Frank and Gertrude Seiberling hired three professionals to shape the outcome of their home building project: Boston landscape architect Warren Manning, New York City interior designer Hugo Huber and Cleveland architect Charles Sumner Schneider.

Schneider originally pitched his design as an employee of George Post & Sons, a New York City architectural firm.

Three English country homes served as the inspiration for Stan Hywet: Compton Wynyates, Ockwells Manor, and Haddon Hall.

[4] The long, sprawling Manor House encompasses 64,500 square feet (5,990 m2) and includes four floors and a lower level (basement).

The estate grounds, originally about 1,500 acres (610 ha)[5] in extent, were designed between 1911 and 1915 by Boston landscape architect Warren H. Manning, and remain today one of the finest examples of his work.

Manning sited the house at the edge of the quarry wall, overlooking the Cuyahoga Valley and rolling hills in the distance.

The entrance to the property (through an existing apple orchard), and the two allées on the north and south sides of the house, provide examples of vistas created by Manning using arranged plant materials.

Along the back of the house, Manning manipulated existing forest plantings, and removed growth to create outlooks over miles of undisturbed countryside to capture the endless expanse of the Seiberlings' property.

In 2005, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens constructed a new conservatory and greenhouses based on the original historic designs.