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Piece of history discovered during downtown Tiffin renovation

The advertisement mural dates back to the 1890s when the building neighboring the loft apartment was a free-standing structure.

TIFFIN, Ohio — Renovation projects sometimes reveal surprises, like hardwood floors under the carpet or old newspapers and soda cans behind drywall.

When Tiffin Capital Investment began renovating historic buildings in downtown Tiffin, their goal was to offer modern commercial and residential space that had sat vacant since the 1960s. But they recently uncovered a piece of Tiffin's history dating back to the 1800s.

Kip Keiffer, a partner with TCI, said the discovery of an advertisement mural dating back to 1895, when the adjacent building was a standalone structure, was unprecedented.

"We decided to tear it out. And we found another ceiling, and then another ceiling. And then we started peeling plaster off the walls and we found [the mural]." Keiffer said.

The adjacent building was built in 1888, and the building they renovated was built in 1904, he said.

"So sometime in the 1890s is when everything got covered up," Keiffer said.

The developers decided to restore and preserve the mural as part of the apartment loft renovation project.

Credit: Jon Monk
The mural dates back to the mid-1890s and was covered when the building at 31 Court Street was constructed.

The mural was the biggest selling point for Lind Auger, the first prospective tenant they showed it to.

Auger, who has been in the loft for about a month, said she loved the history being literally in her living room and the excuse to not hang any art or pictures.

"The vibe and the feel that you see when you're in this room, I just love it," she said.

While modernizing the historic structures, the developers wanted to make sure they retained what made the buildings special to the community.

"We think it's important to bring things back to life and appreciate the history that it gives to our community," TCI partner Jeremy Marinis said.

Auger said that she and her husband are only in the loft temporarily until their historic home renovations are finished.

So, the loft will be back on the market shortly.

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