Century-old Port Washington home restored by Riddles

Renovating a badly decayed century-old house in Port Washington, owners Brooke and Keith Riddle needed plenty of time, critical skills and the ability to find joy in disaster — traits the couple possess in full measure. The home, the birthplace of an important Ohio figure, is now standing proudly once again.

John H. Lamneck was born in the house in 1891 to German immigrant parents. He quickly rose in the education field, becoming a high school superintendent not long after earning his teaching certificate at age 24. After passing the Ohio bar exam in 1918, Lamneck held several appointed positions before being elected the youngest probate judge in the state in 1924. In 1953, Gov. Frank Lausche appointed him to a temporary seat on the Ohio Supreme Court. Lamneck died in 1975.

By the early 2000s, the judge’s birthplace had sat empty for decades. The Riddles, who owned the house next door, watched it crumble under absentee ownership.

“I actually used to go into the house after storms and put windows back in,” said Keith Riddle. “A good storm would blow the windows out and let rain in. I hated seeing the old house getting any more damaged than it already was.”

After years of persistence, the Riddles purchased the house. It was in rough condition.

“I think most people would have considered it close to bulldozing at that point,” Riddle said. “Even the raccoons were scared to live in it.”

The couple, however, were not new to such projects. Their own home, built in 1884, had already been restored.

“We always gravitate to these older turn-of-the-century homes,” Riddle said.

Determined to preserve as much of the exterior history as possible, the Riddles avoided vinyl siding and modern shortcuts.

“Society is losing a lot of that in older homes,” Riddle said. “It’s easier or cheaper to just wrap everything in vinyl, but I think that’s a loss. So much of the trim and character gets lost.”

Original-style porch columns were even sourced with the help of the Cleveland Museum of Art during a major renovation there.

After two years of steady work, the house was restored. Then disaster struck again. A large tree in the front yard toppled onto the home, destroying the roof, rafters, soffits and porch.

“We didn’t know if we wanted to cut that down and grind it or what,” Riddle said.

Instead, the couple turned the loss into art. Brooke Riddle suggested carving the stump, and Dan Kidd of Conotton Creek Woodworks in Scio transformed it into a scene of a canal town, with the Lamneck house in the background.

The carving became a community attraction. Port Washington Council renamed the lane next to the property Lamneck Alley, and Mayor Thomas Gardner expressed strong support for the project.

The Riddles’ restoration was further inspired by reading Lamneck’s memoir, “From Lamplight to Satellite,” a long out-of-print book describing his youth in the home.

The house has been restored once again and, according to the Riddles, will likely be placed on the market in 2026.