Hall-Sullivan House – Revisited (Original Post January 31, 2014 and Updated September 6, 2019)

The Hall-Sullivan House, 7128 Euclid Avenue.
The Hall-Sullivan House, 7218 Euclid Avenue.

Built in 1887 for Richard Allen at 7218 Euclid Avenue, commonly known as the Hall-Sullivan House became home to Cleveland banker Corliss E. Sullivan, the youngest of three children of Jeremiah J. and Selina Sullivan. The younger Sullivan went on to become chairman of the board of the Central National Bank, the bank founded by his father.

The advent of property tax, the pollution of the steel mills in Cleveland’s industrial flats and, the rising cost to heat and to maintain the mansions that lined Millionaire’s Row resulted in many of their owners moving further east into smaller homes on smaller pieces of land. Corliss and Selina Sullivan moved to Hunting Valley. From 1931 to 1934 the house served as the home to the Josephine Shop, an upscale furniture store, and then the property was acquired by the Grand Lodge of Ohio, Sons of Italy (SOI) in America.

In 1935, an addition was made to the rear of the mansion, including an auditorium to seat 200, and was dedicated as the Sons of Italy Grand Lodge until 1946. The complex was purchased by the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (now known as ASHRAE – the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). ASHRAE opened a national research laboratory on the site, where it operated until it was closed in 1961.

From 1964 until the later 90s, the property served as the Coliseum Entertainment Center. The property is for sale, and I recently had the opportunity to photograph the interior.

The Hall-Sullivan House, 7128 Euclid Avenue.
The Hall-Sullivan House, 7218 Euclid Avenue.
The Hall-Sullivan House, 7128 Euclid Avenue.
The Hall-Sullivan House, 7218 Euclid Avenue.
Interior of the Hall-Sullivan House, 7128 Euclid Avenue.
Interior of the Hall-Sullivan House, 7218 Euclid Avenue.
Interior of the Hall-Sullivan House, 7128 Euclid Avenue.
Interior of the Hall-Sullivan House, 7218 Euclid Avenue.
Sons of Italy Auditorium.
Sons of Italy Auditorium.
Sons of Italy Auditorium.
Sons of Italy Auditorium.
Sons of Italy Auditorium.
Entrance to Sons of Italy Auditorium.

Hall-Sullivan House

 

The Hall-Sullivan House, 7218 Euclid Avenue
The Hall-Sullivan House, 7218 Euclid Avenue

Built in 1887 for Richard Allen, now commonly known as the Hall-Sullivan House was home to Cleveland banker Corliss E. Sullivan, the youngest of three children of Jeremiah J. and Selina Sullivan. The younger Sullivan went on to become chairman of the board of the Central National Bank, the bank founded by his father.

The advent of property tax, the pollution of the steel mills in Cleveland’s industrial flats and, the rising cost to heat and to maintain the mansions that lined Millionaire’s Row resulted in their owners moving further east into smaller homes on smaller pieces of land. Corliss and Selina Sullivan moved to Hunting Valley. In 1935, the mansion was dedicated as the Sons of Italy Lodge, and for many years it served as the Coliseum Entertainment Center. The structure in the rear includes an auditorium to seat 200.

The following poems were inspired by the photograph, and are included in Shattered Dreams Revisited, the story of the Death and Rebirth of the Midwest Industrial City, published by Artography Press.

Mansion
Big and quiet,
Vacant and alone,
Many others like it,
Wooden structures dry as a bone.

They’re all the same,
To most they are lame,
Yet, to a few they plea,
Come inside and see!

Joe McGlenn
Montessori High School
9th Grade (in 2012)

Left Behind
Once the spawn
Of a golden age
Of the past
What once was
Gradually fading away
Memories
A reminder
Of what was achievable
Through perspiration
And determination
The paint may peel
But it reveals
A new era
The next chapter
The rebirth
Sturdy and strong
Through a well fought battle
Hope goes on
Seeping through the cracks
Into the soil
Into the air
And hopefully
Into the people
So that someday
We shall overcome

Gabby Valdivieso
Ruffing Montessori School
7th Grade (in 2012)