James A. Garfield Home (Lawnfield): Cultural Landscape Inventory, James A. Garfield National Historic Site

Regions 3, 4, & 5 Park Cultural Landscapes Program

The James A. Garfield National Historic Site (NHS) is located in Mentor, Ohio, approximately 26 miles east of Cleveland. The area of land that comprises the NHS is a 7.8-acre fragment of the original 158.46-acre “gentleman’s farm” developed by James A. Garfield, 20th president of the United States (1881). During the time that Garfield occupied Lawnfield (1876-1881), the Mentor area was known for its generous farms. Garfield ran his “front porch” campaign from the Lawnfield property, inviting the public to view him as a self-made farmer and honest candidate against the backdrop of his Ohio property. The name “Lawnfield” is used to refer to the entirety of the James A Garfield NHS and the main residence. The large, rambling Garfield home is set back from the front property line approximately 70 feet. The house displays elements of Victorian Gothic style in the 1880 construction, Queen Anne in the 1885 addition, and Federal Revival in the 1904 alterations. A variety of outbuildings dispersed throughout the property can be divided into two clusters of building types: the “stylistic” cluster is visible from the road, and the “agricultural” cluster sits on the back (north) end of the property. Existing structures include a carriage barn, the campaign house, windmill, pumphouse, granary, tenant house, and chicken coop. The site contains a mixture of vegetation, which is in a period of transition as treatments recommended in the 1994 Cultural Landscape Report are implemented. The trees dotting the area around the presidential house are primarily mature and in varying conditions, with a number in stages of decline. Sparse foundation plantings have been installed around the main residence and some of the outbuildings. The lawns throughout the site are well maintained and fairly weed free. An orchard was recently re-planted in the northwest corner of the property, replicating an agricultural site and purpose present during the period of significance. Today, a visit to the Lawnfield property gives the impression of a highly suburbanized landscape. Subdivision backyards abut a newly added picket fence, and a church side yard parking lot is visible to the east. The existing suburban setting is a significant change from the working farm character that existed during the period of significance. Although views within the property are being restored, the character of the surrounding landscape alters the expansive quality that once defined Lawnfield. The Transition Period (1886-1899) era was selected as the preferred period of significance for the James A. Garfield Home cultural landscape. This era bears a closer resemblance to the farm as it existed during the James Garfield period (1876-1885) and best serves interpretive needs. The period included the construction of the memorial library wing on the main residence, an increased emphasis on the residential front portion of the property, and the relocation of the barns to create an agrarian cluster in the northern section of the property. The site, in good condition, retains integrity and assists with the conveyance of the park’s historical significance. The NHS is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its association with President James Garfield, who was the chief architect of the farm. The farm and property can be viewed within the historic contexts of national politics, 19th century agriculture, industrial and commercial development in the Cleveland area, and landscape architecture and design. Although it has been a landscape in transition with an increasing percentage of the total property being absorbed by residential and recreational activities, the use of the land as a working farm was an important feature of its historic significance. The size of the farm has been severely reduced and the land use has changed, yet the remaining structures continue to provide an impression of the farm as it once existed.

James A. Garfield Home (Lawnfield): Cultural Landscape Inventory, James A. Garfield National Historic Site

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