Willdred Apartments

The Willdred Apartments were constructed in 1906-1907, in the classical revival style of architecture. The Willdred Apartment building can be seen below in a Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, on Columbus Avenue, between Scott and Finch Streets.

The front steps lead up to an entrance porch. On either side of the porch are two columns which support balconies on the upper two levels of the building. Several sets of triple windows on three sides of the Willdred Apartments allow for plenty of natural light.

H. Roger Grant wrote in his book Getting Around: Exploring Transportation History (Krieger Pub. Co., 2003), that the three story apartment building was conveniently located near the lines of the Lake Shore Electric Railway. Anyone who resided at the Willdred could travel in and out of Sandusky easily on the interurban. An advertisement in the May 12, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal listed the rent at the Willdred at $25.00 per month. This included five rooms and a bathroom, which was “modern with furnace.”  Local newspapers frequently mentioned the Willdred Apartments, sometimes known as the Willdred Flats, in the society pages. In January of 1908, the Art Study Club held its first meeting of the year at the apartment of Mrs. E.W. Altstaetter in the Willdred. In 1920, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs Jay Cohn held a Japanese lawn party at the Willdred. Japanese lanterns decorated the lawn as several young people enjoyed the latest dance steps. On March 11, 1993, the Willdred Apartment building was named to the National Register of Historic Places.