Places
Homes Current
12717 Lake Shore Boulevard
Plat No. 631-09-001
Sublot 1 in the Stackpole and Osborn Subdivision
The home is listed in the Ohio Historic Inventory
George and Corinne Ford acquired the property from Frank Stackpole and Mary Osborn on October 17, 1873.
Thomas and Margaret Sobey acquired the property on August 22, 1895.
Alvah and Adele Chisholm acquired the property on August 10, 1903. The Chisholms commissioned Abram Garfield to design and build their Colonial Revival residence. This stucco-clad mansion was built in 1910, concurrently with Edgewater to the west, and shared the same type of gate posts and wrought iron fencing to give the properties a cohesive look. Bratenahl council voted to vacate Erie Avenue, immediately to the west of the Chisholm property in 1908.
Derived in part from eighteenth-century British styles, Colonial Revival was prevalent throughout the Northeast. The symmetrical house featured freestanding, rounded front porticos, paneled front doors with sidelights and fanlights, and large Palladian windows. Double-hung sash windows, quoins, corner pilasters, porches supported by classical columns, and dentil cornices further distinguished the contemporary design.
The basic structure of the house was steel, reflecting Chisholm’s interest in the steel industry. Of particular interest, the house contained a working elevator. Unusual features in the home included the solarium with a delicate hand-painted garden motif and the library with leather-covered walls and rich wood paneling and bookshelves. The entrance hall featured a large fireplace and French doors leading to the rear of the house.
All the principal rooms on the first floor had wood parquet floors except for the solarium and breakfast room that had tile. The fireplace and mantel of the library were dark oak wood, and the walls covered in stippled “leather-like” canvas. The solarium featured a hand-painted canvas ceiling.
To the right of the entrance hall was a formal dining room that could comfortably accommodate fifty people. The fireplace had delicately colored yellow marble, and the sconces were all silver. The spacious breakfast room offered another painted canvas ceiling.
There were six bedrooms upstairs, five bathrooms, a sunroom, a large laundry room, and a linen room. A third floor had another seven bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Mrs. Chisholm had hoped the home would eventually become a residence for the Episcopal bishop, which did not prove to be practical.
Central National Bank acquired the home on December 31, 1956.
Donald and Francis Cameron acquired the home on February 23, 1960, from Central National Bank. The house was large enough to accommodate Cameron’s family of twelve.
Following the closing of the Lake Shore Country Club, the village council started talking about building a pool, which made Ann Cameron angry because she thought it would be a waste of her taxes. The Camerons opened their swimming pool for all villagers to use. Mrs. Cameron did agree to have the Village Recreation Board pay for the lifeguards, chemicals, and paint. The village used the Cameron pool from 1969 to 1971.
Designers’ Hope House featured the home in 1981, a biennial project of the Cuyahoga Unit of the American Cancer Society and the Ohio North Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.
Stephen and Stephanie Malbassa acquired the home on December 7, 1984.
William and Katherine Bolton acquired the home on May 15, 1990.