Cleveland Heights in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Forest Hill Estate
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Forest Hill Park
Photographed by Grant & Mary Ann Fish, April 13, 2025
1. Forest Hill Estate side of marker
Forest Hill Estate. Beginning in 1873, oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller purchased 700 acres of land in East Cleveland Township, now located in East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights. A failed hotel built in 1874-1875 served as the family’s summer home until it was destroyed by fire in 1917, although Rockefeller’s son, John, Jr., continued to visit the grounds. The Rockefellers spent much of their time outdoors, where they built on the land’s natural beauty and carefully designed and built carriage, foot and bridle paths, scenic views, lakes, a lily pond, stone bridges, a horse track and a golf course. John, Jr. purchased all of his father’s Forest Hill property in 1923 and continued to buy adjacent land. Forest Hill Park. In 1938, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his wife, Abbey, donated part of their Forest Hill estate to East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights as an intercity park for the use and good of the public. Cleveland landscape architect A. D. Taylor designed the 235-acres park, incorporating paths and features from the Rockefellers’ estate. Forest Hill Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Erected 2020 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation; City of Cleveland Heights; Ohio History Connection. (Marker Number 138-18.)
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection, and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1873.
Location. 41° 31.18′ N, 81° 34.327′ W. Marker is in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It can be reached from Lee Boulevard north of Monticello Boulevard, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located near the north side of the Forest Hill Park parking lot near the shelter house and baseball fields. Park entrance is across Lee Boulevard from the Forest Hill Presbyterian Church. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cleveland OH 44118, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland, on the Lake Erie Shore, and in the Western Reserve. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Curtis-Preyer Stone House / Lake View Wine Farm (approx. half a mile away); East Cleveland Public Library (approx. 0.9 miles away); Raymond J. "Chappie" Chapman (approx. 0.9 miles away); Benjamin Rose (approx. one mile away); Jeptha Wade (approx. one mile away); Harry Lyman Davis (approx. one mile away); Adella Prentiss Hughes
Photographed by Grant & Mary Ann Fish, April 13, 2025
2. Forest Hill Park side of marker
Photographed by Grant & Mary Ann Fish, April 13, 2025
3. Marker with shelter house in the background
Photographed by Craig Doda, December 6, 2025
4. Forest Hill Estate / Forest Hill Park Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2025, by Grant & Mary Ann Fish of Galloway, Ohio. This page has been viewed 244 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 18, 2025, by Grant & Mary Ann Fish of Galloway, Ohio. 4. submitted on December 13, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
