Sylvanius
This is the former Albert S. Heck mansion just outside my hometown of Spencer, West Virginia. It was built in 1925, and is a two story, brick Neoclassical style mansion. It has 17 rooms, 6 baths and a full basement. It features a front portico with two story fluted Corinthian order columns and pilasters attached at the return to the house. The basement features locker rooms and showers. The house was built by Albert Heck, a local business man who invested in the booming oil industry in the early 1920s. He had come to Spencer with the railroad and later found and developed a local oil field.
The mansion and grounds were designed specifically for Heck's family. Each bedroom was built for an individual. A tennis court with adjoining locker room was constructed to satisfy Heck's interest in the game. He named the place "Sylvanius" – his middle name! The Great Depression hit Albert Heck hard and he was forced to sell his property. The McIntosh family purchased it in 1936 and until just recently it was known as the McIntosh Mansion.
The mansion was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 and is now privately owned. The property has been renamed (restored actually) to the name of Sylvanius.
The hand forged gate you see is a recent addition to the property. I am quite proud to say it was made by one of my former high school classmates, Jeff Fetty. Jeff has done commissions for writer Tom Clancy, former president Bill Clinton, musician Jon Bon Jovi, the Globe Theatre in London, and others. While he is internationally known he is a quiet and down to earth kind of guy. The gates were installed just a few weeks ago and I was finally able to go over this past weekend and see his finished work.
Linking to Good Fences
