DAISY HILL

DAISY HILL was the country estate and farm of O. P. AND M. J. VAN SWERINGEN, developers of SHAKER HTS. and the CLEVELAND UNION TERMINAL complex. Situated in the suburb of HUNTING VALLEY east of Cleveland, it was developed by the two bachelor brothers between 1920-27 at an estimated cost of $2 million. Located on acres of rolling land at the edge of the Chagrin Valley, the estate included the main house, stables, nursery and greenhouse, a man-made lake, and 22 garages. The stone walls, bridges, and round towers in the Norman style were built by local stonemason Geo. Brown. Philip Small, who also planned SHAKER SQUARE for the Van Sweringens, was the architect. The low, rambling main house contained 54 rooms and was designed in a mixture of styles. It has a 2-story Colonial portico, high-ceilinged informal parlors, and a large indoor swimming pool. A Dickens collection contained many first or limited editions, and the mansion was furnished with expensive antiques, American paintings, and Dresden and Spode china. The Van Sweringens occasionally entertained there but often held business meetings at Daisy Hill. Following the deaths of the two brothers in 1935 and 1936, their personal property was sold at auction in 1938, and the mansion was purchased in 1946 by Gordon Stouffer and renamed "Stowood." By 1988 the house had had 6 owners and all but 7 of the original 500 acres had been subdivided for further development.


Haberman, Ian. The Van Sweringens of Cleveland (1979).


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