Description:

Rockefeller John 1874 - 1960 Rockefeller TLS 1911 land deal, for expansion areas around Forest Hill
Typed Letter Signed "John D. Rockefeller," 8.25" x 10.25", dated "Cleveland O. Aug 2, 11" and signed by Rockefeller with a distinguished large 5.5" signature. Expected folds, light toning, and slight creasing, else near fine.


A revealing TLS with great content regarding the consummation of a land acquisition by John D Rockefeller. The letter specifies that Rockefeller is "ready to close the transaction", once "the title is found fee and clear of encumbrances". The land in question is situated on the Southerly side of Superior Street, and Rockefeller was given an "option" to buy the land at the rate of "$4,000 per acre". Rockefeller originally acquired the coveted location of Forest Hill Park in 1873, which is located just south of Superior Road. This letter appears to increase Rockefeller's land holding and enlarge his original parcel. His earlier land acquisition was originally a commercial venture which opened (along with other investors) a "water cure resort" centered around a Victorian mansion built on a hilltop overlooking Cleveland and Lake Erie. After the resort quickly went out of business, the mansion became the Rockefeller family's summer home, dubbed the "Homestead." The Rockefellers split time between here and their home on Euclid Avenue's Millionaires' Row until the family moved to New York City in 1884, after which point they returned to Forest Hill each summer. After his wife died in 1915, however, John D. Rockefeller seldom returned to Cleveland and Forest Hill. The "Homestead" burned down under mysterious circumstances in 1917. In the years that followed, the large acreage which well exceeded 235 acres had a portion donated to the cities of Cleveland Heights and East Cleveland by his son, Joh Rockefeller Jr., with the express stipulation that they be used for public recreation. This land included the site of the old Rockefeller house (now used as a sledding hill), and was developed into a public park by the landscape architect and Cleveland Heights native A. D. Taylor. The park opened in 1942, allowing members of the public to at last savor the cool lake breezes previously enjoyed by the richest man in the world. Picnic areas, walking trails, ballfields, and a swimming pool were some of the amenities added to the park over the years.

The balance of the land on the land east of Lee Boulevard, Rockefeller Jr. designed a Garden City-influenced residential and commercial development. The resulting Forest Hill subdivision included 81 French Norman-style houses situated with common back yards that formed greenswards, as well as the gateway business block now known as the Heights Rockefeller Building, before the Great Depression prevented a fuller expression of the Rockefeller-Thomas vision.

A fantastic example of a Rockefeller land "deal", examples of such built the Rockefeller empire in conjunction with their monopoly in the Oil business which was spearheaded by their investment and ownership of Standard Oil. (By 1878, Standard Oil owned the major refineries in New York City, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia).

However, it is of additional interest that although Land Acquisitions were a large part of the Rockefeller fortune, it was also these very land acquisitions that were a major contributing force in land conservation within the United States. Over the generations, the Rockefellers created more than 20 national parks and open spaces, including the Cloisters, Arcadia National Park, Forest Hill Park, the Nature Conservancy, the Rockefeller Forest in California's Humboldt Redwoods State Park (the largest stand of old-growth redwoods), and Grand Teton National Park among many others.

John Flicker, of the National Audubon Society notably stated: "Cumulatively, no other family in America has made the contribution to conservation that the Rockefeller family has made." So the Rockefeller legacy is one of building wealth in addition to giving back to society.

A great TLS from the early beginnings of this family empire.

Provenance: An important autograph collection of Howard Goldman, the bulk of which sold at Sotheby's in 1995.

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