About South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch

The South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch offers a wide variety of services in a nontraditional setting. The 26 room former home of William Telling is a focal point in the community. The homey atmosphere of the mansion enhances its popularity. The reading garden, with its Turtle baby fountain, is a favorite place for adults to read and for children to make a wish. The children's areas are home to a toy collection and a tropical fish aquarium.

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The Branch offers two circulation desks--located both on the lower level and first floor--to allow for speedy checkout.

The lower level houses popular materials. Here, one can access our Internet computers, DVDs, audio books, Playaways, adult fiction, and large print books.

The first floor houses the Teen and Children's collections, as well as the reference and non-fiction collections.  2 Internet computers are also available on this level.

In additional to traditional reference and readers advisory service, the Library offers storytimes, book discussions, homebound service. A homework center for grades 7-10 is held on the 2nd floor in meeting room 2.  The branch's busy programming schedule includes such annual and ongoing events such as artist shows, Book Buddies, where teens read to younger children, and different annual pet programs.  The Summer Reading Program is open to readers of all ages.

The Friends of the South Euclid - Lyndhurst Library is a group of dedicated volunteers who raise money for programming and advocate for the library.  Their monthly booksales are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month (except December).

The South Euclid Public Library opened in a small space on Green Road in 1924. As the library's collection and circulation grew, it moved several times to progressively bigger storefronts along Mayfield Road. In 1952 the Library moved into its present location, the former home of local businessman William Telling. The move into this historic home was the vision of Arthur Fiske, a member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Trustees from 1946 through 1954, and Board President from 1946 to 1954. In 1950 the County Library system needed a new Regional facility. Mr. Fiske recognized the potential of the Telling mansion, knew it was for sale, and felt the unique building should be preserved for use as a public library (a plaque acknowledging his influence is on the wall near the 1st floor entrance).

The Library purchased the Telling property for $82,000 and the new Regional opened to the public on May 24, 1952. In 1971 the Regional was moved to Mayfield Regional and South Euclid became a branch. On October 16th of that same year, the mansion-turned-library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1985 the Lyndhurst Branch, which had simultaneously operated out of various Mayfield Road storefronts since 1942, closed, and the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library was formed.

Over the years the building has undergone several renovations. In 1960 the solarium was enclosed and now houses a reading garden. In 1986 following an asbestos removal project, the first floor's original color schemes were restored. In 1995 the building was air-conditioned, and in 1997 the lower level was modernized to create an inviting non-fiction area. Plans exist to continue this trend toward offering exceptional service to the community while maintaining the building's unique charm. 

Our Branch History

William Telling  |  Belle Vernon  |  Telling Mansion  |  Renovation  |  Rooms

VIDEO of History of our Branch and Building 

William Telling and his Mansion

William Edward Telling was born on October 30, 1869. He began his business career at the age of ten, selling strawberries door to door and delivering milk that came from cows on his father's dairy farm. As a stone quarry worker at the age of sixteen, he saved enough to purchase a lot on which he built homes. Later these would be sold to raise business capital. Following quarry work he spent several years as a horsecar conductor. By the age of 23, he had raised enough money to purchase a horse and wagon, milk cans, and and a milk route, and entered the dairy business. Demonstrating a unique entrepreneurial ability, William not only rose at 3:00 a.m. to be the first milk vendor available, but also had customers leave their orders outside, saving time and expanding his delivery territory.

He and his brothers soon opened a retail store, incorporating as the Telling Brothers Company and Belle Vernon Farms Dairy Company. By 1909, yearly ice cream production had exceeded 1 million gallons, and in 1915, after buying out several competitors, the operation became the Telling Belle Vernon Company. An additional venture was the Laboratory Products Company, later the S.M.A. Corporation, know for the development of a new baby food formula. William remained president of Telling Belle Vernon until 1929, when a merger with National Dairy Products Corporation was arranged. Although William retained stock interest in the company, he had already undertaken his next project – the construction of a new home.

The home was to be built on the site of his family homestead. By the time the house was complete, his first wife Marguerite had died (in 1915), a short-lived second marriage had ended in 1927, and his daughters, Constance and Gwendolyn, were grown. He moved into the home shortly after the stock market crash of 1929 and soon felt the effects. In addition to his dairy interests, William had been director of the Standard Trust Company. In 1930, Standard Trust failed and his family soon owed $270,000 in loans. Soon a $250,000 stock portfolio fell to less than $50,000 in value.

On January 26, 1938, at the age of 68, William Telling died. At one time, his fortune was estimated to have been between $15 and $18 million. At his death he had assets of $16,270 and liabilities of $1,185,546. He lived in his dream home for only eight years. After his death the property changed hands several times. At one point it was sold at sheriff's sale for $49,001 and during the war served as apartment housing. In October of 1951, the 26- room mansion which cost $700,000 to build was bought by Cuyahoga County Public Library for $82,000.
Read about more details on the Telling Mansion, then and now.

Telling Belle Vernon Facts

In its heyday, Telling Belle Vernon was an $11 million concern. By 1928, South Euclid-based Telling Belle Vernon was the largest distributor of dairy products in the area. By 1925, ice cream production reached over 4 million gallons, and branch plants were operating in Akron, Ashtabula, Columbus, Dayton and Lorain and several West Virginia locations.

Telling Belle Vernon "firsts" were numerous. It was the first Cleveland area dairy to:

• Pasteurize milk
• Maintain its own staff of farm inspectors
• Deliver milk in glass bottles
• Establish its own bacteriological laboratory
• Utilize automatic bottle washers and bottle cappers 
• Achieve automatic control over pasteurization
• Transport milk from the farm by thermos truck
• Process milk from cooling to capping without exposure to light and air
  

Today, Telling Belle Vernon memorabilia is on display at the South Euclid Historical Society & even trades on E-Bay!

The Telling Mansion

In 1928, William Telling began work on his dream home. Architect John Sherwood Kelly's blueprints, entitled simply "a residence for W.E. Telling of S. Euclid," are on display on the library's second floor. Plans called for a 26-room mansion covering 20,000 square feet to be built on the site of his family homestead. An attached gardener's residence and a gatehouse were also part of the project.

Designed in the then-popular French Chateau style, the home combines elements of that style with those reflecting William's own interests. The building's steeply pitched roof, stone and brick construction, conical towers, leaded windows, pale marble flooring, and semicircular arches copy the distinctive features of the French country house. Throughout the building, these styles combine with details that reflect Williams personal interests. Birds and flowers were his two passions. Walk through the first floor and notice the bird and flower carvings on the stone fireplaces, the tiled fountain on the sun porch, and the plaster details in the living room. These motifs can also be seen in the wrought iron leading from the living room to the greenhouse, and in the metal radiator covers . The hand-carved beams on the sun porch and in the owner's study were said to be salvaged from an old barn on the property, and the flower designs were hand-painted by the architect's wife. Above the study is a loft where William displayed trophies won by his prize dairy cows.

Walk back through the living room and notice the pointed archways with their carved doors. One set leads toward the dining room, breakfast room (with its fish scale ceiling), kitchen and pantry. Beyond that a short hallway leads to the growing room. Doorways lead upstairs to the servants' rooms and downstairs to the tunnel which circles the lower level. The other set of doors in the living room leads to the original entrance hall. Notice the grates by the fireplace and in the hall. These were for the air washer, an early form of air conditioning, which pumped cooled air through the home. As you walk up the stairs, notice the leaded window with its stained glass designs in the form of the letter "T" flanked by a flower and a book! The hall continues upstairs to the bedrooms, each with a dressing area, and tiled bathrooms. The bedroom at the far end of the hall opened into the trophy area, with stairs leading down into the owner's study and bedroom area.

The lower level is less glamorous but no less interesting. To the left of the stairs is the original safe, and to the left of that a laundry room. A dumbwaiter which travels all the way to the second floor opens into this room. Further down is the original 10-car garage, with its turntable so that cars could easily be rearranged. Surrounding all of this are the tunnels the servants used to move around the house unseen by the owner.

2001 – 2002 Renovation Project:

The South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch renovation was driven by two important goals: to protect and enhance the historic integrity of the building, and to develop a more efficient design of service. These goals were reached, and the details are evident even before one enters the building. The project began in 2001 with the restoration of the roof. At the time the Telling mansion was built, the flat surfaces on the roof were copper. In this first phase, asphalt tiles were replaced with copper, and clay tiles replicating the originals were installed on the remainder of the roof, preserving it for years to come.

The second phase of the project, completed in October 2002 brought changes to the building’s interior. The library’s first floor entrance leads into the Great Hall, which beautifully blends the old and the new. New windows, decorative and energy efficient surround the area which originally housed the greenhouse. To the right, the reading garden, newly restyled based on a formal Renaissance design, surrounds the Turtle Baby fountain. Original architectural features are enhanced by new arches and lighting. Across from the entrance, in what was the aviary, a hidden treasure was discovered. When a false ceiling was removed for replacement, a domed ceiling with original light fixture was uncovered. The Friends of the Library funded restoration of the ceiling, creating one of many new cozy spaces on the first floor.

In the Great Hall, a reading/browsing area which can also accommodate programming, one sees the first glimpse of the home’s original color scheme. Shades and colors were restored through microscopic analysis of the original paint. The colors enhance the wrought ironwork as you enter the living room. New shelving, lighting and carpeting compliment the charm of this room, with the new circulation desk as a focal point. From the hallway off the living room a rediscovered “window” opens onto a view of the sun porch and its wooden beams, handpainted by architect John Sherwood Kelly’s wife. Only one of the original beams is left, which was used a pattern to restore the remainder in an identical fashion. In addition to the bird themed fountain, the sun porch is now home to a flock of porcelain ducks which originally hung in the Telling dining room.

In the hallway leading to the Telling study and bedroom is a new lighted exhibit case. Off the hallway, in the Manager’s office another historic detail was literally uncovered. A tiled bathtub, hidden since the 1950s, now provides an additional seating area.

Modern adaptations of the mansion’s original rooms continue to provide convenient access to materials for our customers, young and old. The original Living and Dining Room have  been redesigned to house non-fiction materials for adults, teens, and older children. In the mansion’s kitchen, pantry and Breakfast Room are books and AV materials just for children, including a shelf of very easy non-fiction in what was once the servants' dining room. Beyond that, the growing room has been turned into a magical early childhood center. In tones of greens and blues, with a “cloud” filled ceiling, the room includes picture books, board books and a variety of toys. The lower level, the former 10-car garage, has also been adapted to improve accessibility to the building and library materials. A newly designed staircase serves as the threshold between the floors. An entrance, mirroring the details of the Great Hall, allows visitors to enter directly into the area which has become a modern information center, featuring Internet access, personal computers, and self check out machine for customer use.

As one explores all that the mansion has to offer one experiences the blending of the past and the future. This building is indeed a gift to the community, one to be shared with generations to come.

New Uses for Old Rooms:

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