2596 Fairmount (1988)

Another grand example of the Tudor Revival style was created by architect A. C. Wolf in 1920 for the Kramer family. The garden editor for the Plain Dealer. Mr. Kramer and his family lived here for approximately 60 years.

Exterior characteristics of the Tudor style include timber and stucco mixtures, leaded glass windows, grouped casement windows, and a gently asymmetrical style. Throughout the interior are beautifully maintained original features including chestnut and Philippine mahogany wood moldings, marble or wood window seats, original nickel silver light fixtures with an acorn motif in the sunroom and second floor bedrooms, expertly restored plaster moldings in dining room and sunroom. The kitchen houses "Goliath," the affectionately named 1920 Magic Chef range, a working call box for exterior and interior bells, and "pseudotile" plaster work, a design popular in the 1920s. Features that boast original tile include the sunroom, designs around the fireplaces, and the bathrooms.

Antiques and handmade furniture are tastefully integrated into the original design. The Chickering piano, c. 1926, is one of five built with the Spanish Art Deco case and has been a feature "performer" on the Heights Heritage Tour in the past. The two magnificent electrified candle sticks gracing the entrance to the library, originally a music room, were obtained from a church in Lakewood. The Pennsylvania Dutch blanket chest on the second floor was made by the owner's father, the matching desk by her grandfather.

The beauty and warmth inherent in the design of this house demonstrate the successful marriage of quality, style, and design with attention to needs for family living, as appropriate during a time of opulence in the 1920s as it is during a time of self-sufficiency today