Glidden, Francis K., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1909-10 in Cleveland's Wade Park Allotment, this large brick house at 1901 Ford Drive combines Tudor Revival design with Chateauesque details. Red Flemish-bond brick is trimmed with limestone quoins and stringcourses, under a steep slate hip roof. The ornate limestone wall dormers, with low-relief carving and high pinnacles, recall those at Biltmore. Baltimore architect Edward Hughes Glidden designed it for Francis K. Glidden, longtime secretary and later vice president of the Glidden Varnish Company, who lived there until his death in 1933. His wife and daughter stayed on into the early 1950s. Case Western Reserve University bought it in 1953, and it now houses a law school annex. Although dropped ceilings and partitions have altered the ground-floor rooms, much of the original fabric and floor plan survives, and the exterior remains highly intact. The house is the last survivor of a once-prestigious residential area now largely taken over by the university campus.
Significance in brief: It is nominated as an excellent example of a period revival house combining Tudor Revival style with Chateauesque elements. It is the last survivor in its section of the once-prestigious Wade Park Allotment, now largely part of the Case Western Reserve University campus. It retains a high degree of exterior integrity.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 88000054, listed February 8, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1901 Ford Dr., Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | February 8, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000054 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1909-10 |
| Architect / builder | Edward Hughes Glidden |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals; Chateauesque elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by Case Western Reserve University since 1953; currently houses the School of Law Annex. The interior has reversible alterations and the carriage house holds a snack bar. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.51113, -81.60811 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 88000054.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137708472
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.