Andrews Folly

3033 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio

Completed in 1885, for Samuel Andrews (1836-1904) and his wife, Mary Cole (1838-1905). Andrews was the chemical "genius" who partnered up with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil and perfected the lucrative process of extracting kerosene from crude oil. His genius nonetheless was confined to chemistry and he opted to sell out of Standard Oil in 1874. This netted him a million dollars, but that was nothing to what he would have been worth had he remained with Rockefeller. His showpiece mansion was started in 1882 and stood at the corner of East 30th Street. Designed by George H. Smith, it contained 33-rooms spread out over 18,000-square feet of living space....

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It was the first house in Cleveland to contain an elevator and was noted for its lavish woodwork interior. However, it quickly transpired that the house was "an operations and maintenance nightmare" and despite its exorbitant cost, the Andrews' lived there for just three years. It then sat empty for the next three decades until Cleveland's burgeoning film industry found use for the High Victorian Gothic white elephant. From 1919, it starred in three films: House Without Children, Women Men Love, and Dangerous Toys. Its career however was fated to be short-lived and Andrews Folly was demolished in 1923.