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Buhl Mansion Guesthouse and Spa |
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Buhl Mansion Guesthouse and Spa422 E. State St.Sharon, PA800-782-2803724-346-3046www.buhlmansion.com |
The history of Buhl Mansion is a rich and colorful one. Frank H. Buhl built this castle-like mansion of native ashlar sandstone in the Sharon Hills for his wife, Julia, in 1890. A grand home in the Richardson Romanesque style, with arches, columns, finials, and turrets, the Buhl Mansion was a showplace in the Shenango Valley. Like many houses from the Victorian era, when it was no longer a private family residence the mansion was used at various times as a French restaurant, a beauty school, and apartments. Ultimately, the property was condemned and became one of those VOV properties—vacant, open, and vandalized. A vagrant moved in, causing irreversible damage to the main floor. That’s when Jim and Donna Winner stepped in to bring this fine old home back to its original glory. Today this magnificent mansion’s elegantly appointed rooms showcase the Winner Art Collection of statuary and oil reproductions, including works by Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Van Gogh. Pick up a guide at the front desk to help identify the works throughout the mansion and coach house. One of two bed and breakfasts in the United States to receive the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award, the Buhl Mansion is a member of Select Registry Distinguished Inns of North America and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The motto inscribed on the mantle of the fireplace in Frank Buhl’s library—“Good Friends, Good Food, Good Cheer”—reflects Frank and Julia Buhl’s hospitable nature. When the mansion was completed, the Buhls threw a party for 100 with an orchestra and a catered meal. Throughout their lives, the Buhls generously contributed to the Sharon community, establishing a hospital, the F. H. Buhl Club, the Julia A. Buhl Girls Club, and the F. H. Buhl Farm, which today is Buhl Park. The coffered ceilings in the library and the dining room as well as the walnut window frames in the music room survived the damage that befell the first floor. On the second floor the beautiful original woodwork remains intact. A stained-glass window on the landing of the grand oak staircase replaces an original Tiffany window. Take the steps to the third floor and you find a hand-painted mural with cherubs, swans, and formal garden scenes. Look forward to being spoiled when you come to Buhl Mansion. Afternoon tea is served daily in the music room, and on weekends an informal reception gives guests a chance to chat with the staff and check out area activities. Chocolates are left at bedside and linens freshened at evening turndown service. Upon arrival, guests find in their rooms a welcome tray of fresh fruit, cheese, and a bottle of champagne. All the guest rooms feature gas fireplaces, Jacuzzis for two, separate showers, Egyptian linens, down featherbeds, and TVs in both guest room and bathroom. It can be a dilemma to decide which of the 10 rooms at the Buhl Mansion to reserve. There’s the Grand Turret for starters. Once part of the 1940s ballroom, the turret comfortably houses a round Jacuzzi for two. A focal point of the bedroom is a king-size replica of a bed from the Hearst Castle. The original hardwood floors are covered with Oriental carpets. In contrast, the Artist Loft has a lighter feel, with pickled oak floors, wall coverings with imprints of Michelangelo’s famous “Creation of Adam,” and a king-size copper and iron bed. I found Mr. and Mrs. Buhl’s rooms of interest. Her namesake room is light and airy in blues and yellows with French furniture, a sparkling chandelier, and wallpaper with flowers and cherubs. His room is definitely a masculine retreat with greens and browns dominating, a cooper-like ceiling, a desk, and dark woodwork. For a room with a view, book the Steel Magnate, a stunning room in neoclassical style that overlooks the gardens, greenhouse, and waterfall. During a stay at the Buhl Mansion, treat yourself to breakfast in bed. Guests find a room-service breakfast menu to slip under their door with gourmet choices of traditional eggs Benedict, seared strip steak served with eggs and hash browns, buttermilk pancakes, or the house specialty, plantation eggs. You can opt to dine in the cheery breakfast room with windows that open onto a view of gardens, pond, and a Victorian greenhouse. It’s a gracious dining experience with white linen, silver, and impeccable service. Samples from the Winner Art Collection—familiar Degas and Monet reproductions—grace the walls. At the Buhl Mansion Spa, a world-class facility with six treatment rooms on the mansion’s lower level, you’re invited to indulge your senses, relax your mind, and revive your body and soul. It’s a calming environment with a color scheme of cream, white, and peach. A corner fountain, artwork, and a large room with fireplace invite relaxation between treatments. Revive in the monsoon shower with 13 showerheads or step into the steam room or sauna, amenities that are also available to houseguests. Have a facial in the turret room or select from the menu of massage therapy and hydrotherapy. Two popular therapies are the hot basal lava stone massage, combining massage with deep heat therapy, and the moor mud wrap for rejuvenating tired muscles, followed by a Vichy shower. Allow four hours for the Mansion Magnifique Package of aromatherapy massage, anti-aging facial, your choice from the bath menu, and a spa cuisine lunch, or treat yourself to the Trumpeter Swan Package with manicure, pedicure, neck, back, and shoulder massage, and a spa cuisine lunch. Things to Do: Directions: Nearby attractions: Excerpted from the book Great Inn Getaways from Cleveland © 2004 by Doris Larson. Reprinted with permission of Gray & Company, Publishers. For more information, call the publisher at 1-800-915-3609 or visit their web site: http://www.grayco.com/cleveland/books/28752/index.shtml |
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