Cleveland Architecture Part I (2/7/2016)

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Took advantage of another sunny day to do a city hike in downtown Cleveland. (It is often very difficult to get photos of a complete building when you can't back up far enough because of the other big buildings in a cityscape!)

The Hanna Building, E 14th Street side near
Euclid Avenue, (1920-1921, designed
by Charles Adams Platt)

The Hanna Building E 14th Street entrance;
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978 as part of the Playhouse Square Group

The Hanna Building seen from Euclid Avenue
(5/30/2016)

The Hanna Building Euclid Avenue portal
(5/30/2016)

The Hoyt Block (1886)
at 700 W St Clair Avenue

The Hoyt Block detail

Later I learned the Hoyt Block is actually next door at 608 W Clair Avenue!

The Hoyt Block (1874, designed by Walter Blythe) is one of the few
remaining stone buildings in Cleveland, and had one of the first
hydraulic elevators; listed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1974 (4/17/2016)

The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Building (1921, designed by
Charles Sumner Schneider) and the Perry- Payne Building (1889, designed
by Frank Cudell & John Richardson) at 820 & 740 W Superior Avenue;
the latter was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973

Terminal Tower (1926-1927,
designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White)

Rockefeller Building (1903-1905, designed by
Wilm Knox & John Elliot, in Sullivanesque style),
at 614 W Superior Avenue; listed on
the National Register of Historic Places in 1973

The "Sullivanesque" style is notable for the ornamental patterns
of intricate weaving of linear and geometric forms with stylized foliage,
resembling Irish medieval folk art, here in cast-iron (4/17/2016)

Rockefeller Building detail (4/17/2016)

Rockefeller Building entrance (4/17/2016)

The Rockefeller Building was built on the site of the Weddell House (1847), where Abraham Lincoln spent the night on 2/15/1861, while on his way to his first inauguration as President of the United States.

Last (1979) by Tony Smith,
at the Frank J Lausche State Office Building (1979)
at 615 W Superior Avenue (4/17/2016)

Key Tower (1991, designed by Cesar Pelli);
from 1991-2007 it was the tallest building
between NYC and Chicago, and it remains
the tallest building in Ohio

Warehouse District "SmallBox" shops (4/17/2016)

Terminal Tower reflected on
55 Public Square (1958, built as the
Illuminating Building)

75 Public Square (1915, designed by
Hubbell & Barnes), built as the Illuminating
Building until replaced by 55 Public Square

Public Square is being renovated...

Society for Savings Building (1889-1990,
designed by John Wellborn Root) at 127 Public Square;
it was Cleveland's first modern skyscraper and
from 1890-1896 it was the tallest building in Cleveland

Society for Savings Building wrought-iron detail

Second story window in ground floor arch

Society for Savings Building entrance; listed on
the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1976,
(I haven't figured out why the building is dated AD 1888)

Public Square side of the Howard M Metzenbaum US Courthouse
(1903-1910, designed by Arnold W Brunner in Beaux-Arts style
as the Federal Building and US Courthouse);
listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974

Howard M Metzenbaum US Courthouse,
Euclid Avenue façade (4/17/2016)

Jurisprudence (1911) by
Daniel Chester French (4/17/2016)

Commerce (1910) by
Daniel Chester French (4/17/2016)

US Courthouse entrance with three of nine heads,
each carved with a different expression (4/17/2016)

Fountain of Eternal Life or
Peace Arising from the Flames (1964, by
Marshall Fredericks), started as a memorial to
veterans of the Vietnam War, but since has been
renovated to include names of veterans from
1899 (Spanish-American War) to 2014 (Iraq War)

The four base sculptures of the Fountain of Eternal Life represent the four "geographic civilizations" of the world: Nordic, Eastern, Southern, and Western, according to the artist. The fountain is located in what was called Mall A, but is now called Veteran's Memorial Plaza in the Cleveland Mall. The Mall is a large open area surrounded by public buildings from a design called the Group Plan of 1903, considered to be the earliest and most complete civic center plan outside of Washington, DC.

Cleveland Board of Education Building (1931, designed by
Walker and Weeks in neoclassical style);
listed on the National register of Historic Places in 1975;
it appears it is being renovated to become a Drury Hotel

A statue of Abraham Lincoln (1932, by Max Kalish)
stands in front of the Board of Education Building
having been paid for by donations by schoolchildren 

Board of Education Building detail with the Western Hemisphere

Board of Education detail with the Eastern Hemisphere

Cleveland Public Auditorium (1920-1922, designed by
J Harold McDowell and Frank Walker in neoclassical style)
as part of the Group Plan of 1903

The Cleveland Public Auditorium was the largest of its kind when it opened, seating 11,500 people. It is still used today, including for the Rock and Roll Hall of fame induction ceremonies.

Cleveland City Hall (1912-1916, designed by J Milton Dyer, with a
Beaux-Arts entrance bay and 2-story Tuscan colonnade),
as part of the Group Plan of 1903 and a twin to the County Courthouse

Bug Screen (2008) by Pae White, showing patterns from
insect wings and spiderwebs; located at the
Anthony J Celebrezze Federal Building

Free Stamp (1982) by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen

Free Stamp was commissioned in 1982 by Sohio, but then BP bought out Sohio and didn't want the art installation. It was donated to the city, and placed in Willard Park in 1991, looking ironically as if
it was thrown from the Sohio/BP Building!

Pulaski Plaza with a monument honoring General Casimir Pulaski,
a Polish nobleman and military commander who came to
North America in exile, and helped the cause of the American Revolution;
the cannon (1899) is known as a "Polish rifle"

 Erieview Plaza at the north end of the Cleveland Mall has a great view of the buildings on the shore of Lake Erie.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
(1993-1995, designed by I M Pei)

Great Lakes Science Center (1996)

As you can see,Lake Erie has not yet frozen over this winter.

FirstEnergy Stadium (1997-1999), built as the second
Cleveland Municipal Stadium until naming rights were sold in 2013

The Cuyahoga County Courthouse (1906-1912, designed by
Charles Morris of Lehman & Schmitt in Beaux-Arts style
with a 2-story Ionian colonnade), a part of the Group Plan of 1903

Alexander Hamilton (1914) by Karl Bitter,
 flanking the courthouse entrance steps

Thomas Jefferson (1914) by Karl Bitter
flanking the courthouse entrance steps

The Cuyahoga County Courthouse from the lake side (4/23/2016)

Oliver Hazard Perry Monument (1860,
built for Public Square)

The monument has moved several times: in 1892 it was put in storage when it was replaced by the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Public Square, and in 1894 it was placed in Wade Park, then in 1913 it moved to Gordon Park, and finally in 1991 to Fort Huntington Park. The original statue by William Walcutt was re-cast in 1929, and the original sent to Perrysburg, OH. This statue is one of two copies, and the second copy is at the Statehouse in Providence, RI.

Prosecutor (1957-1991) John T Corrigan Memorial
(2004, by Milano Monuments) in Fort Huntington Park

Jesse Owens (1982) by William McVey,
in Fort Huntington Park

The family of Jesse Owens moved to Cleveland from Alabama when he was nine years old. He attended East Technical High School and tied the 100-yard dash world record when he was a senior. He went on to excel in track and field at Ohio State University, where he set three world records and tied his own record in the 100-yard dash. He may be best remembered for participating in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, winning four gold medals and thus discrediting Hitler's theory on the master race.

Bertsch Building (1903, built as Wohl's
Hungarian Building that had a Hungarian restaurant),
later it was named the Lawyers Building
as it is located across from Cuyahoga County Jail

Quicken Loans Arena (1991-1994 as Gund Arena,
renamed when Quicken Loans owner bought into the NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005 and renovated the arena)