Signature Associates

Couple turns vision into vibrancy in historic Vistula

Posted By: Toledo Blade on October 8, 2025.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

For Peter and Valerie Garforth, revitalizing Vistula isn’t just about renovation, it’s about building community, one neighbor, one planter, and one historic house at a time.

When they set their sights on Vistula’s aging homes, they saw more than crumbling bricks; they saw a chance to spark a neighborhood renaissance.

“I became a member of the Vistula Foundation and saw the beginnings of things that were happening here, and I thought it was really interesting and exciting and something that I wanted to be part of,” Mrs. Garforth said.

In 2024, the couple, who live in Ottawa Hills, purchased a historic 1912 duplex at 517 Lagrange St. In an 18-month project, the home recently underwent extensive renovations by ARK Restoration and Construction, with Kevin and Ambrea Mikolajczyk at the helm.

The house was upgraded, but original features like fireplaces and mantles were intentionally restored to preserve its history.

The Vistula Historic District, Toledo’s oldest neighborhood, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was originally established in 1832.

Historic, walkable neighborhood

Mrs. Garforth’s work with Leading Families Home, which runs the Beach House shelter, sparked her interest in Vistula and gave her insight into the district’s challenges and its potential.

“I think that this neighborhood is so important because it’s historic, she said. “The Vistula neighborhood is the original neighborhood of Toledo, founded by Benjamin Franklin Stickney in the 19th century, and it was and still is an integrated neighborhood. So, you had the big houses of the elite, if you like, the government people … and then you also had the workers and everybody lived sort of together. And it was walkable.”

The Garforths are committed to preserving not just the homes of Vistula but also fostering a neighborhood that captures the spirit of the original district.

“It’s got the bones of, actually, what is an emerging future vision of the walkable neighborhood, the mixed community, the multiskilled community, the multi-income community. So the bones are there because that’s what it was,” Mr. Garforth said. “Part of the appeal is actually using those bones, but putting them into sort of modern clothes.”

British-American dual citizens, the couple moved to Toledo in 1998 when Mr. Garforth became vice president of strategy at Owens Corning. He now leads Garforth International LLC, a Toledo-and Brussels-based consultancy advising on strategies to reduce the economic and environmental impacts of energy use.

Vision for a greener future

Mrs. Garforth said their vision for Vistula is to combat climate change by increasing population density, making it easier for people to walk or bike.

“If you want to have a low impact, energy efficient, reliable, affordable energy system in an urban environment, it’s not what individual people do in their individual buildings, it’s how you can connect all the dots in the community to make it work together,” Mr. Garforth said.

The Garforths are no strangers to revitalization. Their first major project was a historic 1906 home in Brussels, and their move to Toledo brought new opportunities including redevelopment of a property in the downtown Warehouse District. While members of the Toledo Warehouse District Association, they witnessed and participated in the transformation of downtown Toledo and subsequently saw Vistula as “ready for its own transformation.”

In 2019, they renovated 824 Lagrange St., a home that has since been occupied by young professionals, Mrs. Garforth said.

Revitalization, they said, is not limited to buildings but also encompasses efforts to beautify the area by removing trash and tending to large flower planters.

“We have adopted pretty much Lagrange between Summit and the Greenbelt. We look after three planters. I pick up rubbish in the street about twice a week, and I’m hoping to get some bins put in there, so that people actually have somewhere to put their rubbish,” Mrs. Garforth said, noting that their regular presence outside their properties has fostered connections with local residents and property owners, building a “community of like-minded people.”

They also draw inspiration from other established businesses and ongoing revitalization efforts in the area.

A neighborhood together

“You’ve got the Toledo Pickleball 300 yards from the front door, the Wonder [Bread] loft renovations just down the road. There’s Ostrich Towne that’s already active, the IT company in the Westminster development, which is a beautiful commercial development in the old church and that’s almost a stone’s throw from where we’re sitting,” Mr. Garforth said. “And — you’ve got Josephine’s restaurant.”

Jerome Grace has been running Josephine’s Kitchen on Lagrange Street in the Vistula district for 15 years and also has future plans for renovations.

“I actually grew up over here, and then I had an opportunity to start my business here some years back, and that’s what I did,” he said. “It was going downhill, but I’m still here and now they’re coming over here and putting money into the Vistula heritage, and it’s really turning it around.”

Mr. Grace embodies an entrepreneurial mindset and belief that the neighborhood can thrive again with a collective effort from business owners and residents.

The Garforths paid $41,500 for 517 Lagrange St., a 2,400-square-foot dwelling with two apartments, one on each floor. Both units have two bedrooms and 1½ bathrooms.

They say the cost for the renovation was “way more than the current market value,” but they believe they will see a return on their financial investment in the long term and they want more families to see the advantage of purchasing property at an affordable price and making needed improvements.