Construction broke ground in a swampy area. The construction crews filled in the swampy area and then went to work on building the foundation for the estate. Sandstone used in the foundation was mined from his father's farm on the other side of Paint Creek. The stones were then transported from the farm across a distance of three-quarters of a mile by an overhead tram. The stone columns surrounding the exterior of the mansion were each transported through the creek during dry periods on sleds pulled by twenty-oxen teams. The masonry for the mansion was performed by Italian stonemasons from Cincinnati.