The Wildwood Cultural Center consists of a 25-room manor house situated on a beautiful 34-acre wooded site.
The home was designed and built by Abram Garfield, son of the President for the John G. Oliver family – a noted Cleveland industrialist.Completed in 1908, the estate became one of the earliest renderings of the English Tudor Revival style in Northeast Ohio and was used by the Oliver family as their summer place in the country.
Shortly after John Oliver’s death in 1939, his daughter Margaret Oliver Collacott and her husband Robert Collacott, inherited the estate and became permanent residents in 1949. Mrs. Collacott died in 1973, leaving the Wildwood estate to her daughters, May Targett & Catherine DeWitt.
While both of John Oliver’s granddaughters were grown and had lives of their own, they continued to visit and maintain the house for a short while.
In 1980, Mentor city officials, realizing the great value of preserving the property, approached Mrs. Targett and Mrs. DeWitt to discuss the possible sale of the property for preservation as a park that all Mentor residents could enjoy. They negotiated a purchase price of $300,000 for the entire estate. The home was restored and opened to public that year.
Wildwood Cultural Center has become one of Mentor’s finest jewels, preserving both architectural heritage and scenic surroundings. It is a place for cultural enrichment as well as passive recreational and educational opportunities. Classes for both adults and youth are offered at Wildwood in areas like fine art, cooking, creative art, music, and much more.
Wildwood is available for rental and provides a historic, unique and comfortable setting for weddings, receptions, parties, business meetings, seminars, conferences and special events. Rental information, as well as membership opportunities, for the center is available by calling the Wildwood Cultural Center at (440) 974-5735 Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.