1835 North Park Boulevard (1998)

Perhaps the most striking thing about this 19-room Georgian house is the contrast between the traditional exterior and formal rooms and the present owners' classic contemporary furnishings, resulting in a pleasing balance between the old and the new. As you enter, notice the handsome front door with its decorative dentils and pilasters. The center hall has a vaulted ceiling accented with timbering and diamonds in varying shades of blue that are recurring themes throughout the area. In the living room a seven paneled bay window created a natural space for the grand piano, and whimsical track lighting contrasts with the formal proportions and original woodwork.

There is a similar contrast between the formal dining room and the classic contemporary furnishings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, an early 20^th-century Scottish architect. At some point a dropped ceiling was installed here, and when the present owners removed it, they found that one small section of the crown molding was missing. This they replaced, restoring the room to its former spaciousness. The original library is now exclusively a music library. The kitchen is bright and high-ceilinged, with "cartoon" marbling and a U-shaped island complete with brass rail.

The Tour takes you through the ground floor and out onto a large deck and gazebo. The owners have imaginatively re-landscaped the yard, adding a brick terrace off the sun room.

This is a house with a distinguished past. Built in 1903-05, it was the home of Bishop John Patrick Farrelly from 1909 till his untimely death from pneumonia while he was on a visit to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1921. His successor, Archbishop Schrembs, lived here for another five years. During that time the Catholic diocese was much larger geographically than it is now, including what is now the Diocese of Youngstown. Later on, the house was referred to in the neighborhood by the name of one of the more colorful families who lived there for a while. They were known for their very elegant but frequently wild parties. One story goes that the father of the family invited a group of drinking companions to his house for a party only to discover the next morning that the house had been stripped of many valuables.

In the 1940's the house was operated as the Scottish Old Folks home under the direction of Matron Harriet Hepburn. After that it was owned by the Rose Institute, and then by various individual owners. Considering what they have accomplished (facilitated by designer Kara Haders), it is hard to believe that the present owners, who had been living in Munich, have been in the house for only two-and-a-half years.