By Emily Christensen | Photos Julie Pagel Drewes ’90

As Greenwood, the official residence of Wartburg College presidents since 1987, marks its 150th anniversary this year, one of its current residents is diligently working to preserve the history of both the residence and the pieces that furnish it. Christy Colson, who has lived in the home since 2009 with her husband, President Darrel Colson, has taken it upon herself to find and document the provenance of each piece of artwork and furnishing in the home, which sits on 7 ½ acres of college-owned land on 12th Street Northwest in Waverly.

“It has been very important to me, as a steward of Greenwood, to understand the history and legacy of its furnishings. I want to keep the narrative, Greenwood’s story, alive,” Christy said. “More than anything else, we want Greenwood to be a place that continues to inspire gifts and engagement from people who love the college and honor Greenwood’s place in the community.”

History of the home

Daniel A. Long built the Italianate-style home in 1871 on the 300 acres of land he called Greenwood Farm. Dating back to the early years of white settlement of Waverly and Bremer County, the home served as the primary residence for Long’s family, which included his wife and seven children. The college purchased the home from Ralph and Lavon Juhl in January 1987 after the president’s former campus residence was incorporated into a student lounge and study area in The Residence, a new suite-style residence hall. Early renovation and restoration projects at Greenwood restored much of the original character to the home while creating both living and entertainment spaces for college presidents and their families.

The Preservation and Restoration of Greenwood was published by the college in 2005 and details the restoration projects completed in 1987, the family room addition in 1999, redecorating projects completed in 2002, and outdoor projects, including a new deck and improvements to the existing barn that made it easier to host outdoor events. 

Christy is very well versed in these details. She can talk at length about how the front entrance to the home has been moved through the years or how the removal of lowered ceilings in the “Blue Room” revealed decorative plaster arches and medallions that were replicated by Ramlan Abdullah ’87 and now are a focal point of the guest bedroom (photo 1). But she wants to be certain that future occupants (the Colsons do not have any plans to leave Wartburg at this time) know the stories behind all the important pieces in the home.

Understanding the past to plan for the future

Each presidential family since 1987 — first Robert and Sally Vogel, then Jack and Kirsten Ohle, and interim President Bill Hamm — has been asked to update a book of what improvements have been made to the house during their stay. A brass plaque commemorates the generosity of Lorna Wissink, late member of the Board of Regents, who funded many of the original improvements, done when the house was first purchased by the college. Moving beyond capital improvements, Christy became curious about the many furnishings and other pieces that make the house a presidential home and special gathering place.

“In order to honor its history, I needed to know the provenance of all the furnishings. I enlisted the help of former presidential spouses, Sally Vogel and Kris Ohle, as well as local friends of the college, so that I could understand where and from whom each piece came and what its value, both historical and practical, is.” She learned which pieces were especially valuable monetarily (a few of the antique furniture pieces), which were valuable because they represented important history of the college (the candlesticks used in early chapel services), and which were valuable because they were lovely gifts from friends of the college (the powder room sinks from the Vogel family, furniture from the Hagemann family, and rugs and furniture from the Austin family.) 

Also helping her in that process was Don Juhl, who had retired from the college in 2005 after 40 years of service. In addition to his work as food service director, Juhl also is an antique collector and had loaned many pieces from his personal collection to the college during the Ohles’ residency. 

“Sally and Kris kept notes about Greenwood from their service as presidential spouses. I do the same, including more of the history I’ve learned, and including an identification system which links didactic information to each piece,” Christy said.

These are among her favorites :

Antique desk in the foyer, which is on loan from Waverly residents and longtime Wartburg supporters Lindley and Joanne Shipman ’69 Jones. The desk belonged to Lindley’s ancestor, Frank Harris. He was orphaned at age 3, fought in the Confederate Army, and later became the owner and editor of The Ocala Banner weekly newspaper in Florida. He served as mayor and was personal friends with William Jennings Bryan and Grover Cleveland.

Wartburg Hall mirror, the large mirror in the entryway which came from Wartburg Hall, the former women’s residence on campus. “Even now, we have guests who visit Greenwood and delight in seeing the mirror again as they share memories of getting ready for their dates and coming downstairs to check their appearances in the mirror before departing.”

The Greenwood lawn. “The thing I enjoy about Greenwood each day of the year is the beautiful lawn on which the home sits. In the winter, I love the white snow against the red brick and red wooden barns with evergreen trees all around as a peaceful refuge for the deer who sleep under their branches. In the spring I grow impatient waiting for the first daffodils, robins, and tulips to appear, and I am less patient with the deer who nibble the tender spring blossoms. In the summer I love long evenings puttering in the flower gardens and the cycles of summer peony, phlox, and lily blossoms. Darrel and I enjoy almost every meal on the south porch and many evenings on the breezeway stoop with a cool drink where we watch the stunning sunsets. Fall is filled with the excitement of a new year — I associate the return of students with the marigolds, mums, sedum, and lantana, which produce late bursts of color.”

Once she had a better understanding of the home, Christy was able to work with a local interior designer, Linda Austin, whose late husband’s relatives were once owners of the home, to make a plan for the future of Greenwood. 

“Darrel and I understand Greenwood to be another campus building that receives repairs and renovations when needed. It has not been the custom of presidential couples to remodel and redecorate to suit personal tastes, and Darrel and I wanted, more than anything else, to be true to the house in ways that honor its age and history,” Christy said. “We hope to strike a balance in maintaining Greenwood as a successful venue for the college without depleting more than its share of college resources.

“Linda’s guidance and advice have helped me commit to an overall plan of continuity, using neutral colors, especially for hard, permanent surfaces, so that future residents could accent with colors that are personal but not too costly. It’s not always easy to imagine what the home will ‘be’ or ‘need’ in the future, but I want to try to plan with these things always in mind.”

From a house to a home

Christy has slowly made smaller changes to the house that have helped her and Darrel feel at home in the space, while ensuring that it still serves as a prime location for hosting friends of the college, retirees, faculty, staff, and of course, students. Take the formal living room, for instance, where antique maps from Darrel’s collection line the walls, the marble from Wartburg Hall frames the fireplace, candlesticks used when chapel was in held in Knights Gymnasium stand on the mantel, and an antique desk from Juhl’s personal collection — where Darrel works at home because of the view of the property — sits in front of a central window.

The family room, which was added to the back of the house by the Ohles, features comfortable couches and two large Baker chairs donated by Fred ’67 and Sue Childs ’69 Hagemann. Upstairs are two guest rooms and the Colsons’ bedroom, as well as a landing that serves as another small gathering space and office. Outside, the house is adorned with lights that Sally Vogel acquired from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School; the front entrance is framed by urns from St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and donated by Will and Audrey Leisinger; and the garden holds a rose bush given by Rachel Riensche ’80, vice chair of the Board of Regents. 

“There are only a very few things in the public rooms at Greenwood that are distinctly ours — Darrel’s maps, pieces from our personal art collection, a few personal family photos, and a few Colson family serving pieces,” Christy said. “The Christmas tree in the sunroom is also distinctly personal, as are many of the holiday decorations. Greenwood is the college’s house, yet 12 years of life and experience here make it feel very much like our home. As presidents and spouses before us made it so for us, we hope to do the same for future residents.

“The gifts we’ve accepted for this house make it a more meaningful place, and we hope they’ll be remembered for generations to come. I was charged with being the steward of this home, but being the narrator of its history is my privilege.”