Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
Once the home of Frank Seiberling, co-founder of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, the Stan Hywet Hall is a 65-room Tudor-Revival country estate and public gardens.
The gardens include lagoons, formal gardens, greenhouse, and rows of birch trees. Self guided tours are available for the gardens, gate lodge and greenhouse. You can also take a self-guided Manor House Tour, priced separately from garden admittance. There is also a guided tour available for the Manor House.
History of the Estate
In 1907, Frank A. Seiberling began buying the land, originally farmland and cornfields, that would become Stan Hywet Hall. After holding a competition, the Seiberling family chose architect Charles S. Schneider to design the home at a cost of $150,000. Because they wanted it to be in the Tudor style, Schneider and the Seiberlings visited England, where they saw famous homes such as Ockwell’s Manor in Berkshire, Compton Wynyates in Warwickshire and Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. While not directly copied, these houses influenced the creation of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens.
An enormous amount of detail went into the building of the mansion. In fact, there were 3,000 separate blueprints and architectural drawings for its design.
Groundbreaking took place in 1912. In order to facilitate the delivery of massive quantities of building supplies, a railroad spur was created for transport onto the property. During construction, unwanted visitors were a constant problem and architect Charles Schneider even provided F. A. Seiberling with printed passes onto the property that could be handed out to authorized visitors.
The Seiberlings also hired Boston landscape architect Warren H. Manning and New York interior decorator Hugo F. Huber to round out the project. Huber purchased many of the furniture and artwork in New York, but he and the Seiberlings traveled to England in 1915 to obtain additional furnishings.
Manning sought inspiration from the natural topography and wanted the landscape and house to compliment each other. He worked with Schneider to ensure that the house would be built on a location that would provide five different overlooks of the valley and that allees would extend to allow views of the old lagoon and the surrounding foliage.
Stan Hywet Hall Gardens
Besides the spectacular mansion, the main attraction for visitors to the estate are the gardens and greenhouse. Every year thousands of visitors enjoy the 70 acres of carefully landscaped gardens. Designed between 1911 and 1915 by renowned American landscape architect Warren Manning, Stan Hywet's grounds represent one of the finest remaining examples of Mr. Manning's private work in the United States.
Each of the gardens at Stan Hywet provides its own magic and history for visitors. One of the most beloved is the English Garden, designed by pioneer female landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman. The gardens' dramatic color and blooms change with the seasons, giving visitors hours of enjoyment and wonderful photo opportunities.
Click on any of the thumbnails below for a slide show of Stan Hywet Hall Gardens.
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
714 N. Portage Path
Akron, OH 44303
(330) 836-5533
