Ford Glass Mansion Auction!

Ford Glass Mansion Auction!

Ford Glass Mansion Auction!

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Though our first association with the name Ford gives instant mental images of Henry’s invention of the assembly line production genius and his Model T car, there was another very important Ford, George Ross. Though they weren’t related, they did have something very much in common. It was plate glass - most particularly the safety plate glass used in the windshields of Henry’s cars. Henry used the glass produced by Edward Ford’s glass plant which Edward’s son, George Ross Ford, inherited after his death.

Like its nearby neighbor Detroit, Toledo (the Toledo War of 1835 was a battle between Michigan and Ohio for ownership of Toledo) was one of the Midwest's great industrial towns - a world leader in glass, furniture and automobile manufacturing. Toledo was a major transportation hub connecting the Great Lakes to the Ohio River via the Erie and Wabash Canals, and a key railroad crossroad between Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and Cincinnati. By the 1920s, Toledo’s wealthy industrialists began to build their riverfront summer mansions along the picturesque banks of the Maumee River, just outside the city limits. Later they built massive year-round residences, most of which still stand today. This is the home originally built for George Ross Ford, son of the founder of the Edward Ford Plate Glass Co, and for whom the town of Rossford in suburban Toledo was named.

The house was originally built in 1927 at 20,000 square feet with 57 rooms and 13 fireplaces. Passing onto the ownership of its current owner in the early 1970s, Tony Knight, one could say the estate has remained in the family as Mr. Knight is a great nephew of the original builder. Interesting to note that back in the days when homes this size had a huge staff of servants, security was maintained by locked rooms managed by the head housekeeper. This particular house required 349 keys which are still hanging on the same hooks now as they did when the house was first built.

When the Knights took over ownership they also made the wise decision to divide the mansion into three separate homes so that the grandeur of the estate would be affordable and maintained in its original condition to preserve the home's history. The Knights retained the center section - the largest of the three, and this is the section up for auction on June 15th.

All the old craftsmanship has been carefully preserved with end-cut oak paneling and intricate plaster ceilings. The room that once housed the two story pipe organ is intact along with a second story room built to replicate the interior of a ship. With over 11,500 square feet in the section to be auctioned, there are 8 bedrooms, hand-carved marble fireplaces, formal living and dining rooms, a wine cellar and billiard room. Modern amenities such as kitchen granite match the elegance of the original lighting and stained glass. Formal English gardens overlook river views.

Estate near Toledo, Ohio built in 1927 for Ford Glass family, 8br, 7ba, over 11,500sf, in-ground pool, selling by absolute auction on June 15th.

Source: bethroseauction.com