Ohio Governor's Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Malcolm Jeffrey House
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| Location | 358 N. Parkview, Bexley, Ohio |
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| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Robert Gilmore Hanford |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival Jacobethan Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001970 |
| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1983 |
The Ohio Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden is the official home of the governor of Ohio. It was built between 1923 and 1925 by a businessman named Malcolm D. Jeffrey. Since 1957, it has been the official home for Ohio's governors.
The mansion is located at 358 North Parkview Avenue in Bexley. Bexley is a suburb near Columbus, the state capital. This residence is special because it's one of only four official state governor's homes in the United States not located directly in the state capital city.
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History of the Governor's Home
The current mansion is the second official home for Ohio's governors. It was bought in 1957 to provide a place for the governor and their family to live.
First Governor's Mansion
The first official home, called the Old Governor's Mansion, was in Columbus. It was purchased after a confusing event in 1916. The governor-elect, James M. Cox, expected to move into a house after winning the election. However, that house had already been rented to the new Secretary of State, William D. Fulton. To prevent such problems, a law was passed to make sure the governor always had a place to live during their time in office.
The first house was bought in 1919. It had been built in 1905 for Charles H. Lindenberg, a local business owner. This house served as the official residence until the late 1950s. By then, it was old and needed many repairs. When it was found that the repairs were too expensive, the state decided it would be cheaper to find a new home.
Building the Current Residence
The residence in Bexley, Ohio, was built for Malcolm Jeffrey. His father, J. A. Jeffrey, founded the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company. Robert Gilmore Hanford, an architect from Columbus, designed the house. Construction began in 1923 and finished in 1925.
The Jeffrey family lived in the home until Malcolm Jeffrey passed away in 1930. His sister, Florence Jeffrey Carlile, then bought the house. During her ownership, a master bedroom suite and a screened porch were added. After Mrs. Carlile's passing in 1954, the house was offered to the state.
Ohio's governors have lived in this house ever since, with a few exceptions. Governor James A. Rhodes lived there during his first two terms (1963-1971). But when he returned as governor from 1975-1983, he chose to stay in his own home in Columbus. Governor John Kasich also owned a private home in Westerville and did not live in the mansion during his two terms (2011-2019). However, he used the mansion for meetings and special events.
Current Governor Mike DeWine and his wife, Fran, moved into the home in January 2019. On weekends, the DeWines often return to their family farm, the Whitelaw Reid House, in Cedarville, Ohio.
Outside the Residence
The governor's residence is surrounded by streets: Parkview Avenue to the west, Maryland Avenue to the north, and Columbia Avenue to the east. The beautiful Heritage Garden surrounds the house. To the northeast, you'll find the Carriage House, Gift Shop, Guest Services, and Greenhouse. Right in front of the main entrance is the Heritage Fountain.
Heritage Garden
When the Governor's Residence moved to its current spot, the grounds already had some plants and trees. Over time, artworks, fences, and low garden walls were added. This led to the creation of the current gardens. The Heritage Garden was designed and planted in 2001, guided by First Lady Hope Taft. Its goal is to show off the different geological areas of Ohio. These new gardens, along with additions like solar panels and a special driveway, have made the grounds known as one of the "greenest" governor's residences in America.
Exploring the Gardens
Starting from the Carriage House, you can walk through the northern gates to the Geologic Walk. This path circles the entire residence and begins a tour of Ohio's geological regions. The Allegheny Garden runs along the property wall from Maryland Avenue to Parkview Avenue. This garden shows plants from northeastern Ohio. Some older trees and plants that are not from the Allegheny region were kept because they were part of the original landscape. At the end of this garden, there's a huge 16-ton boulder. A glacier carried it from Canada to Ohio during the Ice Age!
The rest of the west lawn has the Governor's Grove. This area celebrates the governors who have lived in the home. Each governor has planted a tree here. For example, C. William O'Neill planted a Honey locust, John J. Gilligan planted a Higan cherry, and Dick Celeste planted six Redbuds for his six children. Governor Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky even gifted a Kentucky coffeetree to the residence.
The Arrival Plaza is at the entrance to the residence and is where tours begin. It leads into the First Lady's Courtyard. The Heritage Fountain is the main feature of this courtyard. Symmetrical plants surround the courtyard, and two flagpoles fly the national and state flag at the western end.
The Meadow Garden and the Woodland Garden are along the southern edge of the property. The County Walk has stones with the names of each Ohio county. It leads from the driveway to the gardens, past the Taxus Hedge, and into the Dogwood Glade. A large brick design of the Great Seal of Ohio is south of the glade. It was a gift from Licking County during the George Voinovich administration.
Past the state seal are the Sister State Cherry Trees, a gift to Ohio from the Saitama Prefecture in Japan. These trees frame the First Family Patio. South of the patio stands a clone of a Yoshino cherry tree from the Tidal Basin in Washington D.C. This tree was officially donated by the United States National Arboretum.
The Water Garden is north of the patio. It has six pools with two large urns that recycle the water. This garden features many different water plants. The Black Swamp Garden is east of the patio. Above it is a crab apple grove with a sculpture called To Life. This sculpture by Alfred Tibor shows a father with a child on his shoulders, a mother, and two children playing.
The Headlands Sand Dune Garden, which looks like the Lake Erie shoreline, is east of the apple grove. The Oak Openings Sand Dune, representing the area west of Toledo, is on the other side of the path. These gardens show an area of Ohio formed when glaciers left yellow-brown sand from Lake Erie. When the glaciers melted, the sand created unique hills and ridges. Interesting plants here include the blue sundial lupine and the prickly pear cactus. An old willow tree in the garden dates back to when the house was built and provides shade.
The Alvar Rock Garden & Fen has two round flower beds with large, flat rocks of dolomite and limestone. The larger "island" has rocks with marks from glaciers and hardy plants like the Lakeside Daisy. The smaller "island" has a rock with many fossils and is surrounded by similar plants.
The Appalachian Garden is in the southeastern corner of the gardens. It represents the Appalachian Plateau. This garden has raised beds with rocks sticking out, like the "hanging gardens" found on cliff sides in the region. These hanging gardens feature large stones from a washed-out covered bridge near Zanesville and large dolomite rocks from Adams County.
The Pioneer Garden is in the center of the eastern garden. Its main feature is an apple tree grown from a cutting of one of the few living trees planted by Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman. Around it are plants that were very important to Ohio's early pioneers.
The Earth's Harvest Agricultural Garden is right in front of the greenhouse. Governor Celeste first planted this garden, and it was later made larger. Its many raised beds allow a wide variety of plants to grow, along with rows of fruit trees, berry plants, and grapevines. A large sculpture called Hammy Birthday Ohio is in this garden. It was part of Cincinnati's Big Pig Gig event. One side of the pig shows a bicentennial barn, and the other shows a cornfield.
The Walled Garden in the far northeast corner provides flowers for decorating the house and vegetables for daily meals. This garden also has plants found only along the Ohio River banks, including the famous Ammon's Blue.
The Greenhouse is between the garden and the Carriage House/Gift Shop. Its main job is to help sick plants recover and to start new plants for the gardens. The Gift Shop and Service Building was built to support the Friends of the Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden, a non-profit group that helps maintain the property. Large solar panels on the roof of these buildings provide electricity to the residence, and any extra power is sold back to the city.
The Kettle Lake Bog is directly south of the carriage house. This garden is partly enclosed by curved brick walls with benches. In the center, there was once a fishpond, but it was partly filled with quartz gravel and turned into a bog. Plants like Cranberry, Pitcher plant, Peat, Sphagnum moss, and Bog orchid now fill this garden.
The Garden of the Lost is also near the bog. It shows many plants that disappeared from Ohio due to glaciers and climate changes. Some plants in this garden are Sweetbay magnolia and Florida corkwood.
The L-shaped Jeffrey-Carlile Rose Garden is at the northern end of the East Terrace. It contains several types of roses grown by Ohioans. There has been a rose garden in this area since the house was built. The roses planted by the Carliles died due to soil diseases. Expert gardeners were hired to replant and care for the gardens.
Across the East Lawn from the Rose Garden is the L-shaped Prairie Garden. River gravel lines the beds and represents the western half of the state. Plants found here include Shooting stars, Spiderwort, and Purple coneflower. A pergola runs along the southern edge of this garden with climbing plants like Wisteria and Clematis.
Residence Design
The residence is built in the Jacobean Revival style, which means it looks like old English homes from the 1600s, but with some modern touches. The walls are made of stucco and limestone. Bedford stone blocks are used on the corners, on top of the gables (the pointed parts of the roof), and around the windows and doors. Parts of the second floor have decorative half-timbered panels. The strong, sloped roof is made of slate, and several large brick chimneys stick out from the house. The second floor also has several bay windows, which are windows that stick out from the wall.
The front entrance is reached by a flight of stairs. It is part of a two-story gabled section that sticks out from the house. Doric pilasters (flat columns) are carved into the sides of the door frame. They support carved rosette designs above and around the door. As this section rises, decorative machicolation (like small projections) adds interest. The large oak door has strong hinges and carved panels. It leads you inside the home.
Inside the Residence
The first floor of the residence has public rooms and reception areas. These rooms display artworks by famous Ohioans or historical items from the house's collections. The second floor holds the private living areas for the governor and their family, decorated to their liking.
Entrance Hall
The entrance hall has a shiny slate stone floor. Carved oak panels cover the walls, reaching up to the oak-beamed ceiling. A beautiful staircase with an open, carved strapwork pattern on its balustrade (the railing) is a main feature. Two tall lamps called torchieres and chairs that were original to the house are on either side of the door. There is also a chest that belonged to Mrs. Carlile, the last private owner of the house.
Formal Dining Room
The formal dining room is to the left of the entrance hall. It has full oak paneling on the walls and plaster decorations shaped like rosettes on the ceiling. A carved stone fireplace and mantel are built into the wall on the right. The fireplace has a decorative carved frieze (a band of sculpture) supporting the mantel. It rests on Doric pilasters.
A bay window is the main focus of the room. It has a small ledge at its base. The bay is made of six large rectangular windows at the bottom, with six smaller square windows above them. To the left of the room are two sets of French doors with a rectangular window above. A large dining table sits in the middle of the room, with a gold and crystal chandelier hanging above it.
Living Room
The sunken living room is to the right of the entrance hall. It also has full oak paneling and decorative plaster rosettes on the ceiling. A fireplace, just like the one in the dining room, is across from the entrance hall doors. To the right is a large bay window, similar to the one in the dining room, which looks out over the front yard and gardens. Two large French doors frame the fireplace and lead to the sitting room beyond.
See also
- Columbus Foundation, which is located at the Old Governor's Mansion
