“Jimmy Landers is well-known,” she said. “He’s really an excellent worker. He put in at least three hours a day, every day for a year. And on many days, a lot more than three hours.”
Hawthorn Hill was designed by the Wright Brothers along with the firm of Schenck and Williams. It was built in 1914. Landers had to study all the specifications and historical documents of the home and even traveled to Dayton to look at the building to view all the architectural intricacies.
The replica house comprises 40,000 bricks that were specially ordered from Stacey’s Masonry in England. Landers hand-laid every single brick. For the creation of the windows, window corbels and balusters designs, 3D printing technology was used by Michael Yurkovic.
The columns were also 3D-printed, and each one, eight in total, took 42 hours each to print. But using 3D printing was necessary for such a huge project. Many of the pieces would be too difficult to create by hand.
“You would not have found that little trim on the windows that makes these special,” Naughton said. “It’s fantastic what they can do now.”
Naughton said she has always thought that Hawthorn Hill would make a beautiful dollhouse. She remembers seeing it in the 1960s and ’70s, and then following its history from being owned by NCR and then Dayton History.
“When Jimmie was saying he needed a historical building to build, I suggested this,” she said. “He wasn’t familiar with it being from Indiana, so he got off the phone. He looked it up. He called back in five minutes to say he wanted to do it. It was a challenge for him, but he’s not afraid to try anything.”
When Naughton was 8, she received a Marx Tin Dollhouse, which sparked her interest in all things small. Naughton has 32 pieces in her collection, with 25 being ones she has created. She started a miniature of her grandma’s house, and four decades later, she is still working on it.
“It just brings back memories when you see it,” she said. “You can picture your grandmother sitting there crocheting or knitting … and it just meant something to me. And this [Hawthorn Hill], I just thought was beautiful sitting up on that knoll. It’s just gorgeous, and I always wanted one that looked like it.”
There are miniature shows that Naughton travels to all over the country. The Midwest Miniature Showcase, which Naughton helped plan, has been held in Fairborn the past six years, except this year is was canceled due to the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts convention being held in Cincinnati.
Naughton said that people who do miniatures have to be meticulous and good at math. Naughton has her own company Light Delights. She sells miniatures and inventory. The name is Light Delights because her specialty is creating miniature chandeliers.
“You have to get the right proportions and make a patterns,” she said. “If you want to make a chair, you measure a chair. You get the measurements of that and you cut out the wood. Then you have to find padding for it and then you have to find the right material … There’s all kinds of challenges.”
One challenge with the Hawthorn Hill replica is its size. It is 54 inches wide by 105 inches long. It is estimated to weigh 300 pounds and must be transported very carefully in its own box. It also has a stand. Naughton said it takes at least four people to transport it and a truck with a lift.
Now that the replica is complete, Naughton is trying to determine what to do with it. She would love a museum or educational institution where the replica can be displayed and where many people can benefit from it.
“If they’re interested in it, we’re looking for a home for it,” she said. “A permanent home. Jimmie and I are both 83 years old, and I want to make sure this isn’t a problem for my kids. They’ve already got a big enough problem.”
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Naughton is open to any ideas or thoughts from the public as to what can be done with the replica. She can be contacted via her email address at h_naughton@yahoo.com.
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