The RUDD-ROCKEFELLER HOUSE, located at 13204 (formerly 13176) Euclid Ave., is a Tudor Revival three-story, 7200 sq. ft. mansion built in 1901 by Windermere Realty in EAST CLEVELAND.
In 1899 Windermere Realty purchased 18 acres of land near EUCLID AVE. to create the upscale allotment known as Windermere. Improvements included paved roads, water, gas, and drainage sewers.
In 1903, Dr. Newman Thomas Briton Nobles and his wife Annabell Wilson purchased the mansion. Newman was a Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Homeopathic Medical College. The seven-bedroom, five-bathroom home had a dining room, library, and ballroom.
In 1905 the mansion was sold for $25,000 to William Cullen Rudd, the founder of CHANDLER AND RUDD GROCERY, and his wife Mary Ann Rockefeller, sister of JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER. Rudd operated Rudd's Pharmacy out of the mansion.
The home remained in the Rudd family until 1966 when it was sold to the non-profit organization the Children’s Guild. The organization then donated the home to Cuyahoga County and it was converted from a private residence into a 23-room group home named the Guild House.
Orphaned and dependent girls ages 13 to 17 lived in the group home until they graduated from high school. Two house mothers and a social worker supervised the girls. Cuyahoga County ceased operating the group home due to expensive maintenance and utility expenses. In 1988, the Children’s Guild spent $195,000 on the group home’s operational costs. On 07 September 1989, Cleveland Crossroads for Youth, a private non-profit organization was given the property to use as a group home for juvenile court youth.
From 1997 to 2012, the mansion changed hands twice until East Cleveland Historical Society Board Member Shelia Sharpley purchased the condemned property for $32,000 on 13 August 2012. Although copper plumbing, fixtures, and radiators had been stolen from the abandoned home, the original hardwood floors, crown molding, wooden columns, fireplaces, and wood trim remained intact. Two of the home's porches were enclosed and the garage was converted from a two-car to a three-car. Sharpley intends to restore the home to its former grandeur and turn it into a museum.
In 2018, the Rudd-Rockefeller House was named one of “The 8 Most Interesting Houses in Cleveland.”
Angelina Bair
Cleveland Plain Dealer. "East Cleveland home to house 12 girls." (1966).
Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Notice to bidders." (1979).
Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Teenage home given approval." (1966).
Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Two big realty deals closed." (1905).
Cuyahoga County Archives. 13204 street cards. (1943).
Cuyahoga County Archives. 13220 street cards. (1943).
DeLater, Laura. Cleveland Plain Dealer: County drops group home as too costly. (1989).
Little Cape Cod. Ghosts of Euclid (Avenue): A Rockefeller Connection? (2012).
Howell, Margaret. Freshwater Cleveland: The 8 Most Interesting Houses in Cleveland. (2018).
Rice, Connelly. Freshwater Cleveland: Living a childhood dream: East Cleveland woman to convert Rockefeller-Rudd house into museum. (2019).