Rockefeller Building

            We took a field trip to Cleveland to discuss the downtown architecture.  I particularly liked the Rockefeller Building which surprised me a little.  I knew the story of the Waddell House that originally stood at the site.  The famous hotel had many important visitors including the newly elected President Lincoln as he traveled from Illinois to Washington for his inauguration.  Fourteen other presidents also stayed there among many other famous guests.  This historic hotel was demolished for what I considered a block of an office building.  

I knew of John D. Rockefeller’s interest in historic preservation with his involvement in the Williamsburg project and I was upset that he would destroy the Waddell House to build a 17 story office building.  But, there were a few things I didn’t know until much more recently.  The Rockefeller Building was constructed in 1903-1905, about twenty years before the rector of Williamsburg’s Breton Parish Church approached Rockefeller with the idea of restoring the historic town.  Rockefeller was still at the height of his career when he built the office building in downtown Cleveland.  When solicited for funds to reconstruct historic Williamsburg, he was 87 years old and was quite possibly looking at historic preservation very differently than he was earlier in life.

Knowing these facts and finally seeing the Rockefeller Building in person have changed my perspective on the situation.  I admit that I don’t know what the situation was with the hotel when Rockefeller purchased the property.  I don’t know why the hotel was being sold or the condition of the building.  But, I can understand how the property was much more valuable as a taller office building, adding real estate in a growing downtown business area. 

As we approached the Rockefeller Building from West Prospect, I was still thinking, how could he have this hotel torn down for this plain looking office building.  I wondered if it was just about money.  Then we walked closer and I started to see the details of the building.  The first three floors were a dark brown tone with the upper floors made of a dark reddish-brown brick.  As we got closer still, I could start to make out the intricate details in the iron trim around the doors and windows of the first three floors.  

As we approached the Rockefeller Building from West Prospect, I was still thinking, how could he have this hotel torn down for this plain looking office building.  I wondered if it was just about money.  Then we walked closer and I started to see the details of the building.  The first three floors were a dark brown tone with the upper floors made of a dark reddish-brown brick.  As we got closer still, I could start to make out the intricate details in the iron trim around the doors and windows of the first three floors. 

As I crossed the street and stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the building and took in the full impact of those details, I fell in love.  And, as I saw the plaque on the side of the building commemorating the Waddell House, I can appreciate the fact that we can’t save every structure.  But, we must remember that it is our responsibility to at least teach future generations about the historic events and structures that came before. 

Perseverance

             As we walked around Fowlers Mill and Chardon Square in Geauga County last Saturday, I heard two stories that struck a chord with me due to the communities’ perseverance.  The appearance of the area surrounding the 19^th century core of Fowlers Mill was in jeopardy and half the town square in Chardon was lost to fire.  In both cases, the community reaction was remarkable.  The circumstances may have been different, and even the time period was different, but each community put everything they had into saving their town.

A consultant for Nextel supposedly assessed the area and deemed it insignificant.  I’m not sure how anyone can look at a collection of 19^th century structures and not think there may be historical significance that should at least be researched further.  When Nextel moved forward and built a cellular tower on the hill overlooking the hamlet of Fowlers Mill, they had no idea what they were up against.      The community immediately jumped into action.

I found a website with a collection of newspaper stories on the issue.  They told how the neighbors in the area of the tower were enraged by its placement within site of the historic district.  The Township Trustees indicated their helplessness where zoning for communications towers is concerned.  The Fowlers Mill Historical Preservation Association sued Nextel and the FCC for issuing a license to build the tower without following proper procedures for an historic area.  The preservationists prevailed and the tower was moved to another location.

             Chardon is another story of perseverance.  This one involved a community trying to save the town from fire.  In 1868, a fire swept up the west side of the town square, swallowing up one building after another, regardless of the attempts of the townspeople to stop it.  They even used dynamite to blow up a building in an attempt to create a firebreak.  The fire jumped right over it, continuing up the street, eventually engulfing the courthouse, and finally stopping as it reached the church.  The townspeople met immediately to plan reconstruction.  Since the town was rebuilt in the same time period, it has a harmony of style with a balance of shape and size that is somewhat unique. 

Case Western Reserve University Architecture

As usual, whenever I find something that interests me, I check it out online as soon as I can.  After visiting Case Western Reserve University, I began searching the internet for the names of the buildings and I found a lot of information on the university website.  There were details about many of the buildings including when they were built, the original purpose, and the current use.

The eclectic mix of architectural styles at Case Western Reserve University was interesting and beautiful.  There was a wide range of styles, yet they were done in a way that blended together into a cohesive unit on campus, except for one anomaly, the Peter B. Lewis building.  Completed in 2002, it was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry and is a controversy on campus.  As we met in front of the building, we discussed it style, which was difficult to name.  Most people didn’t like it and felt it was out of place on campus. 

My favorite building was Guildford House, part of an area known as the Mather Quad.  It was built in 1892 with a south wing addition in 1894.  The entire cost of construction, including the addition, was covered by Flora Stone Mather. It was first built as a women’s dormitory and is currently housing the English department.  It was painted a sunny yellow and was a beautiful home away from home for young women attending school away from home.

Another building on the Mather Quad is Haydn Hall, designed by distinguished Cleveland architect, Charles F. Schweinfurth. It is described as Collegiate Gothic and built as dormitory and classrooms in 1901.  The building has a prominent center tower and castellations, but my favorite feature is the main doorway. The doors have a low, pointed arch, with square glass panes.  They are surrounded by side lights and transom in matching square panes.  The stone work is very detailed with the name of the building embossed over the doorway.

The Florence Harkness Memorial Chapel, completed in 1902, was also designed by Charles F. Schweinfurth.  It was originally designated as a place for studying the Bible and is now used by the music department.  The CWRU website calls it neo-Gothic style.  I particularly appreciated the interior features even though we didn’t get to see very much.  The fireplace and light fixtures in the lobby area are beautiful.

This is a photo looking straight up into the tower showing another beautiful light fixture, detailed stone work around the windows and the paneled ceiling.

Kirtland

            In the Luppold and Haddad selection Migration to the Western Reserve by George W. Knepper, there is a story about Nathan Muzzey who reportedly moved to the Western Reserve with a broken heart.  His love was supposedly rebuffed by a woman named Emma Hale (33).  Saturday, while at the Kirtland Temple Visitor Center, I was looking at the portraits of the church founders and their wives.  I scanned the faces and name plates on each portrait and my eyes landed on the wife of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the church.  Her name was Emma Hale Smith.  I couldn’t help but wonder if the connections were making themselves evident again. 

            Knepper doesn’t say where Nathan Muzzey moved from, only that he was a Yale graduate and I believe Dr. Stith mentioned in class that he also attended Dartmouth.  We know that most of the early residents of the Western Reserve came from Connecticut but, of course, that is no guarantee Muzzey came from there as well.  A Wikipedia article states that Joseph Smith met Emma Hale in Pennsylvania and they married in 1827.  A free Google book called Sketches of the Alumni of Dartmouth College published by the school states that Muzzey was born in 1762 in Massachusetts.  He would have been 65 in 1827 when Joseph Smith married his Emma Hale.  I find it difficult to believe it was the same Emma.  But, it sure was interesting learning about them.

             The field trip to the Kirtland Temple was my first experience learning about the history of the Mormon people and their struggles in the Western Reserve.  I really enjoyed hearing how the people built their church, using everything they had, monetarily and spiritually.  As interesting as their story was, I was really interested in the structure of the church.  I was glad our tour guide included some of the facts of the construction and issues they’ve dealt with over the years.  It really helped to understand some of the issues that preservationists will encounter in the field.  It helped that Nick pointed out several architectural elements to look for before we went into the church.  We had a good reference point when he talked about them after the tour. 

            I also enjoyed the tour of Kirtland Village. It was interesting to hear how they found the original locations of many of the original structures and reconstructed them to tell the story of the early Mormon people.  My favorite structure was Newel K. Whitney general store.  It was one of the original structures, restored to its original condition and stocked with items Whitney would have stocked.  They took great care in recreating the environment of the Western Reserve in the 1830’s. 

Connections

The more I learn about the history of the Western Reserve the more connections I find.  Last Christmas, I visited the Perkins Stone Mansion in Akron for the first time.  While there, I learned about Colonel Simon Perkins and his activities as an entrepreneur of early Akron.  For some reason, I remembered that he married Grace Ingersoll Tod of Youngstown.  In our assigned reading this week, we read about Samuel Huntington, Jr. and his secretary, George Tod.  While the main subject was Huntington, the Tod name jumped off the page, and I had to wonder if he was related to Grace Ingersoll Tod, Simon Perkins’ wife.  When I got home, I Googled George Tod and learned that he settled in Trumbull County and married Sallie Isaacs, sister-in-law of Governor Ingersoll of Connecticut.  While I found no mention of Grace, one could assume that by having both the Ingersoll and Tod names and being from Youngstown, which was in Trumbull County at that time, Grace was somehow related to George Tod.

Another assigned reading was about migration to the Western Reserve.  This particular selection made a lot of references to people and places I know well.  I’ve studied local history including Hudson so it was nice to find another element of David Hudson’s story.  It was very interesting to learn of his journey and the difficulties he faced along the way.  I always get a little thrill when I read names of people or places I know and that happened when I read about Brandywine Creek.  I grew up near its falls on Brandywine Road in Sagamore Hills.  I never thought about anyone actually navigating it to get to Hudson.

We also heard the story of Margaret Van Dorn Dwight who traveled to Ohio with the Wolcotts.  While a very interesting story, I picked up on the name of the family she traveled with.  The Wolcott name is prominent in the history of Tallmadge, where I live.  The Tallmadge history books that I have don’t give any information on where Guy Wolcott came from or who his parents were, just that he came to Tallmadge in 1821 and still has direct descendants living in town.  A search of census records shows he was born in Connecticut in about 1786.  It is possible that Margaret traveled with Guy and his wife before they moved to Tallmadge but it’s also possible it was relatives.  I wish I had more information on this family Margaret traveled with so I could try to figure out if there is a connection.

Greek Revival or Federal Style?

            I’ve been visiting Hale Farm and Village for years and the Goldsmith House is one of my favorites.   It is an important part of the setting that helps teach visitors about the history of the Western Reserve.  Its history was extensively researched and Hale Farm presents the house as an example of Greek Revival architecture.  I realize how that could be your first impression but as often as I studied the house, there was always something bothering me about that classification.

When I studied American Architecture, Nick Fagan gave an assignment to identify houses of fifteen different styles, including an explanation of the distinguishing features.  I wanted to include the Goldsmith House but I struggled with the architectural elements.  Hale Farm interpreters label it Greek Revival but I could never justify the front door.  As Nick discussed in class, this house has many elements of the Greek Revival style, like the symmetrical side wings, the front gable with pediment, the wide entablature, and the ionic columns.  But, the front door with side lights and transom lights, along with the stretched columns and swags definitely do not fit into the Greek order.

Last year, the Western Reserve Historical Society published a small book, Hale Farm and Village, describing the history of the museum and the structures that were moved there.  The section about the Goldsmith House states that it “is most accurately described as a Classical Revival home because it features elements of both Federal and Greek Revival Styles of architecture” (26).  However, there is no further explanation of those elements.  I feel like they have finally addressed the issue of the blended styles in this house.

One thing Nick mentioned in class is the fact that styles were often blended, especially during the transition periods.  When the Goldsmith house was built, around 1827, the Federal Style was on its way out of popularity in the Western Reserve and Greek Revival was on its way in.  It’s easy to see how people would choose the elements they liked best when designing their homes.  The top architects would mix architectural styles at the direction of the paying client.  However, since there are several Goldsmith houses in existence, it appears that Goldsmith may have liked this particular mix of elements.  I have to agree.  I like it, too. 

We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

            This has been an enlightening week, in many ways.  I wonder how we can live our entire lives in one place and still have so many unknowns about our surroundings.  I was recently talking with a friend about Ohio being the Buckeye State and I noted that I don’t think I’ve ever seen a buckeye tree.  I tried to find information online about where buckeyes grow but didn’t have much luck finding anything more than tips on transplanting and growing saplings.  Knepper solved this mystery for me when he explained that the versatility and popularity of the wood from buckeye trees caused them to be virtually eliminated from Ohio (9).

            One of the topics discussed in class was the existence of Indians in northeast Ohio.  While the southern and central areas show many signs of the existence of early native people, there isn’t much in northeast Ohio.  We talked about the possibility this was due to the rate of development obliterating any artifacts and mounds because they didn’t realize what they were or the importance of them or because of the secrecy that sometimes surrounds archeological finds.  I think it may be that the people that moved into the area knew what the mounds and artifacts were but discounted them because they were from what they believed was an inferior people and therefore unimportant.  Or at least, they were not as important as the progress of civilized society.  The website “Prehistoric Indian Earthworks in the City of Cleveland and Environs” showed some old photos or drawings of mounds in the Cleveland area so we know they were not immediately destroyed, but as the city grew, they were in the way and subsequently flattened for building purposes.  I was surprised to learn of the mounds that still exist in the area that I never knew about before.

            The topic of natives in Ohio came up in my Preservation Planning course this week as well.  Someone mentioned that this is a young country.  Dr. Sande corrected this statement by clarifying that just because the United States was formed less than 300 years ago, this is not a young country.  He talked about many of the same things we did in our class pertaining to human migration and natives that inhabited Ohio.  He stressed that we have thousands of years of history with human inhabitants here so we are not a young country at all.

            Another thing that resonated with me this week is how topographers made maps without modern technology.  We talked in class about inaccuracies of early maps of the western hemisphere.  On one, we’re not sure what lake is represented.  It could be Lake Erie based on location or Lake Chautauqua based on its crescent shape.  Another showed the eastern half of America but the west, particularly the northwest, disappeared into obscurity due to lack of information.  I was astounded to learn that these early maps were often made by third parties based on the notes of travelers.  It amazes me that there is any accuracy at all when the topographer never viewed the land first hand or took any type of measurements for themselves.