2645 Fairmount (1985)
Secluded by giant shade trees that screen out the traffic from busy Fairmount Boulevard, this stately white mansion stands on the Euclid Golf Allotment developed by Grant and Burton Deming on the old Euclid Golf Course. Variations on classic motifs decorate the columns flanking the entrance and the molding on the porches above. The exterior suggests the house as it has always been, with beveled glass prisms at the door, filtering sunlight into the foyer.
The right wall of the broad entrance hall is lined with fine modern bookshelves from floor to ceiling and running the entire length of the room. Special features of the formal dining room are its white tile, gas fireplace and built-in serving buffet with leaded glass doors in the cabinets. The breakfast room beyond currently serves as a study and as a serving area for social gatherings. A particularly useful addition made by the previous owner is the serving counter which has a thin slate inset running its length to accommodate hot dishes.
In 1979 the previous owner teamed with Heights architect Robert Blatchford to create a bright, spacious kitchen out of several cooking and storage rooms. Ample cabinets and counter space have been provided by blending new cupboards with the old; a family dining area here easily seats six. Hidden lighting gives the room a glow. A handsome picture window overlooks a back yard swimming pool, a tire swing, a reflecting pool, a coach house, and a flagstone ring marking the buried ashes of the home's first owners!
The freshly wall-papered back stairwell leads up to servants' quarters, a small suite complete with private balcony. The main bedroom area features a stair rail that curves gently around to the main stairway. The master suite includes a sitting room with another tile fireplace, and a sleeping alcove. Built-in storage space and a private, herringbone tiled bath complete this suite. A second pair of bedrooms, each with twin beds, provides play and work space for children; one of these is situated over the porte-cochere, and has been extensively insulated by the present owners. The broad deck off the landing, with its geometric railings, marks this favorite family gathering spot.
Back on the first floor, the airy living room's tile and plaster wood-burning fireplace accents the far wall. A recessed lighting track along the inner wall has replaced the original chandeliers. A window bench across the front is inviting, as is the yard, accessed through the side entrance, which rivals the front in offering elegant and protected passage.