Homepage | Archives | Calendar of Events | Exploring Akron | Lawn & Garden | Death Notices | Get email news alerts | About Us
Community News

Tudor House grounds to undergo revitalization

9/13/2012 - South Side Leader
      permalink bookmark

By Maria Lindsay

New Franklin city officials asking public for help

Tudor House gardens that need volunteer help include these shown above and below left, which are located next to the house.
Photo: Maria Lindsay
NEW FRANKLIN — The grounds of the Franklin Park Civic Center, also known as The Tudor House, were blooming with an abundance of color this spring, thanks to the unusually mild winter, according to former rental coordinator Kristine Stoll.

The Tudor House Advisory Council is working to refurbish the mansion’s gardens. Area residents, youth groups and businesses can adopt a garden and will be acknowledged with a garden sign.
The Tudor House is a brick, two-story 20-room mansion on 6 acres at 655 Latham Lane next to Portage Lakes State Park and has 334 feet of frontage on Turkeyfoot Lake, according to the city of New Franklin’s website, www.newfranklin.org. The home was built in 1928 for Raymond Mason and his wife, the former Zeletta Robinson, as a wedding present from his grandfather, Frank Mason, who was a senior executive at the B.F. Goodrich Co., according to the website.

A number of prominent local families inhabited the mansion afterward, including former Goodrich Vice President George Vaught and Akron jeweler Henry Ball, before it was sold to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 1974, according to the website. In 1995, it was entered into the National Register of Historic Places.

Last year, the city of New Franklin and state officials agreed to transfer ownership of The Tudor House to the city. Mayor Al Bollas refers to The Tudor House as a “mini Stan Hywet” and has been working on ways to enhance the facility. The Advisory Council was established last year to oversee The Tudor House, and one of its goals is to become more self-supportive, according to city officials.

Stoll said the home’s grounds include plants that bloom with color from March to November and a grotto decorated with hundreds of lilies. The ground’s plants also include holly berry, myrtle and bleeding hearts, as well as a number of edible selections that draw crowds of people carrying baskets to pick morel mushrooms in mid-April to May and Japanese chestnuts in October.

“There are many small and large gardens, some that stand alone, some that serve as borders around trees and those that surround the house,” said Carol Adamson, a member of the Advisory Council. “But many of them have become overgrown and need weeding.”

Currently, the facility hosts weddings and showers, which brings in some revenue. Adamson said revitalizing The Tudor House grounds, which backs onto Turkeyfoot Lake, would only enhance its potential.

Due to its limited budget, the Advisory Council has decided to enlist the support of the community in the effort to improve the grounds, according to city officials.

“Rather than paying someone to do the gardening, we are hoping to develop a group of volunteer gardeners and are inviting individuals, youth groups and businesses in the community to adopt a garden at the mansion,” said Adamson. “A group or business could develop a plan to make improvements for their garden, and after the proposal is approved by the Council, the group can work towards completion of the project.”

She said the Advisory Council is open to any ideas for the gardens that are “in good taste.” Because The Tudor House hosts weddings and showers, Adamson said the groups would have to schedule a time to do the actual gardening. She also said businesses and groups that adopt gardens would be recognized onsite with a plaque for the work they do.

“This is a beautiful home, and some work on the gardens would make it even more so,” said Adamson.

For more details about the effort, to volunteer or to make a donation for the gardens, call the city at 330-882-4324.

The Tudor House is open to the public for free, but visitors should call 330-644-1728 first to arrange a time.

      permalink bookmark