(Chittenango, NY – May 20, 2015) The International L. Frank Baum and All Things Oz Historical Foundation announced May 18 that they have secured The Syracuse Land Bank board’s approval to buy the property at 678 W. Onondaga Street in Syracuse. The foundation, known for its All Things Oz museum and annual Oz-Stravaganza! Festival in Chittenango, says the house, known as the Baum-Neal house is an interesting footnote to history, and should be saved.
Foundation President, Dennis Kulis said the house is important to Central New York.
“Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, but some would say his adult life really started at this home, which was his sister’s,” Kulis said. “This is the place that Baum met his bride-to-be and the love of his life, Maud Gage.”
Kulis went on to say that Maud is often regarded as the person who encouraged Baum to write down his stories.
Marc Baum, the Baum-Neal House committee chairperson, (and no relation to the author), says the home needs a lot of work.
“This house is in deplorable condition,” Baum said. “It has been vacant for many years, and it came back on the market through the Syracuse Land Bank in late February. In March, members of our board toured the house with the Syracuse Land Bank representatives, and we decided that this would be the last chance to save it.”
Baum said another group had a purchase contract on the house, but the land bank and the group ended that agreement in February of 2015.
“When we looked at the house, we were surprised to see how bad off it really was. It is going to take a lot to save it, but it is certainly worth the effort.” said Baum.
The Foundation intends to look to local community support and local businesses to help out, as they have in past projects that the group has taken on.
“As a 100 percent volunteer organization, and a 501(c)3 non-profit, we depend on support of local businesses and the community at large to get involved,” said Kulis; adding, “we feel confident that this project will get a lot of interest because of the local connections.”
The group believes that the All Things Oz Museum in Chittenango, the Gage House in Fayetteville, and the Baum-Neal House can help drive OZ themed tourism to Central NY. In addition, the Oneida Nation’s new Yellow Brick Road Casino adds even more OZ tourism opportunities to the area.
The group said that after their March board meeting, they decided that the home wouldn’t be salvageable if they waited any longer. They did not put in an application in April, as there was another group interested, but when that offer did not get approved by the Land Bank, they decided to step in and try to save the property.
Baum summed up the project by saying “It will be a lot of work, and a great expense…but the Wizard of Oz is the American Fairy Tale. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t say ‘There’s no place like home’ or ‘if I only had a brain’ or ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore.’ It is a part of the American fabric, and the fact that we have the history right here in the Syracuse area is remarkable. We should work to save it.”
For more information about the group or to watch updates on the Baum-Neal House project, you can find them on Facebook or on their websites www.oz-stravaganza.com or www.allthingsoz.org.