A historic home on Ross Street will soon be serving a new purpose for college students, as Ross Coffee Shop prepares for its grand opening.
According to Toni Holt, the owner of both Toomer’s Coffee and the new coffee shop, Ross Coffee is set to open sometime within the next few weeks.
The house, located next to 160 Ross, was built 111 years ago by Abb Chreitzberg, a building contractor, and has been famous in the Auburn community for decades.
After being deserted for a few years, there was a possibility of the house being torn down. That's when Holt stepped in.
“I had heard from a friend that there was a possibility of the house being torn down, so I contacted the owner, Steve Benson, about putting a coffee shop inside,” Holt said. “He was looking into turning it into commercial property, so we met and started working out all the details.”
The new coffee shop will include a study room and meeting rooms for special events. There will also be outdoor seating on the wrap around porch of the home.
“It is an incredible house,” Holt said. “Every room has a fireplace in it, because that is how they heated the houses back then. It has high ceilings to make it seem even bigger.”
As for the coffee, customers should expect the same quality delivered by Toomer’s Coffee.
“This shop will focus on the tastes and qualities of coffee by using pour over and Chemex techniques,” Holt said. “We will be roasting in-house, so you can watch the coffee being roasted. We will carry the same great items as before.”
The house is currently being renovated by Korey Webb Construction to prepare for the coffee shop opening, but changes will be minimal to preserve the history of the house.
After a petition went viral in the Auburn community called #SaveTheRossHouse, many people wrote words of love for the home on its walls.
Currently, there is a book being written about historic homes in Auburn, which the Ross House will be included in.
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Gabby Dance, senior in journalism with a minor in women's studies, is the assistant campus editor of The Auburn Plainsman.
