Northridge home once owned by King of the Gypsies on verge of collapsing

NORTHRIDGE, ohio — A home in Northridge is on the brink of collapsing, but as the homeowners were in the middle of demolishing the building, they realized it has significant history behind it and now want the home preserved.

The home is at 2021 Gipsy Drive and it may look like a normal home, but it’s filled with history. It was built in 1823 and the Stanley family moved in not long after it was built.

The homeowners said it was once known that Owen Stanley, the original king of the gypsies, ruled gypsies not only in the U.S. but also in Europe, South Africa and all over the world.

The Stanley family, which Stanley Avenue is named after, owned 6000 acres around the Dayton region. They came to American from England in 1856 and ruled the gypsies from this house.

According to the homeowners, the house was considered the Gypsies King and Queen Palace. They ruled over all the gypsies in the area. They got along with the indigenous Indians by bartering and trading with them. So, there was no fighting between the groups.

The Stanley family is buried at Woodland Cemetery in Dayton.

Robert Yontz, who lives down the street, said the property first caught his eye when owners Jodi Votto and Jerry Schutt recently started removing the siding.

“They had discovered this uncovered treasure sitting here right in the middle of Northridge,” Yontz said,

Votto said they had no idea the history this house had when they bought it.

“When we bought the house, we didn’t really know what it was,” Votto said. “We fell in love with the property, fell in love with the house and we just wanted to restore it.”

Votto continued, “Once we started the work inside and taking off the plaster, we realized what we had.”

For six years Votto and Schutt attempted restoration.

“Of course we didn’t use horse hair and mud as they did. But we used concrete and chinking because we wanted to keep it preserved as a long cabin,” Votto said.

Although the goal is to preserve the home, it may not be possible here at 2021 Gipsey Drive.

Votto said, “The more we worked on it, the more we realized the house is collapsing into the basement.”

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