Set back from Mayfield Road, this two-story, red-brick Italianate residence is the only pre-Civil War-era structure remaining in University Circle. Its original section, at the rear, was built in 1853 by Andrew Cozad for his son, Justus L. Cozad. Justus Cozad’s grandfather, Samuel Cozad, settled in Cleveland in 1806.

The Cozad family owned a large section of the land which is now occupied by Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, Severance Hall, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Lakeview Cemetery. Through marriage, the Cozads were linked to other pioneer families of the Western Reserve, the Bates and Fords.

In addition to its association with one of Cleveland’s pioneer families and the Abolitionist Movement, the Cozad-Bates House is an excellent and unique example of the Italianate residential style. It faces north with a large lawn on Mayfield Road. The main cubical block has a hipped roof with a low cupola or belvedere. This feature has a pyramidal roof with a spear-shaped finial. Paired brackets support the wide roof eaves. The round-arched windows have a simple recessed molding and stone keystones. The main doorway has a large semi-circular arch, and its original doors with heavy molded paneling. A wooden veranda graces the north front of the house. All of these features are typical of the Italianate style, however the Cozad-Bates House is distinguished by two bay windows on the north façade and one on the west, which are curved rather than the typical multi-angular shape. A long rectangular block projects south from the main block. The east side of this south wing features a recessed porch.

The western bay window and the west flank of the south wing have had large segmental-arched windows inserted in them at a later date, circa 1900. The interior has been divided into several apartments. The woodwork and stair of the main entrance hall are intact, however partitioning has eliminated any semblance of an articulated residential space.

Current Status

The Cozad-Bates House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. National Register listing, however, is only honorific and does not offer protection from insensitive changes or demolition. The Cozad-Bates House sat abandoned and deteriorated – a classic case of a structure threatened with demolition by neglect – for many years. In 2003, the city of Cleveland cited the property’s owner, University Hospitals, for extensive housing code violations. In 2006, University Hospitals donated the property to University Circle, Inc. (UCI) and the city of Cleveland. The Cleveland Restoration Society is now working with UCI to stabilize the house. Initial exterior stabilization, temporary protection measures, has been completed. This work included covering chimneys, patching holes in roof soffits, installing flashings, and installing a temporary, secure front door. All physical conditions and activities have been well documented before, during, and after installation. Also, a licensed abatement contractor has completed the asbestos abatement of the basement areas. Our staff will continue to work with UCI as a historic structures conditions survey and preservation plan for the house is completed.

Cozad-Bates details

The Cleveland Group Plan of 1903 is the earliest and most complete civic-center plan for a major city outside Washington, D.C. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Group Plan district is a T-shaped area, which is bounded roughly by East 9th Street to the east, Superior Avenue to the south, East 6th Street to the west and the retaining wall that runs behind the County Courthouse and City Hall.

The Group Plan embodies the ideals of the City Beautiful Movement and late nineteenth century Progressivism. It was the first plan for the grouping of public buildings realized in an already built-up city, and is the earliest and most elaborate civic center plan outside of Washington, D. C., at the time of its conception. Many from throughout the nation traveled to Cleveland to see the physical embodiment of their ideals and took what they learned home with them to formulate plans for their own cities.

The Cleveland Restoration Society is pursuing National Historic Landmark status for Cleveland’s Group Plan. Learn more about Cleveland’s Group Plan by viewing this presentation created by the Society with a grant from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office. Download a copy of the nomination form here.