The Whitaker House on Glenwood Avenue

The Whitaker family established their mansion on Glenwood Avenue in 1917 after Edward Whitaker purchased the property while expanding his regional printing company. Three generations lived there, including Edward, his wife Clara, their children, and Edward’s father who remained in the household. The family income came from newspaper printing, publishing contracts, and commercial advertising work.

Historical records describe the mansion as a carefully maintained residence with active use of the study, library, and upper bedrooms during the years when Whitaker Printing Company remained profitable.

The first warning sign appeared in 1932 when Whitaker Printing Company recorded cancelled advertising contracts and delayed payments from local newspapers. During the economic downturn, Edward reduced employees, closed several upstairs bedrooms, and postponed repairs to the slate roof, granite trim, and damaged window frames. After Edward suffered a serious illness in 1935, the company struggled to continue operating. By 1938, unpaid business loans, property taxes, and medical expenses forced the Whitaker family to leave Glenwood Avenue and relocate while creditors arranged the property’s sale.

The Whitaker House was abandoned in 1939 after the collapse of the printing business, unpaid debts, and mounting financial obligations left the property without a stable owner. No restoration occurred, and no Whitaker descendants returned after leaving Glenwood Avenue. Municipal records documented unsuccessful ownership transfers and continued deterioration of the vacant mansion. The interior rooms remained closed, preserving household furnishings, business records, and personal belongings left behind. Over the decades, moisture damage, weather exposure, and structural wear affected the cream brick walls, granite details, and slate roof. The Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival mansion remains empty on the residential avenue, slowly deteriorating without restoration or confirmed future use.