A Richmond mansion will be closed for tours while the cooling system isn’t working.
The air conditioner is just one of the expensive repairs looming at the Gaar House Museum in Richmond, and that big-ticket item has prompted additional reflection about the future of a historically significant home.
Board members are considering all long-term options for the historic property at 2593 Pleasant View Road on Richmond’s far-north side, including a potential sale.
Sarah Bradley, director of the nonprofit foundation that manages the 1876 Second Empire Victorian home, said it will be closed for two months since the aging air conditioner can’t be repaired. Estimates are being researched for a new outside chiller.
The Gaar House is in its 52nd year as a tourist attraction for Wayne County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bradley said the Agnes and Abram Gaar Foundation board has been considering a potential sale of the museum because of a lack of volunteers for tours and fundraisers and the high cost of repairs and maintenance.
She believes the board has exhausted most avenues to see the house through the next 20 years and wants the public to know about these challenges. Some area and regional organizations have been approached but declined to take on the extensive responsibilities, Bradley said.
About $100,000 in repair needs that have developed recently include painting the south side of the home, wood moulding and soffit repairs, retaining wall issues and replacing a water heater to keep the humidifier going in the winter. Additional recent needs have included a new floor for the east porch and surrounding sidewalk for about $12,000.
Other welcome help from the community could include off-site fundraisers, online tours or just publicizing the museum, Bradley said.
Industrialist Abram Gaar, president of Gaar-Scott and Co., which manufactured steam engines and threshing machines from 1842-1911, built the home for $20,000. He was Bradley’s great-grandfather.
Bradley has overseen many repair projects and fundraisers over the years. She began helping run the museum since 2002 when her mother, Joanna Hill Mikesell, could no longer operate it.
Mikesell restored her childhood home in the 1970s and established the nonprofit foundation to assume ownership of the home and farm.
In addition to being related to the Gaars, Mikesell’s grandfather and father helped establish Richmond’s reputation as the City of Roses for many years through their leadership of Hill’s Roses. Mikesell died at age 87 in 2007.
For more information, email sarahsambradley@aol.com, call 765-966-1262 or write to the foundation in care of Bradley at 1623 N. Indiana 227, Richmond, IN 47374.
A version of this article will appear in the June 24 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
