Stan Hywet Hall

An Elegant Tudor Revival Mansion in Akron, Ohio

Stan Hywet Hall was the family home and estate of F.A. Seiberling, co-founder of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. This wonderful Tudor Revival mansion was designed by Charles Sumner Schneider and began construction in 1912.

Accordingly to the Stan Hywet Hall website, it is comprised of 65 rooms, of which 25 are bathroom. There are 25 fireplaces and 21,455 panes of window glass! The square footage of this manor house is 64,500 sq ft.

The architectural inspiration for Stan Hywet came from several English manor houses - Compton Wynyates in Warwickshire, Ockwells Manor in Berkshire and the famous Haddon Hall in Derbyshire.

The hall from the back side.

Stan Hywet is located in Akron, Ohio, about 30 miles from Cleveland. 

Gardens Galore…

We visited the Stan Hywet Hall & Garden last summer on warm day in August. The flowers were in bloom, all of the grounds were in fine fettle.

There is a glass conservatory/green house, walking paths, arbors, a small stage setting for outdoor plays; a tranquil Japanese garden sits behind the house and is sunken beyond the terrace stairs.

The Japanese garden directly down from the terrace lawn.

Of the three Tudor Revival manor houses we have recently visited (Stan Hywet, Edsel & Eleanor Ford House and Meadow Brook), the Stan Hywet gardens were the prettiest, in my opinion.

There’s is so much more to the gardens than what I am showing here. There are planted gardens with arbors, trees, rows of flowers - it’s very extensive. And as I mentioned earlier, a glass enclosed conservatory of which, I’m sorry to say, I don’t have a photo of.

A Well Organized Historical Home for the Visitor

Like the Edsel Ford house, Stan Hywet Hall is very visitor friendly. They have a little an entry house where one can buy drinks and food and outdoor seating. And the tours inside the house are interesting with the guides being knowledgeable.

Visitor center just a few steps from the main house.

I’m writing about the Stan Hywet a bit after I was there, so I’m hoping I remember everything correctly but one thing I can say with certainty is that it is well worth a visit.
Especially for those of you interested in period details, woodworking, plaster work and the like – which is something I could say for all three of the Tudor Revivals I visited this year.

Main room looking down from the above floor.

The ‘Agatha Christie’ Room…

One of the more memorable spaces is a grand room with double floor ceilings. If you are on the floor above, you can look over the railing and into the room.
It has a dramatic fireplace, bearskin rug and was used as a gathering space for family and guests alike.
This is what I call the Agatha Christie room in this house – the one, were it to be used in a filming of one her mysteries, would be the spot when the killer would be revealed with all suspects gathered around stately furnishings, often with a cup of tea, glass of sherry or a vintage cocktail in their hand.

To the left, the main room with double floor fireplace. To the right, breeze through walk.

Exposed timber beam framed ceiling

Some of the smaller rooms were quite cozy, all with the diamond lozenge windows and dark wood.

How very English…

A wood-paneled bedroom

Here, a gorgeously plush bedroom. The ‘tester’ type canopy bed with a typical ‘cup and cover’ motif carved onto the bed column.

Social seating…

Just like in the Tudor era, tapestries are plentiful.

The details are exquisite.

I love Tudor Revival windows…just stunning glass work and oh, so charming.
One thing I will admit about this house, I much prefer the back side to the front. I think architecturally, it’s just more majestic.
That said, there’s hardly a bad angle here. I encourage you to make a visit. Especially if you are a student (academic or a student of the world) and you enjoy architectural, design and art history. It’s so worth it.

Details from the grounds, a small stair in the outdoor theatre area.

And one last look from the front…

And by the way…
The name Stan Hywet comes from pre-history times and an ancient stone quarry site.
The correct pronunciation is stan-HEE-wit. It means ‘stone quarry’ in Old English.

If you would like to visit the Stan Hywet website, you can find all the info on location, hours and their calendar of events.