The Sarah Benedict House and Garden

The Sarah Benedict House, 3751 Prospect Avenue, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Upper Prospect Avenue Historic District. The building is a rare local example of the brick Queen Anne Style. Its asymmetrical massing, hip roof, and detailed masonry work are typical features. Note the irregular slate shingling and the tiled frieze between the first and second stories. Tours of the building's interior are by appointment only and are free to members of the Society.

Built in 1883 for Sarah Rathbone Benedict, widow of George A. Benedict, the publisher of the Cleveland Herald, the house is a rare survivor of the once fashionable neighborhood, second only to "Millionaires' Row" on Euclid Avenue, one block to the north. Prospect Avenue - from 1860 until about 1915 - housed the families of the affluent middle class, attorneys, doctors, publishers and businessmen. When the Benedict House was constructed in 1883, several elegant apartment buildings, churches and row houses had joined the line of handsome single-family homes on the street. The architect of the house is unknown.

Sarah Benedict became a widow in 1876, and lived in the home from its construction until shortly before her death in 1902 at the age of 87. As a prominent Cleveland citizen, she was an integral part of Cleveland's social, religious and charitable life.

For many years the Benedict House was used for its intended purpose as a single-family residence. As the neighborhood transitioned during the early twentieth century to a center for Cleveland's automobile retail sales and then to other commercial uses, the property was used as a boarding house, office building and for light manufacturing. It later became known as "The Library," a popular bar for students at nearby Cleveland State University. In more recent years, the Benedict House stood vacant.

When the Cleveland Restoration Society received the house, it was in severely deteriorated condition and most thought it should be demolished. The Society, with the help of Gaede Serne Architects and the R.W. Clark Company, restored the structure with a new slate roof, cleaned and repaired the masonry and refinished the interior. With a $1.175 million budget, the building was carefully restored and rehabilitated in accordance with nationally accepted preservation standards and practices. Missing details were recreated, the front porch was reconstructed, windows were restored, and an elevator and new electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning systems were installed. Interior woodwork was stripped, stained and varnished, plaster walls repaired, floors refinished, and reproduction wallpapers chosen for their appropriateness to the period. Regrettably no information exists regarding the original finishes and furnishings of the house.

Sarah Benedict House Exterior
	Before Rehabilitation		After Rehabilitation

The interior was sensitively adapted for office use. The formal rooms of the first floor were recreated to serve as meeting space for the staff and to host Society functions. The second floor bedrooms (and one tiled bathroom) were reconfigured as staff offices. The third floor was also renovated into office space that is leased by the Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition. The dark and dingy Victorian basement has now been converted to office space for the Society's growing technical staff. In June 2003, a public garden was opened adjacent to the house, in honor of the many volunteers who have contributed their time and talents to the Society.

Sarah Benedict House Interior
	Before Rehabilitation		After Rehabilitation

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Sarah Benedict House Funders

Members and friends of the Cleveland Restoration Society provided additional funding.

The Volunteers' Garden A collaboration between landscape architect James McKnight and artist Malcolm Cochran, the garden is a dramatic compliment to the Benedict House. Plants and flowers from a typical 1880s garden are combined with elements of contemporary art.

The Garden received recognition from the Cleveland Botanical Garden as "First Place-Commercial Category winner of the 2006 Green Around Town, Beautiful Urban Garden Contest"

The ornamental iron fence (1), fabricated by the Stewart Iron Works Co. of Covington, Kentucky, is a contemporary interpretation of ornamental iron fencing which marks the boundaries of an "outdoor room." The lawn (2) and brick seating area (3) of the lower garden further define the space. Jets of water flicker, mimicking flames in the magnificent stone fireplace fountain (4) and then cascade down the stone staircase. This unexpected sculptural element surprises visitors and prompts them to contemplate the history of Prospect Avenue, when the Benedict House would have been surrounded by other residences. The upper garden floor (5) is paved in polychrome granite in a baby block pattern that emulates historic tiled and parquet floors and seems three-dimensional. A canopy created by two Japanese Pagoda trees (6), planted within the floor, gives the feeling of a "ceiling" to the "room." The wire mesh trellis (7) surrounding the upper garden was fabricated by Friends’ Ornamental Iron Co. and is planted with annuals, climbing roses, and vines to form a visual wall. The wall is punctuated with five portal openings that provide detailed views of the surrounding architectural landscape. The first portal (8) frames the rose window of nearby St. Paul’s Shrine. The second (9) frames the roof of the Beckwith Mansion at 3813 Euclid Avenue, one of the last remnants of “Millionaires Row.” The third (10) shows the Cleveland Masonic Temple, 3615 Euclid Avenue. The fourth (11) frames a bay window of the Stockbridge Apartments, 3328 Euclid Avenue, and the fifth (12) focuses on the small gothic window of 3657 Prospect Avenue, one of Cleveland’s few remaining examples of elegant rowhouse living. This unique urban garden adds a measure of tranquility to the neighborhood and signals the Cleveland Restoration Society's fundamental commitment to historic preservation as a neighborhood revitalization strategy.

Volunteers’ Garden Funders

The City of Cleveland, Cleveland Foundation, Ingalls Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, and Eaton Foundation provided major funding for the garden. Members and trustees of the Cleveland Restoration Society provided additional funding.

Schedule your next event at the Sarah Benedict House & Volunteers’ Garden

To schedule a tour call Felicia Hall at (216) 426-3110.

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