New presidential house bought; Swartzendruber takes up residence

Staff Photo

Loren Swartzendruber’s new school-owned house is located at the northern end of Park Road. Purchased at the urging of former President Joe Lapp, the house was secured from Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community residents Lewis E. and Ethel Strite, after whom Strite Auditorium is named.

Slightly more than a dormitory and slightly less than Buckingham Palace: President Loren Swartzendruber has taken residence in EMU's newest presidential house, a $325,000 acquisition.

Swartzendruber and his wife, Pat, moved into the house, located on the Park Rd. cul-de-sac north of EMU, on Dec 1. The residence, an upscale dwelling in the Park View neighborhood, was purchased from Lewis E. and Ethel Strite, a retired couple who had contracted building the place, but had recently moved to Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC) and were looking for buyers. Former President Joseph Lapp had been urging the Board of Trustees to buy a presidential house for some time, and after much searching, the current residence was purchased.

While the building was provided for the President by the school, Swartzendruber was required to fund the furnishing.

Upon entering through the front door, the visitor will notice the long dining room table that seats 18. The house also has a spacious kitchen, a cozy master bedroom and bathroom, a scenic sun room looking out over the Shenandoah Valley to the west, a tidy office where Swartzendruber and his wife each have a desk, and an empty basement awaiting completion. Swartzendruber's plan is to transform the basement into a recreation room complete with a small kitchen, big screen television, and separate entrance; campus groups would be welcome to hold meetings or activities in the basement.

Though the house is plenty eloquent, Swartzendruber said, "A condo would have met our needs, but not the entertainment needs of the school."

A presidential house is nothing new to EMU. The first President, J.B. Smith, was the recipient of the first house, Berea Cottage (later named Edgewood), provided by the Board of Trustees. A.D. Wenger was also provided with a house during his administration.

During the Smith administration, much of the faculty was also provided with housing. Many lived in the main building with students in the dorms while others were provided with close housing. However, the faculty often was shifting around to make room for an increasing student body.

Swartzendruber said that he wanted his house to be a "..place to entertain donors, friends of the college, and students…"