Places
Homes Current
9534 Lake Shore Boulevard "Brightwood"
Plat No. 631-02-021
Sublot 4 in the Adams & Burton Allotment.
William and Alice Gaylord acquired the property on April 26, 1872, from Charles Moses and Elijah Burton.
George W. Wesley acquired the property on August 6, 1884.
Edward and Louise Williams acquired the property from George Wesley, a widower, on August 14, 1888. Williams developed Brightwood as a seven-acre gentleman’s farm and summer retreat. The property included a windmill, storage house, smokehouse, poultry house, and a greenhouse.
The 7,500 square-foot two-story Georgian frame manor house was executed in the then-fashionable Stick Style, called initially American Gothic or Gothic English. Its asymmetrical design, exposed beams, and square bays distinguished it from other contemporary styles. Touches included a large inviting veranda, asymmetrical bays, pointed dormers, and the decorative stickwork, better known as gingerbread. Wide cross braces and exposed studs arranged in fanciful patterns placed against a background of horizontal wood siding provided further character and depth. Stone entrance pillars framed the entry, and a white-slat fence framed the property.
Arthur and Reba Baldwin became owners of Brightwood on March 17, 1908, following the death of Edward Williams, Reba’s father. They lived with their family of eight, as well as five servants.
Reba’s older sister, Sarah, had received a portion of the Brightwood property to the north upon her marriage to Abram Garfield in 1899. The revised Baldwin grounds became bounded on the west by East 96th Street (Lake Shore Boulevard), with the rear of the property extending to East 99th Street (Garfield Lane).
Abram Garfield enlarged and expanded Brightwood into an elegant Georgianesque mansion to make it an in-town house for the Baldwins. During the reconstruction, the original porch was removed, and each side of the house enlarged by five feet. New chimneys had to be constructed. A service wing was added to the rear of the house. Garfield used part of the front porch to create an entrance hall and solarium.
After the house remodeling, there were ten bedrooms and seven bathrooms, including some maids’ bedrooms. The third floor held the nursery and playroom.
The home sustained a fire in March 1938.
Kenneth and Lois Smith visited the property after the death of Arthur Baldwin and wished to purchase the home. However, the person they were initially dealing with did not own the property. He had approached the Baldwin family, who were in the process of moving to Hawaii to care for their interest in the Dole Pineapple Corporation. He planned to develop the remaining five acres for sale as building lots assuming razing the Brightwood home.
Upon learning the developer’s intentions, the Smiths contacted the Baldwin family and found that they would prefer to keep Brightwood intact. Kenneth and Lois Smith purchased Brightwood from Cleveland Trust Bank on January 12, 1956.
Lois Smith advertised the property for sale, and again, a developer wanted to tear down Brightwood and sell off the acreage for building lots. Lois refused and moved into one of the smaller homes on the property and rented out what was privately referred to as “The Big House” to other families.
John and Anne Ertle rented Brightwood from 1966 to 1971.
John and Jean Zur Jr. acquired Brightwood on February 16, 1973.
George and Yasuko Landis acquired Brightwood on November 17, 1978.
Chester B. Scott acquired Brightwood on June 17, 2004.
Frederick Kemp and Keith Galestock acquired Brightwood on April 26, 2013, and have done extensive restoration of the home.