ConnecToledo is a 501(c)3 organization committed to the redevelopment of Downtown Toledo. Funded by the city's leading institutional and corporate organizations, ConnecToledo is committed to facilitating public/private partnerships, promoting events and attractions, investing in planning and projects and advocating for businesses. We build the critical connections for developing vibrant neighborhoods and a strong central business district.
Live in the clouds in the Commodore Perry Penthouse in Downtown Toledo
Perched high above the streets of downtown could be your new home! A truly one-of-a-kind condo has hit the market with 360° views of the region. Located on its own floor, the penthouse of the Commodore Perry allows you to experience downtown like never before.
Purchased in 1999 by retired Chicago area school teacher and principal, Emily Robertson had a vision. At the time of purchase, the space was truly a blank slate. There were no interior walls, let alone basic utilities like heat, water and plumbing. Ms. Robertson contracted with local architect, Bob Seyfang, to build out her vision for the space. Her sister recommended Mr. Seyfang after touring his home at the Bakery Building during Wander the Warehouse and being very impressed with what he had done there. After spending over $400,000 over the six-year renovation process, Ms. Robertson was able to move in.
This is a photo of the penthouse photographed in 1997, just two years before Emily Robertson purchased it. Photo courtesy of Historical Structures.
Located on the 19th floor, the 4,266 sq ft. condo can only be reached by a private elevator or private staircase. When asked if there were any difficulties with getting materials to the penthouse due to the tight size of the elevator and staircase, Mr. Seyfang recalled some items having to be brought up from outside of the building. This two-bedroom unit has an absolutely massive living room, incredible outdoor rooftop space and tons of natural light.
The home features two and a half bathrooms. The clawfoot tub attached to the second bedroom came with Ms. Robertson from Chicago. She had used it in her classroom as a fun space to encourage her students to read. The condo boasts of arguably the best patio space in all of downtown. The entire rooftop of the Commodore Perry is almost completely yours. Peregrine falcons have been known to nest on the rooftop, as the state of Ohio’s first peregrine nesting box was placed there in 1988.
The Commodore Perry Hotel was built in 1927, at the cost of $3,000,000 (over $52M today). According to a Historic Structures’ article, the hotel was the “largest hotel between Chicago and Cleveland and one of the largest in the country” and boasted of 500 rooms, more than 11 miles of carpet, 4,000 pieces of bedroom furniture, 10,800 towels and 37,296 pieces of fine china. It opened with 700 guests and 900 reservations turned away. Over the years, guests of the Commodore Perry Hotel included President Harry Truman, Vice President Richard Nixon, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jimmy Stewart, Vince Price, Joe Dimaggio, Guy Lombardo, Jack Benny, Carl Sandburg, Ethel Barrymore and the King and Queen of Greece. Elvis Presley famously got into a fistfight in the hotel’s bar in 1956. The hotel closed its doors in 1980 and was renovated into apartments in the late 1990s.
The Commodore Perry Hotel photographed in 1929. Photo courtesy of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Digital Collection.
Interested in calling this unique condo home? Contact realtor Lyndi Robertson at lyndirobertson@danberry.com or by phone at (832) 589-5557.
Zillow - https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/505-Jefferson-Ave-FLOOR-19-Toledo-OH-43604/2058065550_zpid/
Sources
Historic Structures - https://www.historic-structures.com/oh/toledo/commodore_perry_hotel.php
Toledo History Box - https://www.toledohistorybox.com/2017/08/17/the-commodore-perry-closes/
Toledo News Bee - https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iYJXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jkQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=960%2C1749582
