2731 North Park (1987)

Surprise is the watchword in this eclectic house. Deceptively simple in appearance from the street, the house has an arched entry enriched by randomly placed Moravian tile, surrounded with shield motifs. In addition, this is surmounted by a wrought-iron balcony and flanked by stained-glass, arched windows. Moravian tile decorative elements are found throughout the house which are set into the plaster of the stuccoed vestibule, randomly affixed to the facade overlooking the rear terrace, and elegantly and artfully forming one of the house's highlights, the inglenook fireplace in the living room.

The house was designed in 1925 by Cleveland architect Philip J. Buhrow. Its design is both unusual and reflective of revival-style architectural themes typical of its period. Part Georgian Revival and part Spanish Mission Revival, all first floor living spaces radiate from the interiors open "elongated" octagonal, central hall. The panelling (quarter cut oak in the hall, walnut in the library), stained-glass, carved spindles on the staircase, and original light fixtures, suggest an "ecclesiastical" gloss on the Mission theme.

On the other hand, the quatrefoil bull's eye and stained-glass Palladian windows, and molded-plaster cove moldings of the living and dining rooms suggest, because of their foliated themes, the classicism of Georgian Revival. Like other homes built in the 1920s in elite suburbs, this house is a fine example of what Walter Kidney has called "the architecture of choice."