Not too long ago, I got to take a tour of the Cleveland Trust complex, including the beautiful rotunda building, the Swetland building (aka 1010 Euclid) and finally after all these years - one of the upper floors of the tower, designed by Marcel Breuer. It was early in the day, so the lighting was pretty harsh from the east and the filth-a-riffic windows didn't help, but I managed to get a few decent shots.

 

The rotunda building and tower at the right - construction of the rotunda building began in 1905 and officially opened in 1908. The Breuer-designed tower was built in 1971 - the original plans called for a twin tower fronting Euclid (on the 1010 Euclid site)

 

I know it's a little dated, but I love the Cleveland Trust logo in this shot:

 

Of course, once I was inside, the first place I made a bee-line to was the rotunda building and the gorgeous stained glass dome. I've heard arguments that it *is* and *isn't* a Tiffany glass piece - I would love to see documentation one way or the other.

 

Directly below the dome is this brass plaque embedded in the floor - I wish there was a way to know the story behind every footstep that wore down the detailing:

 

Along with the stained glass dome are the murals that ring the uppermost area below the dome - these were painted by a prominent artist, Francis Millet. Regrettably, these were some of his last works - he passed away on April 15, 1912 along with about 1,500 other people who entered immortality when they went down with the Titanic:

 

 

 

 

I've been in this space before, but not with a DSLR - I finally managed to get a decent detail shot of the light fixtures:

 

But yeah, the dome and murals :-)

 

 

 

 

 

Even the steps down to the vault are impeccably detailed (oh and I believe they are bronze as well)

 

The details don't stop there - the brackets under the first mezzanine level:

 

And the patterns on the main floor:

 

Unfortunately this complex has been the subject of so much controversy and not treated with the respect that's due. On the left side of the photo you can see the "Mondrian-esque" window pattern - that used to be true for all of this street level facade but some boneheads decided it was the best place to put temporary vehicle doors for the asbestos remediation:

 

Not wanting to see that travesty anymore we headed over to the Swetland Building/1010 Euclid. We could only view the first floor but as with so many historical properties - the results of abandonment were painfully obvious but so was the potential of restoration:

 

 

 

That's about it for the Swetland/1010 Euclid shots - next up, and a real treat for me, was a visit to the 25th floor of the Marcel Breuer-designed Cleveland Trust Tower. While it's not my favorite Cleveland skyscraper, I never disliked this building, but I know so many who just see it as some "ugly/brutalist/etc." Being able to see it from the inside gave me a new appreciation - it has a certain appeal to it (dare I say "Mad Men"?) and if given enough TLC, I think more would see its potential. Even so, a lot of the views *from* it are just amazing:

 

 

 

 

 

As I said, early sun + filthy windows = less than decent shots, but I tried:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I apologize for the reflections in this shot, but I loved this view of the AT&T Huron Road building:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah well, can't stay 25 forever, down to 4 we go ;-)

 

 

This is Barn Court, looking west at the beautiful Rose Building - the view from street level looking east - yeah, that's a little more foreboding:

 

This cracked me up - this is the former operations center located in the low-rise building at the corner of East 9th and Prospect. The machinery you see was used for paperwork transfer, etc. - I saw the wallpaper and thought the last time I saw that color was in the movie '9 to 5' when they "updated" their surroundings to be "current" ;-)

 

 

The low-rise building (and decor) aren't the most appealing but they do have great views of the Rose Building:

 

And the Caxton Building, which has a special place in my heart - it's where I landed my first job in Cleveland, and I started clevelandskyscrapers.com during that time. That and it was just a kick@ss cool building to work in:

 

Views from the skywalk from the low-rise buildings to the parking garage:

 

 

 

 

 

And back down to the sidewalk - I did a mockup back in the day and I'll try to find it, but it's funny that some have suggested this become a "W" hotel; in the mockup I did, the W logo went right into the 'cutout' of the tower's crown:

 

Remember when I said the front facade on East 9th had a great "Mondrian-esque" facade? This is the exterior shot:

 

 

After the tour, we were allowed to check out the rotunda again - so we went to the upper levels :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As many times as I've been in the rotunda, I never saw the gorgeous stencil work on the underside of the arches below the dome - my partner pointed these out :-)

 

Hope you enjoyed!

 

 

Great pics!  A little tlc and massive power wash would do wonders for that building

Awesome!  Thanks!

Whatsamatta -- couldn't ya get any nice views from that building?? ;) Seriously, that was fantastic!

 

I'll bet the night views from the tower are stunning. And didn't I tell you folks those windows in the tower are huge? I'm glad MayDay got a shot with a person next to the windows so you could see how big they are.

 

This would make an absolutely wonderful apartment conversion! Glad to see they're maintaining the rotunda pretty well.

 

Love this.

I was going to ask which ones are the 1010 Bldg...the gutted-out place near the top? I'll just wait for the captions.

If the Breuer Twr or 1010 Bldg are ever demolished...either one (or both)...it will be a travesty.

 

Great shot of Ohio City.

 

 

Hopefully this view never goes away, great shot...

 

:-o Stunning.  I am so jealous Mayday!  I walk by here almost everyday and wish I could go inside..... :x

KJP was right, the windows are huge and the views are fantastic.  Very unique angles of the city you don't usually see.  Sign me up, I'd live there in a heartbeat.

 

Love this.

I was going to ask which ones are the 1010 Bldg...the gutted-out place near the top? I'll just wait for the captions.

If the Breuer Twr or 1010 Bldg are ever demolished...either one (or both)...it will be a travesty.

 

 

1010 Euclid cannot be viewed easily from the Breuer Tower because there are no windows on that side of the tower. The reason is 1010 Euclid was going to be demolished for an expansion of the tower, so why put windows in that side of the tower when it would soon have a siamese twin built attached to it. Here is an old picture MayDay shot of 1010 Euclid.....

 

 

 

EDIT: I was surprised that an east view from the tower was even possible. But here it is. 1010 Euclid is smaller than the closest building (Cleveland Athletic Club) in the low-foreground. 1010 is between the CAC and the Breuer, so you can't even see it in this east view.....

 

Breathtaking

I'm feeling a W Cleveland coming on!

i am not seeing how those floor plates might supposedly be problematic for modern business offices?!? the ceiling seems high enough - at leat as seen in the shot of the person walking by the windows.

 

otoh this bldg does have w or some other modernist leaning hotel written all over it.

 

 

 

Id prefer to see apartments here. Awesome pictures MayDay!

Turn this building into residential and/or hotel ASAP! Even the views from the lower floors are jaw dropping. Beautiful work Mayday!

What is the full story on 1010 and the "Siamese twin"?  I had heard that before and guess I always figured that was the case since that side of the building seems unfinished.

 

^I don't know the "full story" but the original plans called for the Breuer design "cupping" the rotunda building - it wouldn't have been a perfectly symmetrical building, more like a "J" footprint, if that makes sense.

 

 

Oh, and descriptions have been added :-)

Ahhhhh yes thank you.  That completes my mental picture.  Would have been pretty cool!

I kinda like the Breuer building and think it gets a bad rap. If it's brutalist, it's definitely less brutal than most. It doesn't have a relentlessly horizontal configuration, and it has so much more texture -- note the deep-set windows -- than buildings that are truly brutal.

I was still banking there in the early 90's - I think that was after the Cle/Ameritrust merger with Society, but before Key Tower. I can't remember when they closed the rotunda.

I can't pick just one as my favorite so I'll go with two, gorgeous... One could only imagine what these shots would look like at night...

 

 

 

Of course, once I was inside, the first place I made a bee-line to was the rotunda building and the gorgeous stained glass dome. I've heard arguments that it *is* and *isn't* a Tiffany glass piece - I would love to see documentation one way or the other.

 

 

It is Tiffany.  I found this in one of the back banking rooms when I had access.

 

 

Mayday did you get a chance to see the vaults in the basement?

You can view the vaults in my photo thread here... http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,27099.0.html

^I have that same brochure - but when I say documentation, I mean either confirmation from the Louis Comfort Tiffany foundation or renderings/plans that clearly prove the provenance. I've seen the vaults and taken photos, but not during this visit - wish I had the time though.

Completely awesome photo set, with Cleveland views I've never seen before. Thank you for sharing that fabulous experience!

First off.. OUTSTANDING photo set!!

 

Its hard for me to imagine a company worthy to fil the space of the Rotunda. That is just one beautiful piece of architecture. How it could be left empty for so long says something about the culture of "newer is better".  Now granted, sometimes it is. In this case, it sure as hell ain't!!

 

If the Breuer tower were to become residential, I would guess they would get top dollar- just for the views and the location. I don't know how i'd feel about not being able to open the windows, but it would definitely be a cool space for either a hotel or residential. And yeah, I would be extremely jealous of the lucky ones who would be able to afford the view from up top if converted to residential.   

 

I can see 1010 Euclid becoming residential for sure with shops on the first floor. Here's hoping the county sells the complex to someone with the vision and the funds to turn this complex into something special- this would be a game-changer for downtown. I could see the lots north of Progressive field along E.9th being developed with parking/residential if this complex were converted (I know, but I can dream can't I?)

 

Oh, the possibilities... but again, GREAT set!

This would be an amazing hotel and restaurant.

 

I would be nice to build residential over the garage.

 

 

 

Great photos, including a few with scenes of Cleveland that I haven't seen before.

 

The exterior of the trust building really needs a power washing and/or cleaning. There just looks to be so much grime on it that it's really difficult to see the architectural detail on the outside, as mayday mentioned in the first picture.

 

Thanks Mayday, those were the photos that I initially thought were the 1010 Euclid Bldg

I read "stunning" a couple times, I believe I'll add one more stunning! to the mix!

The exterior of the trust building really needs a power washing and/or cleaning.

 

Power washing historic masonry is corrosive, but it could absolutely use a good scrubbing.

Maqnifique!  Great photos!

This was an absolutely amazing photo set...thank you for sharing.  Everyone knows the rotunda is stunning, but to see the views from the tower...it is shocking it has sat vacant for so long.  The right project would easily make this prime class A space again...office, hotel, residential, whatever.

Very nice.  Great new views and great vistas.  Makes Cleveland look like the major-league city that it is.

I'll echo surfohio  and add one more "stunning"! 

 

Got a whole new appreciation for the Breuer building.

Just a little bump to this thread. If anyone is interested in the current condition of the complex.

 

And to anyone who would want some details of this significant building, maybe for architectural research, these photos may prove invaluable!

 

Theawesome pictures near the top of the thread illustrate the verkakte drop ceilings that need to go (so as to open this up to the street, per my post in the "The 9" Northeast Ohio Developments page)