MANSFIELD – The expansive grounds and historic mansion at Kingwood Center Gardens are well-known landmarks in Mansfield.
But the estate has more to it than meets the eye. Tucked away in the corners of the Kingwood mansion that aren’t privy to the public is a wealth of history. For Director Chuck Gleaves, it’s just another day on the job.
Gleaves has the privilege of exploring every nook and cranny of the King estate, built in 1926 for Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kelley King. The 47-acre estate opened as a public garden in 1953, one year after Mr. King’s death.
One unique feature of the historic home is the “access tunnel” in the basement – definitely not a stop on the house tour. According to Gleaves, the design purpose of the tunnel is a bit of a mystery, other than providing access to the utility features.
“For some reason, people felt like they couldn’t bury all these lines and they felt like they needed access to them,” he said. “Maybe an architect would have a better idea of the function of this tunnel.”
However, it’s a favorite unusual spot of Gleaves’ simply because of its confined and obscure nature.
“It’s unusual and distinctive, and not many people get to see it,” he said.
This proved to be a common theme among the behind-the-scenes look at the Kingwood house.
The next stop is the butler’s pantry on the second floor, only recently included in the house tour but closed to the general public during self-guided tours.
Stretching all the way to the ceiling, the butler’s pantry contains many of Mr. King’s old dishware, as well as cafeteria china from Ohio Brass. Mr. King was hired as the first electrical engineer at Ohio Brass in 1893. He led the company into new ventures, particularly the manufacture of electrical fittings for railroads and trolleys.
Mr. King eventually became President and Chairman of the Board of Ohio Brass.
“There are some things we’ve acquired just for our usage,” Gleaves said. “It’s fascinating that there’s so much shelf space that goes up so high.”
The tall design of the butler’s pantry extends into the kitchen, where cupboards are impossibly high. The kitchen is also host to an antique refrigerator, and leads to the dining room and breakfast room where Mr. King would often dine.
“I like the enormity of that pantry, and the seemingly counter-intuitive height of the cupboards,” Gleaves said. “Who would go through all the trouble to get up there?”
Exploring the Kingwood house with Gleaves means frequently-visited rooms reveal new secrets. For example, Gleaves explained the fireplaces featured in nearly every room of the house were designed by Mr. King himself, each with distinctive stonework and decorations.
“The deed of trust was very general, but as far as fireplaces go he said to the extent possible he’d like to see the décor maintained, because he played a role in doing those decorations,” Gleaves said. “It shows a little bit of his artistic side.”
Mr. King, who was married and divorced twice, never had children. He left most of his estate to the private foundation that continues to operate Kingwood Center Gardens today.
The part of the Kingwood house that draws the most curiosity is the third floor, closed to all visitors and tours – it’s akin to the West Wing in the “Beauty & the Beast” fairytale. However, Gleaves noted the reveal of the third floor is pretty anticlimactic.
“People are fascinated with the third floor and the fact that it’s off limits. They think there’s something special,” he said. “They’re a little disappointed I think when they find out they’re just bedrooms.”
To be clear, the rooms were once bedrooms. Currently, they serve as office space for Gleaves and other administrators. Gleaves’ office is located in Mrs. King’s former bedroom, which includes a walk-in closet and adjoining bathroom.
Mr. King’s bedroom is inhabited by an administrative assistant, and the connecting boudoir is used as a meeting area.
“They weren’t thinking historical preservation at all, and since Mr. King specifically said the house should be used for administrative offices they decided the top floor would be offices and get rid of all the furniture, so they sold it all at auction,” Gleaves said.
However, hope for historical preservation is not lost. Kingwood Center Gardens recently renovated the historic Carriage House on the estate property, and hopes one day to construct a visitor’s center behind Draffan Fountain.
“We’re hoping to have a visitors’ center someday and move our offices there, so we’re hoping to eventually make this a historic house with the bedroom furniture back,” Gleaves said. “After that, the entire house could one day be accessible to the public.”
