THE ARCHITECT
Charles F. Schweinfurth (1856-1919) of Cleveland designed Five Oaks, called one of the finest private homes of Ohio. A native of New York, he served an apprenticeship under his architect father. At the same time he worked in the field, gaining experience as a bricklayer, stone cutter, and carpenter. He came to Cleveland in 1883 and established himself as a renowned and respected architect, not only of houses, but also of bank and civic buildings, bridges, churches, and schools. It has been said that Schweinfurth was to Cleveland what Frank Lloyd Wright was to Chicago.
His coming to Cleveland was to fulfill a commission to design a mansion for Sylvester Everett on Euclid Avenue at 40th Street. The Everett Mansion, which in its day was the grandest house on the avenue, was only the first in Schweinfurth’s distinguished career in Cleveland. Other prominent architects also contributed designs for other houses of such grandeur on Euclid Avenue that it came to be dubbed Millionaires’ Row. Of the 260 palatial houses that once lined both sides of the avenue, only four survive today. One is the Schweinfurth-designed Samuel Mather house on the campus of Cleveland State University.
At first Schweinfurth worked in the Richardsonian Romanesque style; in fact, he may have spent some time in the offices of the great architect H.H. Richardson. When it came to designing Five Oaks, eclecticism was appearing in architecture; and Schweinfurth incorporated Gothic, Tudor, and French Renaissance qualities in the plans. The first is evident in the bluntly pointed arches, the second, in the crenelation of the roof line, and the third, in the balconies. Schweinfurth had great creative ability, and in addition he was a perfectionist. It is said he built expensively. He demanded that materials and workmanship be of the highest quality. He tolerated no errors in the work of his craftsmen. The story is told that a sculptor had worked a month on one of the lions at Five Oaks when he came to flaw as he was doing a forepaw. Schweinfurth ordered the piece destroyed and a new block of stone acquired for replacement carving.
He was very forward-looking in his recommendations of what should be included in the houses of his clients. Electricity was coming into acceptance as a source of lighting, and Five Oaks was wired throughout for its use. In the early days, however, it was gas that was relied upon for light from the chandeliers.
A house recently restored on 75th Street, just a couple doors from Euclid Avenue, was built for a woman from New York. Since she did not come west to occupy it, it became the architect’s own home. A boxlike, fortress-type structure on a smaller scale, having only 14 rooms instead of the 30 at Five Oaks, it is immediately apparent that the two houses have a common creator. Proximity in time of their building may account for the similarities. The Cleveland house is of sandstone. It has a crenelated roof line and a pillar at the center of a front window. To satisfy the architect’s penchant for use of lions, a lion’s head occupies a niche at the front. The entrance has a single solid oak door that has strap hinges of decorative iron.
Schweinfurth’s masterpiece is Trinity Cathedral, finished in 1905 on Euclid Avenue at 21st Street. Even in a cursory visit, one sees things suggestive of Five Oaks. For example, cherub heads in the wood decoration and doors covered with Moroccan leather. A plaque in the cathedral reads, “In loving Memory of Charles Frederick Schweinfurth, Architect and Builder of this Cathedral. (1856 - 1919) ‘For He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.’”
The original sketch of Five Oaks made by Schweinfurth has been found and restored. It was done with a crow-quill pen on parchment. It has been handsomely framed and hangs in the library at Five Oaks. This picture was actually purchased at a “garage sale” and subsequently donated to Five Oaks by Guy Huey, a former board member. It’s been said that Schweinfurth always left his mark on his structures. In the billiards room of Five Oaks, the brass studs form the letter ‘S’. Could this be Schweinfurth’s mark?