This land, now Lakewood Park, reflects Lakewood, Ohio’s development from a small agricultural community to a thriving modern suburb. Early settler John Honam’s property stretched north from Detroit Avenue to Lake Erie, between Belie and Cook Avenues. His 1834 home was restored by the Lakewood Historical Society and now serves as the Oldest Stone House Museum. Later, the property became the site of the lavish Robert Russell Rhodes estate, “The Hickories.” Rhodes built his summer cottage there in 1881, expanded it over the years, and eventually made Lakewood his year-round residence; “The Hickories” was one of many large estates lining Lake Avenue. As the population grew, the need for civic amenities grew as well, and in 1919 the City of Lakewood purchased the estate, using the land for Lakewood Park and the mansion as a hospital annex during the Flu Epidemic and then as City Hall until 1959. In 1919 the mansion was also converted into government offices, housing 47 employees by the 1950s, with the original family sitting room turned into the Engineering Department. “The Hickories” was torn down in 1959, and only one piece of the estate remains: the original stone wall engraved with its name.