Its facade is quickly recognized, but the inside of Bowling Green’s "windmill house" is a
mystery to many.
The square-footage isn’t overwhelming, but the view is unique both inside and out.
The eye-catching windmill house is on the market for anyone looking for something a bit out of the
ordinary. But you’ll have to pay up for more than just the windmill itself, as it’s packaged for sale
with several apartment properties across Clough Street.
Built in 1939 from Dutch schematics as an interesting way to conceal an exposed boiler serving those
other apartments, the windmill was never meant to function, though the blades were free to turn until
being immobilized later, according to Steve Foraker, who said he’s managed his family’s properties
including the windmill for 25 years.
The structure first came to be occupied during a university housing shortage after World War II, when the
owner, Bertis H. Urschel allowed a group of students to sleep in the windmill in exchange for servicing
the boiler.
"It was hard to get a room in this town," Foraker said.
Before the land, including a small quarry to the south and BGSU’s nearby Tucker Telecommunications
Center, was sold to Urschel, it served as a public swimming pool in the 1920s. Surrounding parcels and
the quarry are now owned by the university.
While interest in the area stays fairly abuzz in BG, Foraker’s grandfather, George Russell, didn’t even
want the unique unit when he purchased the apartments nearby.
"He wanted the property across the street, but the deal was you had to take the windmill."
Though Russell wasn’t interested in the windmill at first, he eventually came around. It’s now been in
Foraker’s family for 50 years, he said.

The windmill has been finished and upgraded over the past few decades. A peek inside shows a kitchen on
the first floor, which is topped by two living areas and an attic. The structure used to necessitate
ladder access to upper areas, though one has been replaced with a narrow, vertical stairway.
Changes aside, the one-bedroom apartment still serves as nostalgia for many in town.
The lore of the windmill often precedes it, and public interest in the building frequently leads gawkers
to forget it’s in fact someone’s home as they try to get a closer look.
Foraker recalled the false legends he’s heard about the property, everything from it being used to mill
flour to fraternity members tying pledges to its blades as a prank.
Apartments with a special draw often lead tenants to look past other inconveniences, explained Andy
Newlove of Newlove Realty, which is marketing the property and the apartments across the road.
As with units above downtown businesses, people who rent those apartments cope with smaller space and
tough parking competition because of the location. And while the windmill has limited storage and floor
space in just a few rooms, stacked on top of one another, its appearance gives it a unusual feel many
house-hunters seek.
“It’s an icon and everybody knows it,” Foraker said.
“I bet I’ve had 75 calls from people who just want to buy this,” Newlove estimated.