DIANE MAKAR MURPHY Paisley House says time has come to admit men

She's nearly 100, and it's the first time she's even looked at a man as more than just a casual visitor. But now, she's invited two to move in with her.
Paisley House has gone coed after 94 years as a "home for aged women."
"The ladies have accepted it well," said executive director Audean Patterson of her 19 female residents. "We told the ladies and staff, and there was giggling, but they've been accepting."
Paisley House was founded in the early 20th century by a group of Youngstown women who, according to Patterson, were their caregivers for their families. Wondering who would care for THEM when the time came, and other women like them, they established a home where elderly women could live "in a cheerful, residential atmosphere," says Paisley House history.
The home, which I first wrote about during its all-female days, took its charming name from its first board president, Mary Paisley.
To raise money, the women engineered a fund-raiser in which a huge ball was rolled down Mahoning Avenue with the promotion "Keep the ball rolling for a home for women."
Still a nonprofit entity, Paisley House is overseen by a volunteer trustee board.
Reasons
In years past, it had space for 20 women in its lovely, femininely decorated quarters. A "masculine" renovation of the third floor, however, has made a place for Fred Zinz, a General Fireproofing retiree, and Dr. Keith McKean, Youngstown State University professor emeritus.
Why coed after all these years?
"Well, actually, calls were coming in: 'What about my father? What about my brother? What about us?' ... Our census was down," Patterson said, explaining the home had space available. "The third floor was shut off. As the census went down, we had closed it off. So, we thought, 'Why not?'"
Zinz's sister-in-law Anna Zinz already lived in Paisley House. McKean found out through his church, where Paisley resident Pauline Elioff was a parishioner. "The church knew how happy Pauline was and evidently knew we were going coed," Patterson continued.
The board reopened the third floor, spent two months remodeling it and gave Zinz and McKean an invitation.
Zinz moved in the last day of February (one man with 17 female housemates), and McKean moved in three weeks later. "Those were long weeks for Fred," Patterson said with a laugh.
Reflecting residents
Whereas the cozy ladies' rooms have floral bedspreads and curtains, lovely dusty rose and lime upholstered chairs, and all form of "sugar and spice and everything nice," the men's quarters feature paneled walls, black leather love seats and at least one refrigerator harboring chips, sodas and two beers.
Paisley House hasn't had to change much else for its male residents, however. Trips to park concerts, Whitehouse Fruit Farm and Hartville for lunch and shopping along with the July family picnic, Christmas open house and in-house entertainment will all go on as usual. Bingo days were switched to accommodate McKean's schedule.
Zinz, it is hoped, will tend the marigolds, work on birdhouses and assemble welcome lights "as he did in his old neighborhood."
McKean, in addition to playing bingo, may be busy reading, judging by the large, filled bookcase he brought to his new home.
Paisley House, despite its dramatic initial "roll-the-ball" campaign, likes to keep a low fund-raising profile. "People are very good to us," Patterson said. "We have an endowment, and our board of trustees is composed of 15 women, all of whom are very supportive and generous." And modest. An upcoming garage sale has as its goal raising money for a big screen TV -- certain to be appreciated by its new male residents.
murphy@vindy.com