Despite the fact that homes only need to be 50 years old to meet our eligibility requirements, usually when the general public thinks about the Heritage Home Program, or “historic” homes, they primarily think of pre-1900s or early 20th century properties. Even with the large numbers of mid-century ranches and split-levels spread throughout Cuyahoga County, oftentimes, homeowners do not consider their own mid-century homes as historic or even realize how they fit within our program. Recently, Heritage Home Program homeowners completed a stunning rehabilitation of one of these mid-century properties. This is the second property that they have worked with the Heritage Home Program to rehab. The property is located in the East Cleveland section of the historic Forest Hills neighborhood, which was created within the former Rockefeller Summer Estate. Built in 1959, it is a wonderful example of a mid-century ranch.
The homeowners actually purchased the property from the Cuyahoga County Land Bank in 2019 after it had set empty and vacated for about a decade. Located on a large corner lot at the intersection of Forest Hills Boulevard and Walden Road, the property was a community eyesore and a source of vexation for the Forest Hills neighborhood. The homeowners used the Heritage Home Loan Program to completely rehabilitate the property from replacing a collapsed roof all the way down to new waterproofing. As evidenced by the before photos below, they had a large project on their hands!
