CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You know you have a special house when the previous residents occasionally come knocking on your door longing to see the place again.

That happens to Dave Stack. In 1999, when he was in his late 20s, Stack bought a 3,600-square-foot, three-story Queen Anne Victorian on Jay Avenue in Ohio City. The slate-covered turret, sweeping L-shaped veranda with iconic Greek white columns, and the bay window angles on the first and second floors make for a dramatic presentation.

"Victorians can be kind of gaudy, but I like that," Stack says, laughing. "I like all the details and the layering."

Philip Henry Marquard built the stately home in 1903 for his family. His offspring still think about where they spent their childhood.

"I've met some of Marquard's grandkids," says Stack. "They come back to reminisce."

The "Marquard Mansion," as Stack jokingly refers to it, is one of five homes being featured on the Evening in Ohio City 2017 tour on Saturday, May 13. The others include a restored flat in the West 25th Street Lofts, and an apartment in Edge 32, which is new construction. The tour includes wine, beer and food from local restaurants at each stop.

It might seem odd for a young, single guy - which Stack was in 1999 - to take on the responsibility of a more than $200,000, four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house that needed updating and could comfortably accommodate a large family. But Stack had his reasons, so he rounded up a couple of roommates to help him cover the mortgage and moved in.

"I lived in Victorian Village in Columbus in Ohio State, and I fell in love with the Victorian homes there," he says. "Ohio City was the closest I could find to that. So when my parents told me I had to move out [of their home] or start paying rent, I knew what kind of house I wanted. I loved the architecture and that it's close to downtown."

The home is full of the details expected of a well-maintained Victorian, namely elegant leaded glass, beautiful wood floors, big fireplaces surrounded by tile, carved staircases, pocket doors and the like. The home has bay windows in the rooms facing Jay Avenue, so there are plenty of places to sit and read or just gaze.

"This house has a lot of nooks and crannies," Stack says.

Upon entering the home, the dining room, which has rich walnut paneling and grainy wood floors that Stack says would cost a fortune these days, is to the right. The living room is to the left. The bedrooms and bath fill the second floor and the wide-open third floor is used for big parties.

Stack says shortly after he bought the house, Matt and Shari, with the Cleveland-based HGTV show "Room by Room," came in and made some cosmetic changes, such as ripping out the carpet and decorating with new furniture.

"I kept calling them and telling them that they needed to see this house," Stack says of how he wrangled the duo into dressing up his home and putting it on television. "They had never shown a Victorian."

Stack said he's made only a few costly, major overhauls. He added a $15,000 central air system that didn't require installing wide ducts and ripping out walls, with air that streams down through discreet openings in the ceiling. He completely updated the kitchen and bathroom.

"The bathroom was the first thing that I did," he says. "It had pink carpeting, no electrical outlets and an old cracked claw-foot tub."

His completely renovated kitchen - for which he spent about $75,000 -- has all of the contemporary trappings, namely granite counters, cherry cabinets, stainless steel appliances, sleek lighting and Victorian pressed tin ceiling tiles.

Stack owns MusicStack.com, which he says is one of the world's largest online marketplaces for selling music.

"It's kind of like eBay or Amazon," he explains. "I don't actually own the music. I allow people to sell theirs. I have 1,500 record stores with 20 million titles."

He also runs PluggedinCleveland.com, which is a schedule of city events.

Through couchsurfing.com, Stack often shares his home with out-of-towners passing through. It's similar to Airbnb, except free.

"It's very similar, except no money changes hands," he explains. "When travelers stay with you, there is the expectation that you'll spend time together, with you showing them things they might not see as a tourist."

Stack says he's never had an issue with any of his guests, who have come from all over the world.

Stack raises chickens and bees on two lots on the west side of his home. He also grows vegetables in the nearby community garden. He's in the process of hardscaping the side lots and plans to install a small pond with waterfall.

"I'm making making the hardscaping my hobby but it's taking forever," he says.

Stack hasn't once regretted his decision to purchase his Victorian even though his father, a real estate agent, advised him against buying the property.

"He told me, 'Don't buy that house, because it's going to be a money pit,' " Stack remembers. "He was right, but it's been a good investment and I love it. Plus, I have two lots next to me, and I don't plan to ever build on them."

Evening in Ohio City 2017 on Saturday, May 13, is a six-stop tour including five homes and one after-party location. Tickets to the home tour (5 p.m. to midnight) are $150. There is a second-tier ticket (8 p.m. to midnight) for $50, that doesn't include the homes, but does includes drinks, light hors d'oeuvres, and tours of the neighborhood farm and brew house. Information at ohiocity.org.

If you want to nominate a house for a Cool Spaces feature, click here.