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12725 Lake Shore Boulevard "Moyenage"
Plat No. 631-09-002
Sublot 2 in the Stackpole and Osborn Subdivision
The home is listed in the Ohio Historic Inventory
Delia Bailey acquired the property from Charles Cromwell on May 2, 1885.
Otto and Augusta Dercum acquired the property on June 9, 1895.
Jay and Seville Morse moved from Chicago to Cleveland, the home of his business partners Colonel James Pickands and Samuel L. Mather, and acquired the property on August 18, 1902. Morse engaged Jarvis Hunt of Chicago to design an Elizabethan Tudor home as a copy of his Chicago residence. Charles Schweinfurth, a noted Cleveland architect, completed the design and signed the drawings for the building.
The house, completed in 1904, had a symmetrical design featuring a central entrance with a carved pediment supported by brick columns that was reflected in an elaborate dormer on the roof overhead. The façade was framed by two gabled wings at the corners, one of which has a large, enclosed porch.
The entryway had a large front door with wrought iron hinges. The entrance hall included an enclosed courtyard with massive beams. A dramatic split staircase in the reception hall had detailed carvings, including beautifully carved lions on the newel posts. The paneling in the foyer was made of black walnut.
The wood throughout the house was imported Circassian walnut and oak except for teak wood floors. Skilled woodcarvers created unusual moldings featuring heads, animals, and birds. Spectacular cut glass leaded windows were installed throughout the first floor.
To the right of the entrance hall was an elegant living room with a magnificent hand-carved fireplace and molded ceiling. A grand oversized dining room also had a fireplace and molded ceilings, linen fold sconces, and wrought iron fixtures.
Behind the dining room was the observatory with polished marble floors and a leaded amber glass skylight. Off the dining room was a butler’s pantry, kitchen, scullery, and servants’ dining room. Behind the dining room was an observatory with polished marble floors and a leaded amber skylight.
A vast library with a wood-burning fireplace was in the rear of the mansion, commanding a beautiful view of the lake. The enclosed piazza at the back of the house overlooked a terraced full-sized swimming pool and the lake.
Four master bedrooms with fireplaces, bathrooms, and transom doors were on the second floor. The third floor contained the servants’ quarters and a ballroom. There was a total of eleven bedrooms, six-and-a-half baths, and six fireplaces in the house.
The house faced Lake Shore Boulevard. The entrance to the property was through a large imposing gate and brick wall. A substantial gatehouse was erected on the west side of the gate. A long curving drive accessed the front door.
Across Lake Shore Boulevard from the main house, a cottage was built in 1905 to serve as a residence for the estate’s gardener. The former gardener’s cottage is located today at 12720 Lake Shore Boulevard.
Morse named his estate “Moyenage,” from the French term “of or related to Medieval times.”
George and Emma Martin acquired the home from the Seville Morse estate on January 20, 1928.
James and Mary Rand acquired the home on September 12, 1947.
In 1962, a CBS-TV production crew came to the home to film an episode from the TV program “Route 66”. The episode entitled "Every Father's Daughter" aired on November 16, 1962, and was the ninth episode of the third season of the television show. "Route 66" premiered on CBS on October 7, 1960, and ran until March 20, 1964, for a total of 116 episodes. The show followed two young men, played by Martin Milner and George Maharis, traversing the United States in a Chevrolet Corvette and the events and consequences surrounding their journeys. Two other episodes were filmed at 12611 and 12821 Lake Shore Boulevard.
John Belker and Michael Spack acquired the home on November 12, 1969.
Dr. Kenneth and Christine Spano acquired the home on October 10, 1985.
Peter and Maureen O’Neill acquired the home on October 8, 2019