The Gate Lodge, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Completed in 1915, the Gate Lodge at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens was one of several service buildings dedicated to the estate's operations. Located at the front entrance gates, the two-story Tudor Revival structure was designed by the Seiberlings' architect Charles S. Schneider and originally served as the residence of the estate's superintendent, William Dennis, who lived there with his family until his death in 1923. From 1923 to 1944, Fred, the eldest child of F.A. and Gertrude Seiberling, lived there with his wife Henrietta and their three children. On Mother's Day in 1935, Henrietta Buckler Seiberling arranged for her friend Dr. Bob Smith to meet Bill Wilson there. As an active member of the West Hill Oxford Group involved in the alcohol squad, she knew both men had struggled with alcoholism and introduced them in the hope that together they would begin the road to recovery. That meeting and subsequent gatherings involving Dr. Smith and his wife Anne, Bill Wilson, Henrietta, and several other members resulted in the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the initial gathering has been described as one of the most significant events of the twentieth century. Henrietta's leadership role in the formation of AA secured her place in the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1998.

Akron, Ohio · United States