Cleveland Trust Company was founded in 1894, with John G. W. Cowles as its first president. In 1903, Cleveland Trust merged with the Western Reserve Trust Co., and Calvary Morris succeeded Cowles as president. Quickly outgrowing their offices, construction on a new headquarters building, designed by architect George B. Post (1834-1913) began in 1905.
The magnificent stained glass is often attributed to the Tiffany Studios, although there is no documentation to support that belief.
The Rotunda features the sculpture work of Karl Theodore Francis Bitter (1867-1915), and murals painted by Francis Millet (1848-1912), depicting scenes of the development of civilization and wealth in the Midwest.
In the coming months, the Rotunda and the adjoining 1010 Euclid Building will undergo historic renovation. The 29-story office tower designed by Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) and opened in 1971 will be renovated, and two additional buildings adjacent to the tower on its south, that were once a part of Cleveland Trust complex, will be demolished to make way for the new Cuyahoga County Administration Building. Each step of the way will be documented on this blog. Be sure to subscribe to receive email notification of new posts.
Great use of Black & White to show the architecture details. Thank you for documenting the restoration. I am an artist with 39 years experience. I paint ornate plaster moulding in the “Old European Style” or “Robert Adam”(1728-1792) way of enhancing the details with colour. I look at your photographs and let my imagination work in colour.
I would love to be part of a project requiring my skill. Please visit my website to view samples of my work http://www.apbpainting.net
Best regards,
Arthur P. Butler
http://www.apbpainting.net
Thank you for stopping by, Arthur. I visited your Website and love what you do. I hope that you will register here to receive email notification of new posts as this blog space is going to be very active as the pace of the project begins to heat up. I loof forward to your comments.
Best,
Lauren
Marvelous that this stunning building will be renovated! Your photographs are beautiful! I am a NY based architectural photographer who is photographing NYC as rapidly as possible before all the wonderful examples of architecture disappear! Walking around NY requires a fast lens as the facades and lobbies of the stunning 18th and 19th Century building are being modernized at a quick pace. Thanks for the great article! BRAVO Cleveland for preserving its history! http://www.ellenfisch.com
Thanks for stopping by, Ellen, and for your very kind words about my work and my city. Your Website is wonderful. Your images are spectacular, and they bring back wonderful memories of summers at Rockaway Point with visits to Coney Island, Prospect Park, Central Park, the Bronx Zoo, the museums of Art and Natural History, and the westside river-front. I hope that you will subscribe to receive email notification of future posts.
Best,
Lauren
I (tried?) to subscribe, but there was no confirmation, so hopefully I’m in! Looking forward to future installments
Thanks for stopping by, and for being persistant, Bob. I look forward to your comments in the future.
I’m so looking forward to the renovation. Back when it was Cleveland Trust, I remember going in making my deposits and standing in line just admiring the grandeur.
Thanks for stoping by, Dawn, and thanks for sharing your memories. The Rotunda is a remarkable building, with a remarkable story.
Beautiful pictures!
Thank you, Ed. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will become a regular visitor as this project unfolds.
Best,
Lauren
I love black and white, your subjects are very good, but somehow the lighting is a little dead, a little cold almost like a model. I like atmosphere and the odd person even a piece of litter. Am I being too critical if so sorry it’s only one opinion. My web http://www.ronacampbell.co.uk
Thanks for stopping by, Rona. You make some interesting points, and no, you are not being too critical. I value everyone’s opinion, and look forward to more of yours. I enjoyed a brief visit to your Website. You do beautiful work. I love the sense of fantasy.
Best,
Lauren
I worked as a bookkeeper at Cleveland Trust Bank around 50 years ago and still remember how beautiful it was and how lucky I was to see it every day that I worked. My two largest accounts were Scripts Howard and Timken Roller Bearing. It’s funny now but one day I was called into the President’s office and he said I have a check here that you wrote for 50 cents for gas and that since employees get free checking I should not write checks that small in the future. Thanks for the great photos. Patricia
Welcome Patricia, and thanks for stopping by. I am so pleased that my work have brought back happy memories. Thank you so much for sharing them! I hope you will stop by often!