The Cleveland Public Library, originally called the “Public School Library,” was the first U.S. library to let its guests choose books directly from the shelves. It was located in a number of rented spaces from 1869 until the Main Building was completed in 1925. A new building, the Louis Stokes Wing, was added to the main downtown branch in 1997. Since then, the original building has been updated and refurbished. Today, the Cleveland Public Library circulates one of the largest and most extensive collections in the country, boasting close to ten million items.
The Fountain of Eternal Life is a memorial erected in Mall A of Cleveland, Ohio. The fountain is dedicated to the soldiers from greater Cleveland who served in 20th Century wars as well as the Iraqi and Afghanistan Wars. The memorial is also known as the War Memorial Fountain and the Peace Arising from the Flames of War. The Fountain was created in 1988 and has stood across from a Statue of Abraham Lincoln for decades.
The Old Stone Church is the oldest surviving building on Public Square and is home to the First Presbyterian congregation, the second oldest religious organization in Cleveland. The church that stands today was built in 1855 and replaced an earlier church, called by the same name, which was completed in the early 1830s. Major renovations were undertaken in 1857 and 1884 after two fires gutted the church’s interior.
The Terminal Tower was the second tallest building in North America from its completion in 1930 until the construction of the Prudential Center in Boston in 1964. The Cleveland landmark, also known as the Cleveland Union Terminal, stands 708 feet tall, 771 feet with its flagpole. The beaux-arts style building (with a steel structure and façade of granite and limestone) was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Today, the Terminal Tower serves as commercial office space.
At a meeting of Camp Barnett, Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Society, in 1879, Comrade William J. Gleason suggested erecting a monument to commemorate Union soldiers and sailors of the Civil War Cuyahoga County. It was unanimously approved and opened on July 4, 1894. Today, it is open most days from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is a popular attraction in downtown Cleveland. Visitors can also participate in the occasional tunnel tour of the moment as well as enjoy the Victorian Christmas display each year. It is operated by the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument Commission.
The Cleveland Arcade opened in 1890, becoming the first indoor shopping mall in the country. Within walking distance of most Cleveland attractions, it now features a variety of shopping and dining options and houses the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Arcade was designed by John Eisenmann and George Smith, who modeled it after a similar facility in Milan, Italy.
The New England Building opened in 1896 as Cleveland's tallest building, a distinction it held until 1905. The building opened after the city enjoyed decades of economic growth. The building largely catered to banks, notably the Guardian Bank and National City. The Guardian Bank moved in and built an addition that now exists under the adjacent Garfield Building, as well as the distinctive Corinthian columns. Similar to older skyscrapers found in large cities, occupancy declined throughout the twentieth century. But, the Holiday Inn Express moved in during the 1990s, helping to revive the historic buildings viability as the city simultaneously enjoyed a civic rebirth after times of decline during 1970s and '80s.
Cleveland Trust Company began in 1894 with $500,000 capital and John G.W. Cowles as president. In 1903, it merged with Western Reserve Trust Co. and outgrew its rented office space. The bank built a new headquarters at the corner of E. 9th and Euclid that opened in 1908. The bank eventually closed, but the building remains. After years spent unoccupied, the building now houses a supermarket, hotel, and apartments on the upper floors.
Halle Brothers Co., commonly referred to as Halle's, is a defunct department store chain. During most of its ninety-one-year history, Halle's focused on higher-end merchandise, which it combined with personal service. The company was the first major department store in Cleveland to open a suburban branch store. The store was used as the location of the fictional department store, Winfred-Louder, in the television series, "The Drew Carey Show". Actress Halle Berry, a native of Cleveland, was named after the store.
Playhouse Square is a theater district consisting of five theaters at Euclid Ave and East 14th Street. It was opened in between February 1921 and November 1922. Joseph Laronge worked with business magnate Marcus Loew and others to found a partnership called Loew's Ohio Theaters to develop this theater district. Today, this great and luminous district is owned by a company called the Cleveland Playhouse and is open to all to see any live play, musical, or concert perform for a night of beauty and style and is the biggest theater district outside of New York City.
The Cleveland Grays were a private military company founded in 1837. Their goals were to support local law enforcement and to protect the area in case of a third war with Britain following the Canadian Rebellions of that same year. The Grays moved around multiple times before the construction of this armory in 1893. Today, the Grays Armory is a Museum, whose four floors trace the Grays' history from their conception to now.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This short walking tour includes stops at a number of historic buildings, monuments, and iconic Cleveland landmarks. Highlights of the tour include the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Terminal Tower, Old Stone Church, and the Cleveland Arcade.
