NRHP (USA): "Cleveland Arcade"
N 41° 30.040 W 081° 41.424
17T E 442377 N 4594568
Gorgeous building on the inside that was the first building registered in Cleveland on the NHRP. Don't let the outside appearance fool you, but be sure to look up as well before going in.
Waymark Code: WM23XE
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 08/30/2007
Views: 52
Inside is just stunning. Lots of brass, and cool stairs with circular light disks on each step. Long flowing sheer curtains in the hotel rooms (3rd floor and up).
A much better write up can be found at Cleveland Skyscrapers - Old Arcade/Hyatt with excerpts provided below.
The Arcade in Cleveland, Ohio was built in 1890 and designed by John Eisenmann. The construction was financed by John D. Rockefeller, Marcus Hanna and several other wealthy Clevelanders of the day. The cost of the project was approximately $875,000 - today it would be impossible to replicate. The inspiration of the project is said to be the Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, Italy. Although pedestrian arcades exist in several North American cities, few - if any, compare to the grandeur of the Arcade in Cleveland.
The Arcade was the first building in Cleveland to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The structure features a five story high atrium with extensive metal decorative work. The top floor features gargoyles which circle the entire atrium area. The structure includes the famous skylighted atrium as well as two 9-story towers, one each on Euclid Avenue and Superior Avenue. In 1940, the Arcade underwent renovation which included two major changes - the Euclid Avenue facade and the Superior Avenue staircase. Both were redesigned in an Art Deco fashion which was a timely style of the period. The Euclid Avenue facade was altered to allow two sculpted "medallions" of Charles Brush and Stephen Harkness, former presidents of the Cleveland Arcade Company. The Superior Avenue staircase was redesigned to accomodate a small retail space.
By the 1970s, the Arcade had suffered along with the decline of Euclid Avenue and downtown Cleveland. Although it never lost its grandeur, the retail tenants felt the effects of much of Cleveland's population fleeing to the suburbs (and taking retail with them). The Arcade was actually threatened with demolition as some myopic developers had plans to erect a 20-story office tower. Fortunately, a more sensible owner was found and the Arcade was maintained for several decades until it was redeveloped once again. In 2001, The Hyatt corporation redeveloped the Arcade into Cleveland's first Hyatt Regency hotel. The Hyatt Regency occupies the two towers and the top three floors of the atrium area. The two lower floors of the atrium area remain open to the public with retail merchants and a food court. In addition, the Hyatt's lobby and offices are located near the Superior Avenue entrance.
Whether you're an area resident or visiting Cleveland, you owe it to yourself to see this gem of a building.
Hope you enjoy the Waymark Visit!
The Blue Quasar