Welcome to the Poultry Keeper’s Cottage. This sweet little Tudor Revival home, designed by Stan Hywet architect Charles S. Schneider, was built in 1917 as an outbuilding on that sprawling estate. The structure served as a granary to support the poultry farm, which housed thousands of birds and provided eggs, chickens, and the occasional turkey for the manor house kitchen.
In 1955, upon the deaths of the Seiberlings, who had built the mansion, most of the property was sold to a developer, who built the late 1950s neighborhood that surrounds the house. This house was slated for demolition as well, but the developer’s wife argued to save it, and it was sold to a local architect whose family lived there until 2024, when the current owner purchased it. The house has steeply pitched gables and stucco half-timbering characteristic of Tudor Revival architecture. A breezeway, garage, and patio were added by the new owner.
As you come through the steeply gabled entrance, a brightly lit tree leads you to the Tudor-style oak and leaded-glass door. Once inside, you will notice the brick walls and painted concrete floor. They are leftovers from the days when the entire first story was the granary, with the poultry keeper’s office in the back corner. His family lived on the second and third levels. To your left is the living room with built-in oak cabinets, which provide abundant storage. The floor-to-ceiling windows and the massive fireplace were added during the remodeling to create living space on this floor. A 9-foot Christmas tree decorated in gold and white fills one corner, and gold snowflakes hang from the beams and above the windows.
Now up to the third floor with its guest bedrooms, each decorated in its own festive theme. First, the gnome room, where the tree is decorated in red, green, and gold with gnome ornaments and a holly garland. The gnome paintings hung in the room were painted by the homeowner and her family.
In the hallway, you pass the first of two original bathrooms with their Tudor-inspired oak and leaded-glass doors. The theme here is obvious: There are snowmen on the shelves and walls, in the garland above the window — everywhere! The second guest room has a reindeer theme. The tree is bedecked in red and white with prancing reindeer on its branches and the tree skirt below. The brass bed with its reindeer bedding follows the same theme. As you return to the stairway, notice the twinkling lights on the gay pride tree — perfect for a house on the Sugar Plum Tour.
On the second floor, you enter the blue room, the home’s original living room. The tree here has blue fairy lights and blue, white, and silver ornaments. The bookshelves and every other surface herein are decorated in a blue-and-white theme, with greenery, candles, gnomes, and nutcrackers sprinkled about the room. A navy and white wreath hangs above the small original fireplace. The next bedroom, originally the family’s kitchen, is now used as a dressing room and decorated in a Grinch theme
Past another original bathroom, an inflatable penguin welcomes you to the primary bedroom, decorated with a polar bear and penguin theme. The tree has jewel-tone lights and, of course, polar bear and penguin ornaments. Next, you enter the home office. Holy Buckeyes! The original nursery is now an Ohio State sanctuary, all decked out for Christmas. The white tree is trimmed in scarlet and gray with OSU ornaments. The windowsill is covered with greenery and OSU paraphernalia, including two perfectly attired gnomes and Santa in his traditional red suit.
Back downstairs, you enter the original poultry keeper’s office, now in a doggy theme in honor of Mellie, the beagle mix who lives here. This small room deserves a small tree, primarily trimmed in red, with white dogs, plaid bows, and candy canes. A swag in the window features a variety of puppies in Christmas stockings.
Your last stop is the kitchen, featuring a gingerbread theme. The brick walls indicate that you are back in the original granary. The oak cabinets, installed when the granary was converted into a home, feature upper cabinets with red-and-gold-stained glass doors, and the counters are made of butcher block. Gingerbread houses and gingerbread men abound.
As you exit through the kitchen door, look above to find a special surprise: Hanging on a nail above the door is the original key to this wonderful little cottage.