Answer Man: On the northwest corner of South National Avenue and East Holiday Street is a wooded lot that backs up to Twin Oaks Country Club. When walking by one day, I noticed what looked to be the remains of a driveway. I’m curious as to what was once there. — Susan Dollins, of Springfield
It was a two-story brick colonial home with four bedrooms, two full baths and two half-baths. The lot is 5.5 acres.
I don’t know all the owners of the house over the years, Susan, but one was Dr. Pasquale “Pat” Ciccone, who was director of the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners from 1965 through 1978. He owned the house with his wife Jane Maydian Ciccone.
She occasionally hosted dinners for the medical center’s auxiliary at the home, according to short news items in the Springfield News-Leader.
Family first lived on FedMed grounds
When the family moved to Springfield in 1964, they initially lived in a house on the grounds of the federal medical center, says Barbara Nattinger, 75, of Springfield and Bonita Springs, Florida.
Nattinger tells me she attended her senior year of high school at Parkview, class of 1964. She is the daughter of Pasquale Ciccone and his first wife, who died of an illness in her 50s.
“It was a beautiful home,” Nattinger says. “My stepmother was from Kentucky, and she would have Kentucky Derby parties there. We used to watch the Twin Oaks Fourth of July fireworks from the house. Dad was an avid golfer, a member at Twin Oaks. He golfed almost every day.”
Tragically, Pasquale, Jane Ciccone and Cheryl Ann Bowler — Jane’s daughter from a prior marriage — died in a car accident in Kentucky in December 1989.
They were on their way to a funeral service for Jane’s mother, Nattinger tells me.
Dr. Ciccone was 75, Jane Ciccone was 65 and Cheryl Bowler was 30.
Looks like it was knocked down in 2005
I could not determine when the house was built. Nattinger did not know.
According to records at the Greene County Assessor’s office, a demolition permit was issued in September 2005.
The house had been sold in March of that year by Virginia Young to the Ironbridge Village Limited Liability Company.
Billy Long Auctions ran an ad in the July 17, 2005, Springfield News-Leader for an auction at the home. Long, a Republican, became a congressman for the 7th District in 2011.
The current owners of the vacant property are the Hamra Gateway Limited Liability Company and the BGH South Holding Development Limited Liability Company.
This is Answer Man Column No. 27.
