Malory Fritz has always wanted to take a peek inside the littlest house in Athens.
I'm very curious about it
said Fritz, a sophomore studying communications at Ohio University. It's interesting and funny but confusing at the same time.
Despite what the sign on the front of the building says, The Littlest House, 89 Mill St., is not really a house. It was built in 1927 to be used as a ticket booth for high school football games, a drop-off point and distribution center for The Columbus Dispatch and a confectionery. No one has ever lived there.
Danielle Dimitris, a senior studying exercise physiology, lives on the same property as The Littlest House. She said everyone who lives on the lot has a key to the building to use for free storage over school breaks.
Although the inside of the 160-square-foot Littlest House only includes an empty space and a loft, Dimitris said it has been helpful having it to store extra furniture.
It's pretty deceiving because you go in there and it's got high ceilings and you can fit a lot in there she said.
Dimitris said living right next to The Littlest House has been convenient because it is a recognizable landmark.
I live on the corner of Mill and Putnam
and no one knows where Putnam is
Dimitris said. It's pretty convenient because I can tell people 'Do you know where The Littlest House is?' and they'll know where I live.
Before she moved to Mill Street, though, Dimitris always wondered what was inside.
When I was a freshman or sophomore everyone would make up stories about what that place was
she said.
Ann St. Pierre Harris has owned The Littlest House and the surrounding apartments for about 15 years. Although she now lives in Columbus, she said she wants The Littlest House to maintain its charm in Athens.
I love history and restoration
Harris said. I love to preserve anything that's old
so I've tried to keep it with character.
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