Familys Vision Became Community Treasure

inToledo | 10/01/2008

In the months leading to the election of 1974, all the experts in Lucas County seemed to agree on one point: a proposed levy to purchase and preserve the former Stranahan estate was doomed to fail.

Unemployment, like gas prices and inﬂ ation, had steadily increased. Many organizations and media opposed the levy, believing voters would not support any tax increase regardless of the cause. And, if the levy did not pass, a local real estate developer planned to construct 1,000 homes and condominiums on the nearly 500 acre property, creating many jobs.

Despite the many pitfalls littering the road to the levy vote of 1974, a grassroots effort encompassing a wide range of interests joined together to preserve one of the most unique properties in northwest Ohio, now known as Wildwood Preserve.

The estate’s imposing, 30,000- square-foot home, now known as the Manor House, proved enough to inspire many to donate their time to the campaign. Others were drawn to the beauty of the formal gardens. For a young veterinarian named William Mewborn, it was the natural beauty and abundant wildlife on the property that prompted him to initiate the effort to save the Stranahan property. Strolling through the unoccupied estate in 1973, Dr. Mewborn decided to make it his mission to ensure the natural oasis remained undisturbed for future generations to enjoy.

The awe Dr. Mewborn felt in 1973 cannot be credited to nature’s design alone; much of the estate’s beauty grew from the vision of its owners, Robert and Page Stranahan.

Building A Dream Home

In 1910, Robert Stranahan and his brother Frank moved their struggling business, Champion Spark Plug, from Boston to Toledo. The relocation placed them at the heart of the country’s ﬂ edging automotive industry. In a mere six years they transformed a business $20,000 in debt into the world’s largest spark plug manufacturer, making the Stranahan brothers two of the area’s wealthiest citizens.

From the late 1920s through the early 1960s, Robert and his wife Page invested their fortune in the construction of a home that served many goals. As leaders in the region’s business, political and social spheres, the Stranahans sought to create an estate that would serve as an extension of their personal values, promote the welfare of their adopted community, advance their many business ventures, and nurture their close-knit family throughout the generations. They named their home Stranleigh. In the end, their vision inspired the Herculean efforts of an entire community to preserve the grounds after their passing.

Early in the 1930s, Robert and Page were drawn to Stranleigh’s natural beauty and slowly acquired over 700 contiguous acres of property off Central Avenue. (The original estate was more than 200 acres larger than Wildwood today.)

The ﬁ rst building erected on the property was a stable capable of housing more than 10 mounts. Years before beginning construction on their mansion, the family used their property for horse riding. Many of the walking paths that visitors traverse today originated as bridal trails. Above the stables resided a full-time horse trainer and his family. He proved but one of the many employed by the Stranahans to ensure their estate ran smoothly.

Today the stables remain as the Metz Visitor Center, named for Bob Metz, the director who led Metroparks to acquire the land and open it as the beautiful park we enjoy today.

The Stranahans harbored grander designs for their estate, ultimately transforming it into more than a nature preserve. In 1936, during the heart of the Great Depression, the family helped alleviate the region’s economic difﬁ culties by hiring over 100 local workers to build their family home. A full two years were devoted to the project and when completed it featured 35 primary rooms, 16 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms.

Exceptionally involved in the construction of their home, the couple took no chances, ensuring it was built to their exact desires. During construction, Robert Stranahan even arranged for a tall viewing platform to be built at the construction site so he could monitor the work. To be certain the structure stood the ravages of time, it was framed with 12-inch steel beams and constructed of brick and reinforced concrete. The couple intended their home to survive in its original condition long after they were gone.

For the Stranahans, designing the land around the home seemed as important as the physical structure itself. One deciding factor in purchasing the property was its proximity to Ten-Mile Creek. The couple intended the creek to run through their back yard, but, the site for the home was not on the water. The solution was to divert the creek so that it coursed a half mile from its original location and ﬂ owed past the back side of the home. Workers then relocated large stones and placed them in the waterway to create a false rapid that could be heard from the back porch.

Page Stranahan’s vision included a formal garden, which led the couple to hire renowned landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman. In an era when women were only allowed minimal participation in the architectural ﬁ eld, Shipman’s popularity as a garden designer opened the way for women throughout the nation to thrive in her profession. The garden she designed for the Stranahans was one of her last creations.

Page was not content to merely have ﬂowers outside her home. She instructed workers to build a separate room for arranging ﬂoral bouquets. Every morning, the estate’s master gardener used ﬂowers grown in the family’s greenhouse or delivered by local ﬂorists to put together vases of various ﬂ owers for all the rooms in the home. Workers and guests to the estate recall even today the sweet aroma that greeted anyone entering the home during the days when the family resided there.

Visiting Stranleigh

The overwhelming size of the estate and imposing Georgian Colonial style home were chosen by the couple for speciﬁ c effects. One of the main functions was to entertain business clients and community leaders. The effect must have been breathtaking to a ﬁ rst-time visitor.

Guests arrived to the estate in one of the Stranahans’ limousines, entered the grounds past the carefully constructed gatehouses, followed the driveway through the beautiful woods and ﬁ nally were deposited in front of the immense three-story home. A butler greeted visitors at the large front door and showed them to the Gentleman’s Study or Morning Room where Robert or Page waited to welcome them.

Visitors who spent extended periods of time at the estate were further impressed by the amenities of the home.

􏰀 Seven bedrooms were reserved for live-in maids, and all the main rooms in the house featured call buttons that ensured family and visitor needs were just an arms reach away.

􏰀 Each guest bedroom included a walk-in closet, private bathroom and ﬁ replace.

􏰀 When guests left their rooms, house staff cleaned the ﬁ re places and restocked them with wood.

􏰀 An underground fan and tunnel system leading to the banks of Ten-mile Creek delivered cool, fresh air throughout the home.

The house wasn’t the only venue for entertaining. For occasions when the family entertained large numbers, a ballroom was constructed behind the horse stables. Prior to guests arriving, a long red runner was laid out marking the path from the stable to the ballroom. This entertaining area featured orchestra stands, large ﬁ replaces, and an indoor riding arena where horse shows were performed. A wall of glass separated the two sides of the structure, allowing guests to comfortably observe the equestrian events. With this venue, the Stranahans could entertain large numbers of visitors, and it was not uncommon for them to invite as many as 500 people to their estate at one time. Unfortunately, the structure deteriorated to a point that it had to be demolished in the 1970s.

While the estate was certainly constructed to entertain and impress visitors, its most important function for the Stranahans was to provide a familial sanctuary. Robert and Page had two children of their own, but Robert had ﬁ ve children and Page had two children from previous marriages. In constructing Stranleigh, they created a home large enough for their many children and grandchildren to visit them comfortably. Two large dormitory style rooms were included on the third ﬂ oor and reserved exclusively for their grandsons and granddaughters. Like today, every Christmas the estate was festively decorated, and the entire Stranahan clan spent the holidays with Robert and Page.

Mainly for the children, a large in- ground swimming pool was installed in front of the home. The white cabana changing rooms stand to this day marking the location of the pool. Swimmers enjoyed high and low diving boards, lights for night swims and lessons from a swimming instructor.

For nearly 40 years Robert and Page Stranahan dedicated themselves to making the estate of their dreams a reality. They spared no expense constructing and maintaining Stranleigh. Given the lengths the Stranahan family went to create such a unique property, it is not surprising that nearly 65,000 Lucas County residents voted to preserve the estate in 1974, proving all of the experts wrong.

Nearly 35 years later, Wildwood Preserve is by far the most visited Metropark and an icon of the Greater Toledo Area. iT

Patrick Johnston is an historical interpreter for Metroparks of the Toledo Area.