At a recent meeting at Emerson Elementary School neighbors listened to an introductory proposal to construct fourteen homes on the property, while tearing down the 1912 home.
According to news reports, ownership of the property was recently conveyed to mortgage lenders, after being owned for three decades by Bill and Marla Heideloff. Currently it is listed for sale at $994,900. Both Bill and Marla Heideloff served terms as Lakewood Historical Society Trustees and and Marla served as Board President. Visitors to the home report that it has been well cared-for and its historical integrity respected.
The house is sometimes referred to as the "Sly Mansion." Wilfred Sly, the original owner of the home, achieved local notoriety when he and his business partner were robbed and killed on West 47th Street on the last day of 1920, after they had withdrawn their cash payroll from the bank and were returning to their plant. The five assailants fled the city. Persistent police pursuit over 15 years located the killers in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Detroit, Mexico and Italy and brought them to justice.
The housing development plan for the property is in its early stages and the developer has not yet purchased the property. To proceed, variances from the zoning code may be required to allow the construction of the fourteen homes. The Mayor and City Administration haven't yet taken a position on the plan.
An application is being prepared to nominate the structure as an historic property under Lakewood's preservation ordinance. If the Planning Commission were to approve the historic property designation, any exterior changes, or demolition, would have to be approved by the City.
There are very few of the early twentieth century estates on large lakefront lots remaining in Lakewood. Once the house and its setting are gone, they are irreplaceable.
As we learn additional information, we will pass it along.
Please be aware that the Historical Society lost its computer email database in a computer failure. We ask you to forward this to others who you know may be interested. We will be glad to add names to our list if we are given e-mail addresses for those who are interested in our bulletins.
John S. Pyke Jr.
Once again Lakewoodites are at each others' throats over a plan to develop. This time
Edgewater Dr. east of Lakewood Park. As usual there is much speculation, followed by little
in the way of long reaching vision or depth at what is being pushed by the mayor, and his
administration. To the mayor's credit, this one is at least in his backyard, and it is the heat
from his neighbors and supporters causing the neighborhood to erupt in flame.
13474 Edgewater, one of Lakewood's last remaining stately mansions on the lake. For
some reason, something I would lay on the feet of all of the past administrations if this
lot was in Cleveland, Rocky River, or Bay it would be snapped up for a couple million.
Here in Lakewood with what is described by many as a city on the edge, it sits empty
at under one million, and is quickly falling apart.
One of the first things to come to mind is why doesn't the Lakewood Historical Society
snatch it up and save it. While a tremendous idea, the LHS has neither the funds of the
will to save this. Just as it came up dreadfully short of funding for the Lombardo House
which sits with a for sale sign on it, less than two football fields away. It would be a grand
house for the Historical Society that could have wonderful, celebrations on the grounds
year round. Perhaps even moving the Oldest Stone House there for a final resting place,
but, it is t best a dream. If it could not come up with the small fee for the Hall/Holkcamp Home
on Detroit, If it has a hard time raising money to keep the Nicholson home sound, and it
is currently working overtime to put a roof on the Oldest Stone House, I do not see it ever
figuring into this mansion. If for some reason you see this as I do as tragic, then join the
Historical Society today, and give with an open heart. Otherwise, please settle down.
So the master plan, and I use that term very loosely because Lakewood has no master
plan for any aspect of this city, is to shovel it off to a developer that is willing to turn this
lot not into one of the many $2-$5 million dollar homes sprouting up along the lake, but
into a series of modest $300,000 homes in a cluster development, much like Captain's
Cove over in Clifton Beach, which was built on one of the true last great homes in
Lakewood, the Dearborn Mansion. This development also was met with much talk about
"crappy little insignificant homes" as the person living next to them once told me, on a
magnificent piece of property. Possibly she was correct, but I have been in a couple of
them and they are as nice inside as any other home in Lakewood.
... there has been at least on unit for sale for the past three years.
But there is a much larger issue than a developer buying prime Lakefront property in
Lakewood for 1/2 the price it should be worth. Sweetheart deal? I am not the one to say,
what I am willing to say is that this will have a massive impact on the neighborhood and
the city. Is it worth the gamble? Again I cannot say, but we do have proof, of a much safer
gamble that pays much bigger dividends.
First the domino theory. When this piece of land falls, as it surely will, it will cause the
development on that lot, and...
This property was bought by a women who had hopes of putting 10 cluster homes on it.
The city has repeatedly told her no. They would not change the codes for the neighborhoods.
The woman was so mad she complained of racism, and stonewalling. So first thing is this
other house will also fall. As one resident said to me, "Who cares, it is crappy 60's
styling." Maybe so, and maybe the other is magnificent, though I haven't been inside it
for years. But this would negate the "ruin the neighborhood" debate that has gone
through the area. If it's okay to tear down the one with crappy 60's styling, for cluster
homes, then cluster homes won't ruin the neighborhood, right? I mean the only people
who think less of Captain's Cove are the neighbors, everyone else thinks it is part of Clifton Beach.
And then...
All to what gain? To get more higher paying taxpayers into Lakewood? To take land and
make better use?
This is a guess at best, why not look at working towards what works in Lakewood? Either
enlarge the Gold Coast, with help from Lakewood, or start to work to rebuild the Gold
Coast. The first 4 apartments in from Highland Ave. are also "crappy 60s" styling where
apartments had little windows, and cramped areas. Why not provide some stimulus there,
to kick off 60 story condos? Build one more to the west, and we could end up with 120
units that range between $160,000 - $2 million or more. This is not as much as a gamble
as Cluster Homes, that are simply not the style in Lakewood, have never been the style,
and have driven the Historical Society nuts for decades. Change for the sake of change or
even worse, some bullet points on some campaign literature, is the what Lakewood needs for its future.
A plan, an idea, with some variation.
Or else this foreclosed home in Clifton Park, will be the next location of those cluster
homes, best left to the middle of a faceless farm area.
FWIW
