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In December 1994, just two weeks before it was scheduled to be demolished, Bob Poehling bought the Van Dusen complex for about $230,000. Poehling, then vice chairman of a family-owned plumbing supply distribution business, worked with three partners to restore the Van Dusen.

The exterior stone was given an acid wash. All of the windows were replaced with custom-made windows that are capable of being turned to the inside for washing.

The owners restored what they could and replaced what couldn’t be restored, hiring local craftspeople and artisans whenever possible. The once golden oak woodwork, which at some point had been given a dark stain, was stripped and refinished. Staircase balusters and finely detailed bead molding were replicated by a California carpenter. Original wooden doors found in the basement were re-installed, and missing light fixtures were replaced with fixtures collected from all over the country. A dramatic 780-pound, 7-foot-tall crystal chandelier from Chicago was hung from the vaulted ceiling of the "ballroom," which features a trompe l’oeil dome by Timothy Schlamp, one of the four original partners in the renovation.

The Carriage House and Grand Parlor were modernized and specially designed to accommodate meetings and events. Their features include high-tech lighting and audiovisual equipment.