Mather Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mather Mansion
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Mather Mansion aka University Hall
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| Location | 2605 Euclid Avenue Campus District Cleveland, Ohio 44115 |
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| Area | Cleveland State |
| Built | 1906-1910 |
| Architect | Charles F. Schweinfurth |
| Architectural style | Old Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 02000702 |
| Added to NRHP | February 23, 1973 |
The Mather Mansion is a huge house in Cleveland, Ohio. It was finished in 1910. A famous architect named Charles F. Schweinfurth designed it. He built this 45-room house for Samuel Mather, a very rich man who owned shipping and mining businesses. The house is built in the Tudor Revival style. This style looks like old English country homes. The mansion is located on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland.
Cleveland State University has owned the Mather Mansion since 1967. The university fixed it up in 2006 and 2007. This mansion is one of the last big old houses left on Euclid Avenue. Many grand homes were torn down for new buildings, but the Mather Mansion stayed. Inside, the ballroom has very high ceilings, about 16 feet tall! The property also used to have beautiful sunken gardens.
The Mather Mansion is part of the larger Euclid Avenue Historic District. This district includes more than twenty historic buildings. In 2014, the mansion was used by the university's English as a second language department. Some people even say the mansion is haunted!
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History of the Mansion
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many rich people built mansions on Cleveland's Euclid Avenue. Cleveland was growing fast with big businesses like coal, steel, shipping, and oil. Many wealthy business owners moved there.
Famous people like John D. Rockefeller (who started Standard Oil), Amasa Stone (a railroad owner), Charles F. Brush (an inventor), and Samuel Mather all built homes on this street. By 1911, Euclid Avenue was known as the "Most beautiful street in the world." So much wealth was gathered in this one area, it has never happened again.
The architect, Charles F. Schweinfurth, designed many homes for Cleveland's rich families. Most of these homes are now gone. But a few still stand, like the Mather Mansion. Others include the Case house near Case Western Reserve University and the Parker-Hannifin House at Cleveland State University.
The Mather Mansion is 15,121 square feet in size. It was given to Cleveland State University in 1967. Before that, it was owned by the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Cleveland Automobile Club. For many years, the university used it for offices and official events. It was almost empty in the early 2010s. But after a big $2.7 million renovation, it reopened to the public in late 2015.
The Mather Family Home
The Mather Mansion was the last grand house built on Euclid Avenue. It was meant to be the family home for Samuel Mather and his four children. Their names were Samuel Livingston, Amasa Stone, Constance, and Philip Richard.
Sadly, Samuel Mather's wife, Flora Stone Mather, died before the house was finished. She never got to see their new home. So, her daughter Constance became the lady of the house. She even invited the Cleveland Orchestra to play at parties there. Some people think this sad event might be why the house is said to be haunted today.
The Mathers also had a summer home called Shoreby in Bratenahl. This area is still very wealthy today.
Why the Mansion is Special
The Mather Mansion is very important for people who study Cleveland's architecture. It gives them a look at how big homes were built in the early 1900s. Like many old mansions, it sits far back from the street. It looks more like a grand English country estate than a city house.
These homes often had huge front lawns. Staff or groundskeepers had to take care of them. They also tended to the many fancy gardens around the property. Today, the Mather Mansion looks a bit out of place next to modern Cleveland State buildings. But if its old neighbors were still there, it would fit right in.
The way the house is built makes it look even more impressive. It has fine curves and looks more like a library or a fancy hotel. You can't just walk up to it from the street. You have to go through land owned by the university. There used to be a long driveway leading up to it. If the house were still surrounded by its original landscape, it would seem even grander.
Stories of Hauntings
Some people believe the Mather Mansion is spiritually unsettled. This might be because Samuel Mather's wife died before the family moved in. It was likely not a very happy place for them at first.
In 2016, a group called the Ohio Ghost Hunters (OGH) looked into the mansion. This happened after the house was renovated. The director of the group, Peggy, led tours to look for spirits. She said she heard a child laughing in one of the rooms. This is interesting because the youngest Mather child, Philip, would have been over 15 when they moved in.
It's hard to know if these stories are true. Some people think it might have been a way to get more visitors to the newly reopened mansion.
If you want to test these ghost stories, the Mather Mansion can be rented out! You can hold private tours, weddings, parties, or academic meetings there. The university has a list of prices on their website.
