COLDWATER — Phillip Jewell put the historic Fiske House at 867 E. Chicago with its five acres on the market Thursday for $1.65 million.
Farmington Realtor Andrew Goble said, “Whether the house is going to stay or not, we don’t know.”
Elizabeth Jewell bought the property in 1961. Her sons inherited it in 2000 following her death.
Jewell and his wife Catherine bought the interest of his brother David and his wife in 2007.
The Jewells began a long fight with the city of Coldwater. “My whole goal was to save the house and property,” Jewell said.
Jewell claimed the city “basically did as much as they could to make it so we couldn’t make it. They increased our taxes so high that it was ridiculous. Nobody in the city cared whether we were there or not.”
The city, at the time of the assessment appeals, said it was bound by Department of Treasury regulations.
The property was zoned C-4 commercial and taxed as commercial and unable to receive a tax break as a historic property.
Jewell created Blue Hat Coffee in 2011 when the planning commission allowed for a 733-square-foot addition on the back of the house and a new separate, 1,560-square-foot building where Jewell still roasts green coffee beans.