In 1938, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. gifted 235 acres of the Rockefeller estate to the cities of East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights for a public park.  Designed by noted Cleveland landscape architect A. D. Taylor, Forest Hill Park is an urban oasis that includes undeveloped forest and meadow as well as recreational facilities.   The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.  You can learn more about Forest Hill Park at the Cleveland Heights Historical Society website.

Located at the corner of Mayfield Road and Lee Boulevard, this French Norman style commercial building was designed in 1930 by New York architect Andrew J. Thomas, on commission from John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who, along with the architect, maintained an office in the building.  It was to serve as a community center for the Forest Hill development.  The building housed an ornate bank on the second floor (now Rockefeller Party Center), a greengrocer, hair salon and other shops.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and is a Cleveland Heights Landmark.  You can visit the Heights Rockefeller Building website for more information about this historic building.

The "cottage" at the southeast corner of Lee and Monticello Boulevards has served as the gateway to the Forest Hill community for three-quarters of a century.  Built in 1930 as the Forest Hill sales office of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s Abeyton Realty, the cottage was originally located at the corner of Brewster Road and Lee Boulevard near the "Rockefeller homes", where it was clearly visible driving up Lee from Euclid Avenue.  With its wavy-edged cedar shingled sides and steeply pitched cedar shake roof, the building is a miniature replica of one of Andrew J. Thomas' French Norman Rockefeller homes and acted as a unique advertisement for the development.  In 1937 the realty office was moved to its present location, closer to where homes were then being built.

In 1948 Toledo businessman George A. Roose acquired the sales office when he purchased the subdivision from Rockefeller, and the cottage continued to serve as the realty office for this later phase of the Forest Hill development.  When Roose returned to Toledo, he sold the cottage, along with the original office furniture, to Forest Hill Home Owners in 1957.  FHHO continues to maintain the cottage as its office.  The cottage was designated a Cleveland Heights Landmark in 2005.

The cottage serves as a visible symbol of Forest Hill's unique historic development and houses an archive of original blueprints and property documents for most of the area homes.  You can set up an appointment to visit the cottage by calling 216-932-8952.