Titusville’s Scheide mansion may be back on market

April 18--TITUSVILLE -- It could be three strikes and she's out for a woman hoping to buy a historic Titusville home.

Natalie Ruschell bought the former Scheide mansion at 221 N. Washington St. from the Titusville Area School District in December, but despite two extensions has not been able to make the down payment on the property, Titusville Area Schools Superintendent Karen Jez said.

School directors are expected to terminate the district's sales agreement with Ruschell during their regularly scheduled business meeting tonight.

"The potential buyer could not get all of the financing together," Jez said.

"We extended the time twice, but she just wasn't able to meet the conditions of the sales agreement."

Ruschell has indicated she's still interested in buying the home, Jez said. "The board would certainly re-engage with her if she gets her financing," she said.

The mansion will be listed for sale again, this time for $225,000.

"We actually had the property reappraised in a process mandated by the (Pennsylvania) School Code," Jez said.

"Because of changes in the market and other factors, that is its appraised value."

The home was listed for sale for $279,000 in spring 2015.

Ruschell agreed to buy the 6,200-square-foot mansion for $208,500.

Cochran Real Estate of Titusville again will handle the sale, Jez said.

Ruschell is a lawyer in Washington County and had planned to locate a law office and insurance business in the house, Jez said.

Ruschell could not be reached for comment Friday.

The house was built about 1866, according to Crawford County historical records. Philanthropist John Scheide bought the house in 1922.

His father, William T. Scheide, came to the western Pennsylvania oil fields after the Civil War and managed United Pipeline Co., later the National Transit Pipeline Co., a division of Standard Oil.

John Scheide also was a Standard Oil executive. His son, William H. Scheide, donated the 6,200-square-foot mansion to the school district in 1959.

The mansion housed school district administrative offices for more than a half-century, through October 2015, until upkeep and maintenance costs for the house became prohibitive, Jez said.

District administrative offices were moved to Titusville High School on Nov. 1.

VALERIE MYERS can be reached at 878-1913 or by e-mail. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNmyers.

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