1101 Forest Rd

The home at 1101 Forest in Lakewood, Ohio was designed over a century ago by renowned architect Gustave B. Bohm, who also designed the beautiful 25-room Faerber-Morse mansion on Lake and Nicholson as well as many other fine homes in Cleveland's west side and in Cleveland Heights, some of which still exist today. The original blueprints for the home are still intact! 1101 Forest was first occupied in 1913 and is situated right in the heart of Clifton Park, a neighborhood of Lakewood that owns and enjoys Clifton Beach. Clifton Beach features not only a private quarter-mile sandy beach, but also includes a furnished beach house, tennis and paddle tennis courts, a large and sandy playground for the little ones, numerous picnic tables and grills, wonderful surroundings and other amenities. As a resident of Clifton Park you will surely enjoy all that Clifton Beach has to offer. It's a great place to raise your children. Now for the home. It was built in 1913 for Walter Baker, the founder and owner of the Baker Motor Vehicle Company, which in the early 20th century was the world's largest manufacturer of electric cars. In fact, Thomas Edison's first car was a Baker electric! Mr. Baker built this home for his beloved mother, Jeanette Baker. As Jeanette was wheelchair-bound, the home features an old "plunger" elevator that no longer functions but that someday should be restored to its rightful place as a centerpiece of this fine old home. Mr. Baker himself lived almost next door, and in fact way back in the day the two homes were connected by and elaborate intercom system, unheard of back then. Parts of the intercom still remain in both homes. 1101 Forest is truly a historic treasure! More details... 1101 Forest is a two-story "Italian Villa" style home measuring 2400+ square feet plus a full basement (unfinished but very useful nonetheless) and a giant attic, great for storage. There are four bedrooms and two baths upstairs, plus a unique family room that was originally the living quarters of Ms. Baker's chauffeur! Downstairs you'll find elegant living and dining rooms, and a delightful little kitchen featuring unique "magnetic" wall tile and cabinetry that you'll find useful in unimaginable ways. The home is solid as a rock. In 100 years it has not moved even a millimeter nor leaked even a drop. A wonderful clay tile roof and large copper gutters top the home. The front yard is fully-landscaped, with a wonderful brick walkway, brick-trimmed asphalt driveway, sandstone hardscape, full irrigation and 20 watt landscape lighting. The interior wood trim is all quarter-sawn oak with its original shellac finish, looking good as new and thankfully never painted. The white oak hardwood floor was lovingly restored and has been professionally maintained by the current owners. They just don't build them like this anymore! It's like living in a museum. Most homes in Clifton Park have detached garages, but not 1101 Forest, which has an attached and heated garage. The home is situated on a landscaped half-acre lot in the middle of a rare Lakewood cul-de-sac, north of Clifton Blvd. and right off Lake. You can see Lake Erie from this house, and it's just a short walk to the Clifton Beach. Other than perhaps right on the lake, there is no better location in Clifton Park. 1101 Forest is undoubtedly one of the great housing bargains available to young families looking to provide a safe and wonderful place to raise children. It's surrounded by lakefront and other homes that cost up to five times as much as 1101 Forest is valued at today. You and your family would be quite fortunate to be the next owners of this wonderful home, which is not presently for sale but with our daughters now graduated from college, may be for sale someday soon. By the way, the historical items in the series of photos, including the rare Gehring book and the Spencer Kimball watercolor, convey with the home. Thanks for looking.