at 3:51am
Originally posted by 409 409 wrote:

From MJ:

Sorg Mansion sold for $225,000

... Mark Barnett said he and his wife, who have purchased and renovated four homes, plan to invest another $400,000 to $500,000 to get the property “back to par,” he said.

So, I wonder who sold these folks on the idea that they could "get the property back to par" for the measly sum of $400,000 or $500,000???

Is there ANYONE even REMOTELY familiar with this property who actually believes that even just the exterior of this place can be brought to the kangaroo court's Middletown Historic Commission's requirements for just $500,000???
 
Anyone???
“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Historic House Guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 15 2013 at 8:29am
Wow, this is great news! I sure hope to be doing some of this work.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote adamcollin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 24 2017 at 1:09am
I have always loved this old mansion!
Lone Star Realty & Property Management, Inc.
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