Sly Mansion Demolished - Gone
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 9:34 pm
This evening I noticed that what is affectionately called the “Sly Mansion” at 13474 Edgewater Drive is gone. All that remains of it is a pile of rubble with a graffiti-sprayed dumpster on top. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a picture.
The home had probably been nicknamed the Sly Mansion by locals because of those that owned and lived in the home in the 1910's and 1920's: W.W. And Marie Sly. W.W. Sly owned the W.W. Sly Manufacturing Company, based out of 4700 Train Avenue in Cleveland. However, the home also had other interesting occupants, including Charles A. Bond, President of Bond Clothing Company, and Paul Morgan, a chemical engineer for Ohio Rubber. The mansion was built approximately 1912. According to the 1930 Census, the house was valued at $50,000, whereas most Lakewood's homes at that time were worth $2,000-$5,000.
Anyone that is a cheerleader for Mr. Summers should probably stop reading now. You have been warned.
First, let's not fool ourselves folks. The demolition of one of the last remaining, original mansions on the lake was probably planned since before this article ran on Cleveland.com in December 2012:
http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index ... igibl.html
Of course, it is quite evident by now that the “Planning Commission” appears to be nothing more than a dog and pony show. In my opinion, it is a group of elite, mostly composed of the mayor's friends, that was only put in place as a rubber-stamp. They are appointed by Mr. Summers and City Council, yet we never really get to see what their qualifications or backgrounds are. In case you didn't read the article, the request to the planning commission to deem the property historical was denied (surprise!).
http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index ... st_11.html
Read the above article. Mr. Summers made his wishes loud and clear. Apparently, he felt it was more important to please two people that waltzed into Lakewood from Strongsville out of the clear blue sky than to abide by the wishes of neighbors. I agree with Ms. Breiner, a neighbor of the Sly Mansion, who said in the article that this sets a bad precedent.
Furthermore, Mr. Summers mentioned something in the article about “due process”. I would respectfully encourage him to go speak to James, Gary, or Leonard about “due process”. These three individuals had their homes taken from underneath them by City Hall, although at least one of them presented plans to fix their house, and at least one of them was never given a day in court. One of these three gentlemen is now homeless. “Due process” applies to everyone, not just those that live on Edgewater Drive. That is not my opinion, you can read it under Amendment V of the United States Constitution.
As I said before folks, I believe it is highly probable that this demolition was calculated and set in stone well before the “Planning Commission” ever heard of it. Almost five years elapsed between the Planning Commission presentation and the demolition, probably in order to allow the issue to leave resident's minds. What is also interesting is the sneaky or “sly” way that this demolition was conducted. According to OneLakewood.com, it was only presented to the “Board of Building Standards” once, who apparently approved the demolition right away in one meeting. Wow, that was fast! Why the hurry?
Mr. Summers, with all due respect, this is enough. Stop being sly and release the documents about the demolition of this property, including e-mails and any other correspondence (electronic or otherwise) between you, the owners of the Sly Mansion, the Planning Commission, and City Council and demolition permits, and please speak for yourself, and not through Deck spokespersons. While we are on the subject, also consider releasing the records you and Law Director Kevin M. Butler have apparently been withholding from Mr. Essi for at least a year now.
Actually, your best bet would be to resign and come clean about everything, including releasing all of the documents. You may regain a tad of respect if you take that course of action. I admired you as a councilman, but the last few years of your leadership have become very dark, secretive, and ineffective at best.
On a positive note, the owners of the Sly Mansion site do plan to put in a nice hedge and trees along the front of the property.
The home had probably been nicknamed the Sly Mansion by locals because of those that owned and lived in the home in the 1910's and 1920's: W.W. And Marie Sly. W.W. Sly owned the W.W. Sly Manufacturing Company, based out of 4700 Train Avenue in Cleveland. However, the home also had other interesting occupants, including Charles A. Bond, President of Bond Clothing Company, and Paul Morgan, a chemical engineer for Ohio Rubber. The mansion was built approximately 1912. According to the 1930 Census, the house was valued at $50,000, whereas most Lakewood's homes at that time were worth $2,000-$5,000.
Anyone that is a cheerleader for Mr. Summers should probably stop reading now. You have been warned.
First, let's not fool ourselves folks. The demolition of one of the last remaining, original mansions on the lake was probably planned since before this article ran on Cleveland.com in December 2012:
http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index ... igibl.html
Of course, it is quite evident by now that the “Planning Commission” appears to be nothing more than a dog and pony show. In my opinion, it is a group of elite, mostly composed of the mayor's friends, that was only put in place as a rubber-stamp. They are appointed by Mr. Summers and City Council, yet we never really get to see what their qualifications or backgrounds are. In case you didn't read the article, the request to the planning commission to deem the property historical was denied (surprise!).
http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index ... st_11.html
Read the above article. Mr. Summers made his wishes loud and clear. Apparently, he felt it was more important to please two people that waltzed into Lakewood from Strongsville out of the clear blue sky than to abide by the wishes of neighbors. I agree with Ms. Breiner, a neighbor of the Sly Mansion, who said in the article that this sets a bad precedent.
Furthermore, Mr. Summers mentioned something in the article about “due process”. I would respectfully encourage him to go speak to James, Gary, or Leonard about “due process”. These three individuals had their homes taken from underneath them by City Hall, although at least one of them presented plans to fix their house, and at least one of them was never given a day in court. One of these three gentlemen is now homeless. “Due process” applies to everyone, not just those that live on Edgewater Drive. That is not my opinion, you can read it under Amendment V of the United States Constitution.
As I said before folks, I believe it is highly probable that this demolition was calculated and set in stone well before the “Planning Commission” ever heard of it. Almost five years elapsed between the Planning Commission presentation and the demolition, probably in order to allow the issue to leave resident's minds. What is also interesting is the sneaky or “sly” way that this demolition was conducted. According to OneLakewood.com, it was only presented to the “Board of Building Standards” once, who apparently approved the demolition right away in one meeting. Wow, that was fast! Why the hurry?
Mr. Summers, with all due respect, this is enough. Stop being sly and release the documents about the demolition of this property, including e-mails and any other correspondence (electronic or otherwise) between you, the owners of the Sly Mansion, the Planning Commission, and City Council and demolition permits, and please speak for yourself, and not through Deck spokespersons. While we are on the subject, also consider releasing the records you and Law Director Kevin M. Butler have apparently been withholding from Mr. Essi for at least a year now.
Actually, your best bet would be to resign and come clean about everything, including releasing all of the documents. You may regain a tad of respect if you take that course of action. I admired you as a councilman, but the last few years of your leadership have become very dark, secretive, and ineffective at best.
On a positive note, the owners of the Sly Mansion site do plan to put in a nice hedge and trees along the front of the property.