5

THE TURNING POINT

Building a new home in East Rockport at that time was quite en vogue. Most of Cleveland’s well-to-do residents were seeking solace from the congestion of the city and erecting summer residences. When we think of such getaways today, we commonly think of an escape to the Lake Erie Islands region or something of that nature. At that time, however, most of East Rockport was still considered country, and there were plenty of properties that offered splendid vistas of the lake. If you take a leisurely drive down Lake Avenue today, in the area of West 117th Street, you’ll notice some remnants of these grand homes. Many were given names such as Shady Cove, Shoreland, Ednawood, Roseneath and the like, though in many cases, these names are all that remain. Occasionally, one finds a low stone wall along the front of a property. These walls end in short pillars on which the names of these estates are engraved. Sadly, nearly every single one of these homes has since been razed.

Just as plans for construction on the East Rockport property were commencing, Hannes Tiedemann found himself—presumably under the encouragement of his brother-in-law Gaston G. Allen—becoming involved with the Masonic order. He became a member of Bigelow Lodge No. 243.

On May 25, 1876, Hannes and Louise Tiedemann signed over power of attorney to their longtime friend John C. Weideman. This enabled him to act on their behalf in any legal or business matters in their absence. The reason for them doing this was because they were planning on being away for a long time. Seeing that August, Emma and Dora were still quite young and impressionable, Hannes and Louise decided that living abroad in Germany for a few years would be a wonderful experience. They could take in the culture and history of their homeland and become better acquainted with distant cousins they hardly knew.

Dora, Emma and August Tiedemann, circa 1874. Courtesy of Dora L. Wiebenson.

On June 12, 1876, the Tiedemanns caught a steamer in New York bound for Germany and remained in that country for three years. While the Tiedemanns were living abroad, John C. Weideman rented out their Franklin Street house from mid-1878 until the summer of 1879. The tenant was Dr. Dimont M. Caldwell, a medical examiner for the Mutual Life Association of Cleveland.

At the close of their trip to Germany, the Tiedemanns boarded a vessel in Hamburg named the Westphalia and arrived in New York Harbor on September 23, 1879. Joining them was a twenty-nine-year-old woman named Louise Pollitz.

Pollitz was born in Krempe, Steinburg, Prussia, in 1849 to parents Otto Heinrich and Cacilie Margarethe Munster Pollitz. The eldest of three children, she was the first to come to the United States, seeking a better future for herself. Her family knew the Tiedemanns, and stories of Hannes’s hospitality preceded him. It was no surprise that Louise was invited to join them in America and stay in their house. That autumn, Louise Pollitz was living with the Tiedemanns as a boarder and possibly even assisted as something of a nurse.

Emma Tiedemann, circa 1876. Courtesy of Dora L. Wiebenson.

It was a sad truth throughout all of this that Emma Tiedemann, Hannes and Louise’s eldest living daughter, was suffering from type 1 diabetes. It’s possible that the recent trip to Germany might also have been so that Emma could receive treatment, as Germany claimed to offer advanced facilities for treating such diseases. As to whether or not these treatments were effective, one could only guess. Insulin wouldn’t become medically available until 1921, and suffering from diabetes was, in 1879, a very painful thing to endure. The afflicted were commonly struck with bouts of severe hunger, thirst and, in most cases, dehydration. Under extreme circumstances, flulike symptoms, weight loss and blurred vision occurred. All that Hannes and Louise Tiedemann could do was hope and pray for the best. Perhaps, they thought, rest and relaxation at their new summer residence would help to ease her condition.

The first announcement of Hannes building a new home in East Rockport came on March 6, 1880, when a notice was placed in a magazine titled the American Architect and Building News. This periodical featured stories from around the country that focused on the construction of new buildings, the grandest showpieces the nation had to offer. This notice appeared in the “Summary of the Week” column under the heading for Cleveland Houses, which read: “Messrs. Cudell & Richardson are preparing plans for Mr. Tiedemann for a two-story frame summer residence on Lake Avenue: cost, $8,000.”

Anyone familiar with the history of the Franklin Castle has surely heard the names Cudell and Richardson. After all, those are the names that are engraved on the side of the Franklin Castle as architects of that structure.

John Newton Richardson was born on February 28, 1837, in Perth, Scotland, where he received his formal education before moving to Canada in 1856. There he apprenticed to a carpenter until 1859, at which time he came to the United States. In 1862, he volunteered with the Union army and served during the Civil War. Two years after the war’s close, he went to work as a draftsman for the architectural firm of J.M. Blackburn and Associates. He remained there until early 1870, when he entered into a partnership with Frank Edward Cudell, thus founding the firm Cudell & Richardson, Architects. On September 15 of that year, he was married to Martha Ann Wood. They had two sons, Francis and Edward, both named for his business partner, Frank Cudell. John Newton Richardson became a naturalized U.S. citizen on June 27, 1871.

Franz “Frank” Edward Cudell was born on May 11, 1844, in Herzogenrath, Germany, to parents Dr. Karl and Louise Krauthausen Cudell. He received his education first in his hometown and later at the technical college in Aix-La-Chapelle, Germany. He came to the United States in 1866 and stayed first in New York, where he worked with the noted architect Leopold Eidlitz. He arrived in Cleveland the following year and took a job as a draftsman.

In 1869, Frank’s two younger brothers, Adolph Anton and J. Robert Herman Cudell, followed him to the United States but continued on to Chicago, where by 1870 they, too, were working as architects. It was also in 1870 that Cudell and Richardson were boarding together in the home of Mr. U.D. Shaw in Cleveland.

The partnership with John N. Richardson proved at once to be a success for Frank Cudell. He took all of his knowledge of German architecture and applied it to nearly every project the firm undertook. Their first project was the designing and construction of the Triumphal Arch on Public Square, erected for the Victory Celebration in 1871. Later that same year, they completed their first sacred structure, St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Cleveland. Other well-known churches and buildings would follow, including the Franklin Circle Christian Church in 1874 and the Jewish Orphan Asylum in 1888. They were famously known also as the designers of many of Cleveland’s social gathering places such as the Odd Fellows Hall, the Freemason’s Temple and Germania Hall. Both Frank Cudell and John Richardson became Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.

Left: Frank Edward Cudell. Courtesy of Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection. Right: John Newton Richardson. From Men of Ohio in Nineteen Hundred, 1901.

Frank Edward Cudell was considered by most accounts to be a very interesting man, quite a character according to those who knew him. He stood just over five feet, nine inches tall, had brown eyes, dark brown hair and was slightly disabled, as he had a drooping shoulder and walked with an uneven gait. He’d often joke around about his bad shoulder, claiming that he’d received the injury during building activities as an adolescent. He was best known for his integrity, civic spirit, idealism and sense of fairness.

There was one incident in particular when Frank Cudell hired a friend and neighbor, a very skilled artisan, to do some interior decorating on a house he was commissioned to design. Somewhere down the line, the two came to a disagreement that caused a heavy conflict, resulting in a legal battle. Frank Cudell lost the lawsuit and complied with paying his bill. Interestingly enough, the next time he required wall decorations, he hired the same man. When asked by colleagues why he’d do such a thing, Cudell replied by saying, “Why, I wouldn’t think of anyone else. Why should I retaliate? We had an issue, and it was decided against me. I must have been wrong.” Not many would take that approach.

Frank Cudell was married twice, first to Marie Hessenmüller, who died in 1887, and then to Emma Müller, a daughter of former lieutenant governor Jacob Müller, in 1889. His only child, Dr. Adolph Cuddell, died in August 1903. Adolph, a prominent physician, drowned with a colleague while swimming in Lake Erie near the German-American Club House.

The firm of Cudell and Richardson was dissolved following the completion of the Perry-Payne Building around 1890, when Frank Cudell withdrew primarily due to ill health. John Richardson continued working in the architectural field by going on to build the Jennings Apartments in 1898 and the Powerhouse in the Flats.

John Richardson passed away on May 6, 1902, in Cleveland and was buried at Riverside Cemetery. He was sixty-six. One of the last homes he designed was a fine estate named Roseneath for pioneer automaker Alexander Winton on Lake Avenue in East Rockport, just a few doors west of the Tiedemanns’ summer estate.

Frank Cudell, now retired, became involved in the civic group planning of the city of Cleveland. In the five years between 1903 and 1908, he published three books on the subject. He proposed a centrally located railroad terminus away from the waterfront, which he believed should be retained as park space. Some may consider Cudell to be the father of the Terminal Tower. He offered a plan to redesign the layout and development of downtown Cleveland, but it was unfairly attacked and rejected by Mayor Tom L. Johnson’s administration.

Frank Edward Cudell passed away at his home on West Boulevard and Detroit Avenue on October 25, 1916, and was interred in Lake View Cemetery beside his first wife and son. The year following Frank Cudell’s death, his wife erected a clock tower in his honor on their property. In fact, Cudell himself had actually designed the tower, yet it had never been constructed. Oddly, the clock has no hands, and therefore, it is as timeless as his memory. Upon the death of his widow in 1937, the property was deeded to a niece and later, through a wish in Cudell’s will, was donated to the City of Cleveland to be used as a park and recreation area. The home is currently the Cudell Arts and Recreation Center.

The Tiedemanns’ East Rockport house has been mentioned a few times when tales of the Franklin Castle have been told. Almost every time, it’s said that this house was identical to the Franklin Castle. This was definitely not the case. The East Rockport house, while also featuring a tower-like structure, was actually a gabled home. It was accented by many dormers—but not of stone—and not nearly as elaborate as those found on the Franklin Castle. The house was a half-timbered Stick-style home and reflected greatly the country estates of northern Germany. It was accented by a lavish porch with a grand veranda located directly above. It also had a splendid view of the lake. In many ways, the property that this house sat on would have felt more like being in a park-like setting with its green lawns, gardens and large trees. The original plans called for a two-story house, but it ended up being a larger structure than first imagined.

Country estates were very popular among the privileged class. Even John C. Weideman owned a large home up the street from the Tiedemanns on the northwest corner of Lake Avenue and Highland Street, now West 117th Street, called Waldmere. It was at these summer homes where many of Cleveland’s wealthier families would take their retreat, oftentimes bringing their servants with them to stay for the season.

Steinburg, the summer residence of Hannes Tiedemann in East Rockport, Ohio. From History of the City of Lakewood, 1915.

As the fall of 1880 pressed on toward winter, the Tiedemann family looked forward to the completion of their summer residence and highly anticipated spending their next summer there. With some luck, the cool lake breeze and park-like setting would help to improve Emma’s failing health. Thus far, she’d managed to keep her diabetic condition under control, but shortly before Christmas of that year, her health began to deteriorate. The holidays must have been a very somber time for the family and without much celebration. As the new year of 1881 was ushered in, Mr. and Mrs. Tiedemann could only pray that their daughter’s health would improve. It would only have been natural for Hannes Tiedemann to wish to trade places with his dying daughter. Emma carried on for the next two weeks suffering from nausea and fatigue, as well as a painfully unquenchable thirst. The situation was grim.

Then, on the night of Saturday, January 15, 1881, Emma H. Tiedemann succumbed to her illness. Hannes and Louise’s beloved daughter was dead. The following morning, Dr. Julius C. Schenck confirmed the death. Arrangements were made that day for Emma’s funeral. A casket was purchased and the hearse ordered, but a burial location still needed to be selected. Being more financially well-off and not wanting to impose on his brother-in-law again, Hannes Tiedemann purchased a family plot at the recently opened Riverside Cemetery on Pearl Street. There, in section 22, the whole family could be laid to rest together, when the time came.

Emma Tiedemann’s casket was placed in the parlor of the Tiedemanns’ home on Franklin Street, and on Monday, January 17, 1881, the funeral service was held. The guests arrived at 3:00 p.m. to pay their respects to the family and to bid farewell to the child they’d all watch grow into a young lady. From there, the funeral procession made its way to the gates of Riverside Cemetery. The final prayer service was held in the chapel, and the mourners departed.

After the family had left, Emma’s casket was taken down into the room beneath the chapel where it was tagged and sat for nearly two months. There was no mysterious reason for this and no last-minute autopsy was performed, as some who believe her death was from a sinister cause have claimed. Rather, the reason was that the winter of 1881 was extremely cold and harsh. Back then, graves were dug by hand, and with the ground being frozen, this would’ve been nearly impossible.

So it was that on March 18, 1881, Emma’s remains were finally laid to rest and a stone placed above her with this epitaph: EMMA—DIED JAN. 15, 1881—AGED 15 YRS. 2M.

Emma Tiedemann, circa 1880. Courtesy of Dora L. Wiebenson.

Tiedemann family burial site at Riverside Cemetery in Cleveland. Photo by William G. Krejci.

Hannes, Louise and August Tiedemann, circa 1881. This photo was discovered in the Franklin Castle many years later. Courtesy of Brooklyn Historical Society.

Grief at the loss of young Emma spread throughout the family, and everyone did what they could to continue on. August immersed himself into his schoolwork. After graduating, he took a job as a clerk with his father’s former business partner John C. Weideman.

Tragedy struck the family again on April 11 of that year, as Wiebke Mohr Tiedemann passed away, not even three months after Emma. Her cause of death was ruled simply as old age, though it’s quite possible that she’d been ill for some time. Previously written accounts concerning the death of Wiebke Tiedemann claim that she’d died at the Franklin Castle. This, however, was not the case. She actually died at the home of her daughter Catharina and son-in-law Gaston G. Allen—where she resided for the last eight years—on Root Street.

As it was a hard winter with a deep freeze and Emma had to wait nearly two months to be interred, so, too, did Wiebke. Her remains wouldn’t be buried until May 14. She was laid to rest only a few feet away from Emma.

Her epitaph on the family monument states that she was eighty-four years of age, though having been born on November 20, 1797, she was actually eighty-three.

Wiebke Mohr Tiedemann, circa 1880. Courtesy of Dora L. Wiebenson.

Indeed, the years between 1876 and 1881 were pivotal in the lives of Hannes Tiedemann and his family. They were the turning point leading up to the building of the house that history would one day come to know as the Franklin Castle. As soon as the East Rockport house was completed that spring, he moved his family there and began the demolition of the old Franklin Street house, reducing all the sorrowful memories it held to rubble and dust.