1286 Yellowstone Road (1998)
In the 1921 Cleveland City Directory, this home's first owner, William W. Ballantine, was listed as "stone contr." He was treasurer of the W. W. Ballantine Company, "(inc 1918, cap$100,000) stone constr. E. 96th and NYCRR." This may have some bearing on the fact that the house is built of stone and, though it is in the Tudor style, does not have the usual Tudor timbering. The old Bluestone Quarry is not far away, and one might guess that even the name of the street where Mr. Ballantine chose to build was in itself significant to one who worked with stone. Stone is used effectively throughout the house, as in the foyer and the handsome carved fireplace. Stone retaining walls run along Oakridge perennial gardens. Blueprints of the house plan, dated 1924, are from the celebrated team of Hubbell and Benes, the architects who designed many Cleveland landmarks, including the Art Museum, the West Side Market, and the Jeptha Wade Memorial in Lakeview Cemetery.
The present owners are the fourth to occupy the house. They have joined two lots for a total of three-quarters of an acre and have designed the patio, the fish pond, the playground, and the swimming pool, remodeled the kitchen, and refinished the hardwood floors, with the husband doing much of the work himself. Together they have created a lovely home that is also very livable.
The living room, with furniture by Stickley, has a beautiful leaded glass bay window with a window seat. The pewter and crystal tiered chandeliers are original and are matched by their smaller counterparts on the second floor. An enclosed sun porch, leading off the formal dining room, was originally an open porch. There are three bedrooms and three baths on the second floor, plus one on the landing that is now used as a family room. The present office was originally designed as a billiard room, a very Victorian touch.
At one time this area was known locally as "pill hill," because so many doctors lived here, certainly a convenient location for the university area, then as now. The home is on the site of Glen Allen, the 46-acre estate of Elizabeth Severance Allen Prentiss, which also encompassed the ground now occupied by the Jewish Community Center and the Lutheran High School. A number of Clevelanders may be familiar with the house. One former owner, Mrs. Margaret Hale, taught music to many young people in the living room, where the old baby grand reflects that heritage.