The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Wakefield House
At the time, Wakefield, born in 1863, had already been rooted in Cleveland, having moved there from Birmingham, England, with his family when he was 12.
After working for Cleveland’s C.A. Selzer, an importer and dealer of lighting fixtures and brass goods, Wakefield went so far as to open Gas Fixture and Brass Company in 1895, according to Hewson Peeke’s book, “A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio,” published in 1916.
However, according to Vermilion History Museum’s curator Rich Tarrant, the call to Vermilion became too strong for him to resist.
“He liked the area and being an industrialist, a person who was an inventor and stuff like that, he thought he would build a factory here,” Tarrant said.
And in 1906, Wakefield sold his interest in his Cleveland firm and spent four years building and establishing what would be known as Wakefield Brass Company.
“He overlooked the landscaping stuff and he built Wakefield Brass, which became the lighting company up here in Vermilion,” Tarrant said.
According to Bowling Green State University’s Center for Archival Collections, Wakefield Brass manufactured a variety of lighting fixtures, household hardware and metal novelties until 1966.
During World War II, the company focused primarily on produced lighting fixtures for various U.S. naval vessels.
“The company was the largest employer in Vermilion for a long time,” said Margaret Wakefield Worcester, Wakefield’s granddaughter and Vermilion Area Archival Society president.
Wakefield owned the company until his death in 1932, when control of the company was transferred to his three sons Albert F., George and Theodore Wakefield.
Wakefield’s influence in Vermilion took him far enough to serve two terms as mayor of the city from 1910 to 1914.
“His broad minded and progressive administration met with popular approval,” wrote Peeke.
In an article, Tarrant wrote that Wakefield “(from a very objective point-ofview) was very likely the most influential person in Vermilion, Ohio during the during the 20th century.”
When first visiting Vermilion during weekend and summertime trips, Wakefield stayed in a hotel by the shoreline now know as the Gilchrist Guesthouse, 5662 Huron St., which overlooked an old apple orchard on the coast of Lake Erie.
It was in that orchard property that he built his family home in 1909, later known at various times as the Harbor View House, Wakefield House, Wakefield Mansion, the Great Lakes History Museum and eventually the Inland Seas Maritime Museum.
A Vermilion Photojournal article from 1973 said, “In reviewing the many fine old stately homes that grace the quiet, tree-lined streets of Harbourtown, all paths eventually lead to the foot of Main Street.
Here, located atop a gently rolling lawn stands the original home of F.W. Wakefield, a landmark now a part of what is known as The Great Lakes Historical Museum.”
According to Tarrant, “It’s probably the first allconcrete home that was every built in Vermilion.”
Wakefield presided in the house with his wife Mary and eight children until his F.W. Wakefield
death. The rest of the family lived in the house until Mary’s death in 1951.
Soon after, the Wakefield children established the house as a marine museum through the Great Lakes Historical Society.
In the 1950’s, the house was donated to Bowling Green State University, who leased the building to the historical society.
After purchasing the house in the late 1970’s, the society eventually sold the house to the city after the maritime museum was moved to Toledo.
Ever since then, the house has remained vacant.
And with renovations costing somewhere around the $5 million mark, the city has been talking about demoing the building since last year.
“One thing I think (the city’s) gonna do if they tear it down is they are gonna save the fixtures and stuff like that because you got all oak wood work inside and doors and fixtures,” said Tarrant. “It’s really too bad.”
Wakefield Worcester, although she never knew her grandfather, believes a large part of her family history would be lost with the demolition of the house.
“They’re in between stages trying to figure out what they could possibly do. Not anybody really wants it torn down,” she said.
“They don’t know yet. It’s all up in the air right now.