Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens to become site of 2014 concours

AKRON, Ohio — Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, one of the nation’s most iconic residences arising from the American Country Estate movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, announces the Concours d’Elegance at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens to be held Sept. 19-21, 2014 on the grounds of the 70-acre historic estate. Stan Hywet is located at 714 North Portage Path in Akron Ohio.

Completed in 1915 by the F. A. Seiberling family, Stan Hywet is the nation’s 6th largest historic home open to the public and is named to reflect the Old English term for stone quarry. A National Historic Landmark, the Estate encompasses a 64,500 square foot Tudor Revival Manor House and four other historic buildings plus eight historic gardens.

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens is prominently linked to automotive history. Seiberling was the co-founder of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and was active in the establishment of the Lincoln Highway. “There are few settings to equal the elegance of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens,” says David Schultz, the Concours executive director, who previously served as executive director of the Glenmoor Gathering, the precursor to this new Northeast Ohio event.

For more than 50 years Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens has co-hosted an annual Fathers’ Day Car Show with the Ohio Region Classic Car Club of America. “That show has been a favorite tradition for three generations of northern Ohioans and will continue with the same format that attracts nearly 400 vintage and collector automobiles and thousands of car enthusiasts,” says Linda Conrad, Stan Hywet’s president & executive director. “By contrast, the Concours will feature approximately 175 rare, invitation-only automobiles from throughout the United States, bringing a distinctive character and quality to our annual events line up.”

“We are in the process of selecting our feature classes for 2014,” says Schultz, “but one of our cornerstones will certainly be the great American and European motorcars of the 1920s and ‘30s.”

The motorcars will be the centerpiece of a weekend of time-honored events. Exhibitors, sponsors and guests will be treated to a variety of cultural experiences that truly represent the art of fine living, including uniquely designed insider’s tours of the garden, grounds and Manor House; the elegance of high tea, special wine tastings and fashion events; gourmet food selections; and a symphony of musical entertainment set against the historic backdrop. Also on the roster is a countryside automobile tour for exhibitors.

Stan Hywet enjoys a reputation as a hospitality leader, offering the finest guest experience and service among museums nationwide. “We are thrilled to bring this revered automotive event to Akron, which played such a central role in the industry as the home of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Bridgestone’s U.S.A. Technical Center, and which was has long been known as the Rubber Capital of the World,” says Stan Hywet’s Conrad.

According to Schultz, several key members of the former Glenmoor Gathering team will be involved with the Stan Hywet Concours. Schultz notes that Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens has a strong and creative events team with a proven track record. “Simply stated, this is something they do very, very well. They are experts at events.”

Stan Hywet offers not only a spectacular venue but a wonderful history and legacy dating back nearly 100 years. Architect Charles Sumner Schneider designed the Tudor Revival Manor House, with Hugo F. Huber as interior decorator. The estate grounds, originally about 3,000 acres, were designed by Boston landscape architect Warren H. Manning, and remain today one of the finest examples of his work. The English garden was redesigned in 1929 by noted landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman.

Three English country homes served as the inspiration for Stan Hywet's 65-room manor: Compton Wynyates, Ockwells, and Haddon Hall. The estate also includes a fine greenhouse and botanical garden, the Corbin Conservatory.

In 1957, the Seiberling heirs donated Stan Hywet to a non-profit foundation for its preservation. It is now a historic house museum and country estate, open seasonally to the public — in keeping with the stone inscription above the Manor House front door, "Non nobis solum," meaning "Not for us alone."

More information on the 2014 Concours is available at http://concours.stanhywet.org. Watch for regular updates in the coming months.

Individuals interested in being part of the Concours committee should contact David W.Schultz at dschultz@stanhywet.org or 330-315-3293.