How did a blue-collar steel worker become one of the wealthiest landlords in the United
States?
Hi everyone, ken here, welcome to This House
Born in 1828, Barthold Schlesinger was no stranger to hard work.
From an early age, he began working at a steel company, eventually earning a promotion in
a management position.
From here he was able reinvest in the Norway Iron Works company, becoming its primary shareholder
before brokering a merger with Carnegie Ste430 N Worth Ave, Elgin, IL 60123el.
At this point, in the mid 1800s, he was a rich man, but not yet wealthy.
He reinvested the profits from the merger by purchasing the Merimac Chemical Company
with the sole goal of merging it with smaller chemical manufacturers.
Once he had acquired a handful of smaller companies, he sold his portfolio of chemical
manufacturers to American Chemical.
This sale made him a small fortune, but he was still young and willing to gamble.
Barthold headed down to wall street where he began successfully trading stocks.
Instead of cashing out, he reinvested his earnings into real-estate, becoming one of
the largest landlords on the east coast.
By the age of 50, his income properties had created a substantial stream of earnings that
rivaled old money.
He and his wife, Mary purchased a 22 acre parcel of wooded land in Brookline, Massachusetts
and hired architect George E Harney to design their dream house.
Simultaneously, they brought in esteemed landscape designer, Frederick Law Olmstead to transform
the grounds of their estate into a spectacular private park.
From the street, we will turn onto a long and winding gravel driveway leading us through
overgrown through the overgrown forest.
At each turn we are offered sweeping views of the lawn’s gently rolling hills.
The forest has been cut away to reveal livestock grazing in pastures under the watchful eye
of the groundskeeper.
As we travel over the babbling brook, the mansion begins peeking to come into view atop
a manmade low turf terrace.
Finally, as we round the last stretch of the drive, Southwood reveals itself to us, framed
by olmsted’s perfectly positioned trees.
Lets continue forward, wrapping around the lawn to find the entryway.
Here we will dismount our carriage and be welcomed by the doorman.
Entering the mansion, we are greeted by oak panneled walls and presented with antiques
from the Schlesingers’ world travels.
Before we can continue forward, we will take a seat in the inglenook, waiting by the roaring
fire as the butler lets our host know that we’ve arrived.
We can now venture towards the stair hall, pausing to appreciate the intricate millwork
and fretwork adorning the dueling archway and colonnade.
The oak staircase glows in the afternoon light as vibrant colors dance about the floor, refracting
from the bay window’s stained glass panels.
First we will venture into the music room and immediately notice light reflecting from
the iridescent paint on the ceiling forming twisting, flowering vines overhead.
To the far end of the music room, beyond crushed velvet sofas, we hear the gentle notes of
the piano tempting us to explore further.
Peeling back the curtains we find ourselves in the library surrounded by half height bookcases
and standing below a coffered ceiling decorated in vibrant hand stenciled vines.
The drawing room continues this theme, with plants reaching 12 feet overhead, competing
for attention with art glass chandeliers.
Let’s continue deeper into the drawing room, as we pass by Americana displayed on each
surface, until we find the dining room.
The dining room is finished in oak paneling both on the walls and the ceiling with built
in cabinets displaying the family’s collection of fine china.
Curiously, they kept two dining tables in the room at all times.
When Barthold passed away in 1900, his wife Mary continued to live at Southwood until
her own passing in 1924.
Southwood was then handed down to their adult children who planned to keep it in the family,
however, just a few years later, the Great Depression took its toll on the family fortune,
and they had no other option than to sell Southwood.
It was purchased by a group of Priests to be used as a monastery and continues to serve
as the Holy Transfiguration Monastery to this day.
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