The Oliver House
Maybe it’s the relaxed atmosphere that encourages the ghosts of the Oliver House to walk the old hotel’s hallways and staircases. Maybe it’s their memories of Toledo’s first grand hotel in its heyday. Or maybe it’s their nightmares from the hotel’s years as a Civil War infirmary or, before that, as a stop on the Underground Railroad. It’s possible they’ve been lingering on the site far longer — since the days Native Americans dwelled in the area.
Whatever their reasons for remaining, people report still seeing ghosts to this day, including a soldier in uniform who comes around quite a bit and has been dubbed “The Captain.”
“The haunting just continues over time, usually late in the evenings,” says Neal Kovacik, general manager of the five restaurants and bars housed today at the Oliver House. “We’ve had ghost hunters out several times who have found various apparitions. One lady had an app for her smartphone and she was finding them.”
Adding to the intrigue was the discovery of a Native American burial site during renovations in 1994. “We had a tribe from out west come out and perform a ceremony to rebury the remains,” Kovacik says.
In the basement, there’s a bricked-over archway — the entrance to a tunnel leading to the Maumee River. Escaped slaves were picked up on the other side and taken to Canada.
Abraham Lincoln was another historial highlight. He is reported to have stayed there when he was president and in town for a funeral.
That was back when the Oliver House was Toledo’s first grand hotel. When it opened in 1859, it boasted 171 rooms, each with running water, gaslights and fireplaces. The hotel overlooked a park and offered private rooms with views of the Maumee River.
Today, the building houses five places to eat, drink and indulge. We choose Rockwell’s Steakhouse, but arrive early for our reservations and stop at the Maumee Bay Brew Pub for a beer. The casual atmosphere is comfortable and we have a good time deciding which beer to order from the nine brewed on-site.
My husband Keith chooses Fallen Timbers Red Ale, while I choose a brew with a past. Buckeye Beer was brewed in Toledo until the 1970s, when the label was purchased by the Miller Brewing Co. In the mid-1990s, the Oliver House owners Jim and Pat Appold purchased the rights back from Miller and began brewing it again in Toledo.
Among the menu choices in the pub are soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches, as well as pizza from a wood-fired oven, steaks and pasta dishes. Prices range from $8 for a burger to $15 for a steak.
We, however, move on to Rockwell’s. Keith opts for the house-cut steak ($29.75), which is a 14-ounce sirloin. I try the shrimp-and-scallop pasta ($25.50). The tender, succulent steak was perfectly cooked to my husband’s taste. Rockwell’s prides itself on featuring only USDA prime steak — the top 2 percent in the nation — and the premium quality definitely stands out. My angel hair pasta in a saffron scampi sauce with sun-dried tomatoes provides a pleasant mix of contrasting flavors.
For sides we choose roasted-garlic mashed potatoes and sliced beets ($6.50 each). They’re served family style and are more than enough for two people. Accompanying the meal is a delicious herb bread served with butter and herbed olive oil for dipping.
Also in the Oliver House is Mutz, a casual bar with an outdoor courtyard, pool tables and a game room, and Rockwell’s Lounge, known for its martini and wine lists.
A sweet option for daytime is Petit Fours Patisserie and Café (open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.), which serves specials such as crab and vegetable quiche and carrot ginger soup. But it’s the dessert that dazzles, including strudel, almond kringlers, Belgian chocolate brownies and chocolate-dipped macaroons.
”It just gives you a nice taste of a dessert as opposed to filling you up,” says patisserie manager Molly Johnston. “It’s fresh and delicious and not so filling that you want to go take a nap.”
After any meal at the Oliver House, it’s nice to wander a bit and take it all in. The hotel is named for Major William Oliver, who fought at Fort Meigs during the War of 1812. He later commissioned Isaiah Rogers to design the building. When the hotel was built, it used “a million and a quarter bricks,” as reported at the time in The (Toledo) Blade, and took seven years to build.
Not long after it opened, war broke out. “Business wasn’t good during the Civil War,” Kovacik says.
By the late 1800s, more modern hotels were built closer to downtown and people began to stay there instead. The area around the hotel became a manufacturing center and the Oliver House became a boarding house.
In 1919, the building was converted to an industrial plant. It is said to have been used during the Great Depression as a flophouse before it was put back into industrial use. By the 1960s, the building became home to several small businesses.
The building’s luck turned in 1990 when current owners Jim and Pat Appold saw potential in the old structure. They bought it and remodeled it into a space for restaurants and pubs, meeting rooms and apartments.
Today, the Oliver House is the oldest commercial building in Toledo still in use. The Captain and his ghostly friends like to hang around, as do plenty of live people who enjoy fine food and good beer surrounded by history.