There is a stretch of Cleveland’s Euclid Avenue (US Route 20) that was once known as the most beautiful street in America. It was also known as “Millionaire’s Row”, because in the late 1800s to the early 1900s the street contained the homes of some of the richest and influential people in the city and the county. Some of the names of the families who lived on "Millionaire's Row" included those of industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller; banker and industrial distributor George Worthington; arc light inventor Charles F. Brush; mining magnate Samuel Mather; industrialist and politician Marcus Hanna; John Hay, personal secretary to Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State under William McKinley; and Jeptha Wade, founder of Western Union Telegraph.
Samuel Andrews Mansion
The homes were representative of the then booming Cleveland economy and its growth and prominence in industry. Sadly, only a small number of these houses remain today, the others being overtaken by either the industrialization that brought the money here, to neglect, disrepair, and a growing urbanization of the area. Both Charles F. Brush and John D. Rockefeller had ordered their houses be razed after their deaths, as it was reported they preferred the destruction of their homes to inevitable deterioration.
A list of the locations of the homes that remain, either all or in part, is below, from the Ohio Traveler web site. (The list, however, is undated.)
Luther Allen House (7609 Euclid Avenue)
Morris Bradley Carriage House (7217 Euclid Avenue)
John Henry Devereaux (3226 Euclid Avenue)
Francis Drury House (8625 Euclid Avenue)
Hall-Sullivan House (7218 Euclid Avenue)
Howe Residence (2248 Euclid Avenue)
Samuel Mather Residence (2605 Euclid Avenue)
Stager-Beckwith House (3813 Euclid Avenue)
Lyman Treadway House (8917 Euclid Avenue)
H.W. White Residence (8937 Euclid Avenue)
Stager-Beckwith
Some of these homes are viewable by car, but for those that don't want to drive through the area, some can be best viewed using Google Maps Street View. Or, if you’d like to take a tour of the bygone era from your chair, here are links to some pictures of some of the homes (many no longer standing) in their golden years:Samuel Mather mansion
Mather home sunken gardens
Charles Brush mansion
Francis Drury mansion, rumored to be haunted.
Sylvester Everett mansion
Tom L. Johnson mansion
Stager-Beckwith mansion, restored
Samuel Andrews mansion
View of the Bingham, Devereaux, Mather, and Hanna mansions
Daniel P. Eels mansion
Check out my blog home page for the latest Cleveland information, All Things Cleveland Ohio.
5 comments:
I loved your post on Millionaire's Row. MR has always been of interest to me. I attended East Cleveland schools; there we were regaled with tales about John D Rockefeller. We were always reminded Forest Hill Park was a gift from him and he was a resident of EC. It is still a selling point on the city’s website. When I grew up, I became even more interested with the other industrialists that shared his era.
I wrote about the subject in college. I also did a little independent reading on it. As a former librarian, I was able to read all the books I could find on it.
That time (I know I am romanticizing it) just seemed so enchanted. So cultured. So refined. The architecture was so beautiful. It is such a shame the majority of those houses were razed, subdivided or just allowed to go to seed.
Keep up the good work with the blog.
The one thing I regret was to work on the demolition of the Bradley House on Euclid Avenue. It was a well built structure that too many days to demolish. If I had known the history of the house I would have attempted to purchase it. The only thing left are a few artifacts that was in the walls.
Hello. Enjoyed your post on the Cleveland Mansions. I am especially interested in Drury Mansion. I am the director of a small paranormal investigation group here in Ohio. I was wondering if you had any information on who to contact for information on the mansion and possible tours or investigations. Thanks so much!
Lisa, the Fall issue of the Gilour Academy magazine says the property is owned by the Cleveland Clinic. You may want to start with contacting someone in public relations At the Cleveland Clinic to see what kind of access is permitted.
The article I referenced about is on mage four of the magazine which is at the link below:
http://issuu.com/gilmouracademy/docs/gafall2010
Is there a map or Google Earth with the complete list and location/address/parcel numbers for MR?
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