This house looked like it was about to fall into itself until one family stepped in!

In the realm of architectural preservation, there are stories that defy the logic of spreadsheets and renovation budgets, existing instead in the realm of pure passion. One of the most legendary of these tales is the “heroic rescue” of the Hench House in York, Pennsylvania. Built in 1887 during the height of the Industrial Revolution, this Queen Anne Victorian had survived the turn of two centuries, only to face a death sentence in the early 2000s. Abandoned, crumbling, and condemned by local authorities, the house was considered a “big ruin” so dangerous that most people wouldn’t even step onto its rotting porch. Yet, where others saw a pile of debris, Jim and Jean Leaman saw a masterpiece waiting to be rediscovered.

The Hench House, located at 505 Linden Avenue in the historic “Avenues” neighborhood, was a shell of its former self when the Leamans intervened in October 2006. Decades of neglect had allowed the elements to wreak havoc; a quarter of the roof had been missing for years, allowing rain and snow to pour directly into the structure’s core. The result was a cascading failure of ceilings and walls. Termites had claimed much of the frame, and the attic had become a sanctuary for a family of opossums. The house was hidden behind towering, overgrown maple trees, looking very much like it was about to fall into itself. Most residents expected a wrecking ball, but the Leamans—a retired couple with a deep-seated love for York’s historic charm—decided to buy the ruin and embark on a journey that would consume the next five years of their lives.

To understand the scale of their dedication, one must look at the “day in, day out” nature of the work. The Leamans were not wealthy developers; they were hands-on preservationists who performed a significant portion of the labor themselves. Their mission was not just to fix the house, but to restore it to its original 1880s splendor with absolute historical accuracy. This meant stripping away decades of “modern” additions—removing 1930s-era Greek columns that weren’t original and replacing them with period-correct pocket doors salvaged from architectural warehouses. They even went as far as installing magnetic Plexiglas storm windows on the interior so as not to mar the intricate exterior aesthetics.