Would you believe that this grand East Cleveland home is still standing!?

Fred Welton house painted by daughter Mary. From Ellen Loughry Price, History of East Cleveland, page 21.

I didn't.

Recently, I've been doing a fair amount of research into East Cleveland in the 19th century. Part of it is because of a book that I'm doing on the Parks family (builders of this house). More, however, it's because I'm realizing how much interesting history there is in East Cleveland - and how little work has been done to uncover it. Tons of great stories seem to be revealed in the structures still standing, most of them just off Euclid Avenue.


Take this pair of houses at 1710 and 1704 Collamer - both moved to this site in the early 20th century. The one on the left (1710 Collamer) has a grand doorway, and appears to have been built in the 1850s. The one on the right (1704 Collamer) is a shorter, post and beam structure, with vertical plank sheathing - something that one usually only sees in much earlier buildings. Both are the subject of continuing research.

Why are they so exciting? Because they're good-sized structures, likely built on a major road (Euclid Avenue), with considerable historic detail. And nothing has been written about them! (As interesting as the old standards may be, it's always more compelling, for me, to be uncovering something new.) These are but a sample of what awaits.

When I first saw Fred Welton house painted by daughter Mary, I was sure that the house was gone - even though Ellen Loughry Price didn't provide any details as to where it might have been located.


When I first saw it, on January 25, from an angle similar to this one, it didn't even catch my attention enough to warrant stopping the car. There was something about it that seemed not quite right, but I couldn't put my finger on what that something was - I assumed it was just the odd habits of the builder or architect - or those who had added onto it over time.


The roofline, seen here from Euclid Avenue, suggests that the house was built in the 1890s or 1900s - or perhaps the 1910s. But, again, there's something that isn't quite right.



Then I saw this doorway, at what is now the back of the house, facing a gas station and Euclid Avenue. It screams "1850s" (or perhaps a little earlier). The door itself appears original. The spaces between the pairs of columns have small windows (sidelights), which have been painted over. This is also the case for the set of windows over the doorway, the transom. It's quite unusual to see them present, and in this good of condition - I can't think of another extant example of this quality in Cleveland or an inner-ring suburb.


Doorway, Mesopotamia, Ohio. 1924. Photograph by I.T. Frary. Print 2142 in the I.T. Frary Audiovisual collection of the Ohio Historical Society.
The doorway is of a style common in the better houses of the period - it's quite similar to this one, in Mesopotamia, Ohio - though I think the one on our subject house is slightly better proportioned to the structure as a whole.

I took a few more photographs, with the intent of seeing what more I could learn. It was only once I was back at the computer, and I found the name of the property owner on a historic map, that I made the connection with the painting above.

The house was built on the north corner of Euclid Avenue and Shaw Avenue, in East Cleveland, Ohio. The current address is 15314 Welton Drive, East Cleveland, Ohio.

When was this house built, and by whom?

Lasell Birge, a farmer, purchased the land that the house would be built on at auction, for $5,0000, in 1851 (Cuyahoga County Recorder, AFN: 185105220001). It was being sold by the estate of John Shaw, for whom Shaw High School is named.

I haven't been able to learn much of anything about Birge. He was born in Connecticut in about 1811 and married Rebecca Birge, a Vermonter (born about 1820), before moving to Ohio, in or before 1839, the year of the birth of their first child, Cornelius. He may have been living in Palmyra, Ohio, in 1840. Their other children included Eliza (born about 1847); Catherine (born about 1850); and Elizabeth (born about 1855) (1840-1870 U.S. Census).

By 1850, the family was living in East Cleveland. They show up there in the 1860 US Census as well, where they're listed as having real estate worth $10,000.

He seems to have been relatively well off, as, just two years later, he was able to purchase another significant parcel, on Euclid Avenue, near what is now East 105th Street, with one John Welch, for $3,500 (Cuyahoga County Recorder, AFN: 185304050004).

It seems most likely that Lasell Birge built the house by 1860. It's almost certain that it was present by 1864, when he sold the property to Frederick J. Welton (or Wilton). The property, then down to just 5 acres, was sold for a sum of $4200 (Cuyahoga County Recorder, AFN: 186412190004). If we're to accept another property transfer from Birge to Welton, earlier in the year, of a nearby parcel, as representative of the value of the land in that vicinity, the house was worth about $3,750. (The parcel, ten acres, sold for $875 - $87.50 / acre (Cuyahoga County Recorder, AFN: 186408290007)).

Frederick Wilton, a farmer, was born about 1799 in Connecticut. He would have been about 65 when he purchased the house with his wife, Minerva, born about 1818, in Vermont. As of 1870, they had four children living with them in this house: Mary (born about 1845); Frank (born about 1850); James (born about 1850); and Sarah, born about 1856 (1870 U.S. Census).

Little else has been written about Welton. A death notice (Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 29, 1872, page 3) describes him as a "well known citizen" and continues, noting that he "died at his residence at Collamer this morning after a short illness. Mr. Welton has resided at Collamer about 15 years, coming from Burton, Geauga County. He has always been a liberal man, a kind friend and a good neighbor. Mr. Welton was born in Connecticut and emigrated to Geauga County in the year 1832."


Detail of a plate from the 1898 Flynn Atlas of the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. Used courtesy of Cleveland Public Library.
In 1898, the grounds included our subject house, shown here in red, and two other residences, immediately under the word "Welton", facing Shaw Avenue. A driveway provided access to the property, both from Shaw Avenue and From Euclid Avenue, on the right. In addition to a carriage house, there was some sort of other small outbuilding.


Detail, 1913 Sanborn fire insurance atlas for Cleveland, Ohio. Volume 8, plate 53. Used courtesy of Cleveland Public Library.
Fifteen years later, the same property shows considerable change. (Our subject house is immediately to the right of the word "Wilton" in "Wilton Drive".) Three houses have been built in front of the Birge / Welton house. Richmond Place cuts along the border of the Richmond property, and Wilton Drive runs right behind the house. Several other structures have been built on (or moved to) the five acre parcel.

It was by this time that the house acquired the Wilton Drive address.

But what of the house as it is today?

There are two obvious differences between the historic painting of the house and the structure as it stands today. The roof was replaced, likely due to differences in taste, between about 1890 and 1915. This was not uncommon.


The other obvious difference is the porch, now missing. The stone foundation of the porch remains. It's not common to see the entire floor of the porch be stone - more often, you'd just have stone supports for the columns, with the remainder of the floor constructed from wood. This choice of materials is likely the only reason for the floor of the porch to have survived.

If we look at the outline in the paint where the porch roof attached to the house, the outline of a curved bracket is visible, suggesting something of the style of the columns supporting it.


There is much more to be learned in the history of this grand 1850s house - a subject that I hope to deal with in greater depth in future posts. Perhaps you know the owner - or perhaps you know where the painting that I led with is located.

I'm still just surprised that a structure with such interesting history was sitting here, right in front of my nose!

The Project of YOUR Dreams?

The Luther Moses House: An Update



On Sunday, October 30, a group of Cleveland Area History readers visited the Luther Moses house, at 5611 Lexington Avenue, in Cleveland. The group included an architect, staff of the Cleveland Restoration Society, and other associated professionals.

The evidence present points the conclusion that this house can and should be saved. It's going to be a labor of love, but there's the interest among the readers of this blog to make it happen. Further, many among you seem to be willing to devote some labor into making this project happen.

I could go into the specific details of what's needed here, but before that, I need to address the most important problem:

This house needs someone who's willing to take it on as their project, most likely as a residence or office. Perhaps you're that person, or maybe you know someone who might be right for it. While I can campaign for this house and bring together the labor necessary to make it happen, without a dedicated individual or group willing to take it on as their cause, it's just not going to happen.

Does this mean a ton of money? Not necessarily. I believe between donated labor and other incentives that a dedicated individual or couple could have this structure at a reasonable price point.

This is a historically important house, one that will surely be lost if something isn't done soon. Are you willing to step up?

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I'm going to be meeting with the brother of the owner on about the 15th. At that time, I will discuss our options to ensure that the house is properly secured to survive the winter.

Next week, I'll illustrate the floorplan (thanks to Ted Rusnak!) and discuss some of the options one might have with the house. I'll share some of the revelations that have come thus far. Cassidy Laudadio is researching the history of the structure.

All of this will help to paint a better picture of why this structure is important. But the importance is for naught if someone isn't willing to take this on as their cause.

This house is of a finish quality unmatched in pre-Civil War construction in the city of Cleveland, east of the Cuyahoga River. Surely something this beautiful and important is worth your efforts.

Help Save an Important Historic Home!

The Luther Moses House
Cleveland's Finest Pre-Civil War House, East of the Cuyahoga

Almost two years ago, I introduced the Luther Moses house, a designated Cleveland Landmark. Moses, a wealthy Cleveland shipbuilder, commissioned the structure, at 5611 Lexington Avenue, circa 1854.

At the time, I bemoaned the physical condition of the structure - it seemed likely that it would collapse into a pile of rubble without further action. A new roof had been installed, which suggested that the owner cared to some degree about the structure, but as the new shingles were falling off, I didn't have much hope.

A month ago, Robert Landon, the brother of the owner of the house, contacted me. He had read my post on the house. To my surprise and delight, he wasn't writing because of the tone I used in describing the condition of the house, but rather because he wanted to restore it, and he hoped I might be able to provide "advice, comments, or leads" in what he recognized as a "monumental task."

Now that I had his permission, I took a look inside.

I was filled with awe. Here was a 150 year old house that appeared to still have most of the original woodwork! Further, the quality of the woodwork was the best I've seen from this period in the city of Cleveland, east of the Cuyahoga.



These doorways were moved to the front hall. One is a closet, the other leads to the back hall. It will be possible to return them to their original location, by matching the nail holes on the back of the trim with the nail holes on the framing in the places where the trim was removed. This style of trim was used for all of the first floor doors.



This fireplace, one of two on the first floor, is mostly original. The only parts replaced are the two boards at the very top.



Here are two windows, in the room on the northwest corner of the house. Each has a simple panel underneath. While a small bit of trim is missing, it could be replaced easily enough. Imagine these in front of painted walls, rather than brick, and they appear much more pleasing. All of the windows on the first floor received this treatment.



Even the front doorway, which was converted to a window years ago, and the, later, bricked in, remains intact, save for the door itself. Underneath the additional trim, added for the window, the careful details created by carpenters in 1854 remain.

To the best of my ability to determine, almost all of the original woodwork on the first floor remains - the only exception is the staircase. This simply doesn't happen. Interiors change with tastes and the needs of the residents. Further, houses built by affluent persons are more likely to be changed, because they can afford to.

Look at the rendering I used at the start of the article, based on the evidence I have thus far as to how the house appeared, and imagine it like that again.

Yes, the house needs major work, but, as a community, it's worth our time and effort to fix it up. Here, preservation isn't an issue of someone else's action or inaction, but in how we each choose to spend a little time.

What will happen to the house when this is all done?

This remains to be seen. Robert Landon's interest in fixing it up is sentimental in nature. He grew up in this house. His mother put a ton of time and money into it, and it hurts him to see it in the current state. He wants it to be in the hands of someone who will care for it for what it is.

Landon will be in town in mid-November. Interested parties might discuss possibilities with him at that time.

How do we proceed?

There's a ton of research to be done - this has already begun. The next step is documenting the house and identifying how it might have appeared originally. While I have plenty of photographs, they're not by any means exhaustive. Measured architectural drawings would be most helpful - perhaps you might be able to help? Or perhaps you might be interested in helping to organize what is surely going to be a massive undertaking?

I'll be at the house on Sunday at 11 with some of the people who are interested in this. Let me know if you want to be involved.

This is going to be an ongoing feature, with regular updates - next week, I'll share the beginnings of the research into the house and its occupants!

The benefits of demolishing some buildings

This is what you would have seen until a year or so ago at 9915 Miles Avenue, in Cleveland. Another nondescript single-story brick commercial building.



This is the same spot today. The demolition of the commercial building on Miles Avenue revealed this circa 1880 brick Second Empire style house.



The house, which the County Auditor lists at 4166 East 100th Street, appears to be in good condition on the exterior. Making it again visible to passersby on the main thoroughfare improves the quality of the streetscape as well as illustrating the past of this neighborhood and road.

There are a surprising number of buildings like this in the greater Cleveland area. Most of the older roads have become major commercial routes, so residences become commercial properties. The commercial properties are usually physically connected to the residences, rather than being placed in front of them.

We are at a point in time at which there are many buildings being considered for demolition within the city. We need to carefully consider which buildings we will save and which we will allow to be bulldozed. If there's only a slight commercial advantage to a business using a less interesting building, we should consider incentives to encourage them to save the more interesting ones.

Luther Moses house

This house, at 5611 Lexington Avenue, was the home of Luther Moses, a prominent Cleveland shipbuilder. The residence, built c. 1854, is a Cleveland Landmark. The west side of the house, shown here, was originally the front, facing East 55th Street.

The front door, now bricked in, was centered between two pairs of windows. An Ohio Historic Inventory form completed by Eric Johannesen in November of 1975, says that the door was simple, with a transom and sidelights. I don't know what sort of front stairs or porch might have been present at the time it was built. The boarded-up opening below the location of the front door was likely added later, as access to it would have been blocked blocked by the front steps.

A Gothic-arched window, now partially bricked in, was centered over the front door. It was still present in 1975. Perhaps it was eliminated when the windows were replaced as a cost-saving measure.



When I first saw the house, I forgot that it was built before Lexington Avenue was cut through. This side faces the street. I felt uneasy about the date given the house by the Landmarks Commission - the house, from this angle, just didn't feel like an 1850s house. From this angle, it isn't - it more represents a later style, as the house was modified to face the street now called Lexington Avenue. This photo, on the Landmarks Commission's page on the house, shows a front porch, which is no longer standing.

There were originally three windows, evenly spaced, on the first floor of this side of the house. One of them has since become a door. On the second floor, the windows seem to be in their original locations. The door was clearly added later, when the porch was built on the house. The lintel over the smaller window seems a bit (visually) heavy, but that might just be to an excessive amount of mortar above and around it.

It is relatively common for the chimney to be routed at an angle, so that it would exit the roof at the peak of the gable - if it went straight up and down, the windows could not be placed where they are. Even with the chimney running at an angle, I can't visualize where the fireplace might be.



This side of the house is now the back, but was originially a side. It is very similar to the side that is now the front. I don't see any evidence of a third window on the first floor, so it isn't an exact mirror. I suspect that the changes to the second floor windows were made at the same time as the addition was built, due to the similarity in the style of the arches. The lintel was replaced with an arch at the time, and the double window was expanded, to the right, from a single one. It is unclear whether this was done for aesthetic or mechanical reasons.

The two door openings to the left, on the first and second floors of the main part of the house, were added later. The shape and style of the porch that the second floor door opened out onto are not clear.

To the right, one can see a boarded-up opening, at ground level. This is not another basement window, but a doorway that would provide access to the cellar.



It's hard to be sure about what this side of the house might have looked like. There is evidence of at least two different windows being filled in on the second floor. Neither is centered. I can see evidence of at least two windows on the first floor and I suspect that there were more than that. The addition had four windows, two of which have been filled in.



The only spot of real concern (can you tell it takes a lot to cause me "real concern?) is this one, on what used to be the front of the house. It is located directly below the valley on roof, so a large quantity of water probably gathers here when it rains. Installing gutters would keep this from getting worse.

The present owner, Herbert Landon, of 3644 East 147th Street, appears to have at least some interest in the preservation of this property. The roof was recently redone, which would offer some measure of protection. For some reason the shingles have refused to remain attached.

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At one time, Luther owned 90 acres in this area. As of the 1858 Hopkins map, this number was down to 30. By Friday, I hope to be able to address who Luther was, the extent of his landholdings, and his importance in the growth of the city of Cleveland.