THE TUDOR HOUSE is a three-story mansion located at 34001 Cedar Rd. in GATES MILLS which was built in 1924 for Industrialist, FRANCIS EDISON DRURY and his family. Francis commissioned architect CHARLES SUMNER SCHNEIDER to build a near-replica of his EUCLID AVE. home, the FRANCIS DRURY MANSION, at his 155-acre estate in Gates Mills. Master mason, George Brown supervised the construction of the project.
The main residence was Tudor Revival in style with stone, stucco, and timber building materials. The stone was quarried from the Briar Hill quarries in Glenmont, Ohio. The 41-room mansion cost between 2 to 3 million dollars to build and had 14 fireplaces with imported marble. All woodwork and wood paneling original to the house were crafted in New York and assembled on-site.
The first floor of the residence contained a living room, an organ room, an opulent dining room that seated 30, and a flower and silver room. The second floor had six bedrooms, a sitting room, a sleeping porch, and servants' quarters. The third floor housed three guest bedrooms, a trunk room, a storage room, and an enclosed circular staircase leading to a terrace on the roof with views of the estate.
Once completed the property contained 17 different buildings, greenhouses, and a five-acre orchard with 350 trees. Two marble pillars stood at the entranceway of a pond. Approximately 65 full-time employees worked on the property. The chauffeur lived in the “Gate Lodge” quarters on top of a four-car garage.
From 1928 to 1944 the estate was maintained by a small crew of groundskeepers.
During the Depression, portions of the estate’s acreage were sold by NATIONAL CITY BANK. In 1944, the Brothers of the Holy Cross purchased the 33-acre estate to establish the private boys' Catholic School GILMOUR ACADEMY. The 14-room gatehouse was converted into dorms. The Tudor home housed the school’s library, classrooms, and dining hall.
Today the main house is used as offices for administrators and the lodge is a residence for the school’s priests. In 2023, the exterior of the mansion and its walled gardens were painstakingly restored through a 28-million-dollar donation from the Howley Foundation.
Angelina Bair
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