Cleveland Sights: Architecture and Infrastructure

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Old Arcade

• Terminal Tower, the centerpoint of Tower City Center, located on Public Square, is the Terminal Tower, built in 1929 as the second tallest building in the world (now it's the second tallest building in Cleveland). The building was also constructed as the main railroad terminal in Cleveland and currently serves as the main hub of the RTA Rapid Lines (below the retail mall levels). Go to the Terminal Tower's observation deck to observe the surrounding environs (particularly, Lake Erie, the winding Cuyahoga River, and the juxtaposition of downtown against industrial uses to the south and west)(Closed since 9/11).

• Old Arcade, www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cleveland/arcade.html. 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 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 nine-story towers, one each on Euclid Ave and Superior Ave. In the past decade, the structure was renovated as a Hyatt Regency Hotel.

• City of Bridges, particularly view the Hope Memorial Bridge (Lorain-Carnegie Bridge) named for Bob Hope's (the famous actor/comedian and native Clevelander) father, who worked on its construction. The bridge is framed by four art deco pylon sculptures portraying the evolution of forms of ground transportation. In addition to a large number of jack-knife and lift bridges along the Cuyahoga, one of the world's few remaining "Swing Bridges" is still in use, connecting the east and west banks of the Flats entertainment district.

• Key Tower, the tallest building in Ohio, and between New York City and Chicago for that matter, designed by Cesar Pelli.

• Peter B. Lewis Building, Case-Weatherhead School of Business, designed by Frank Gehry with his trademark undulating metal forms.

• Cleveland Churches, particularly visit the Tremont district (where the movie, The Deer Hunter, was filmed) and the Church Square district along Euclid Avenue between downtown and University Circle (where you can see a broad sampling of houses of prayer, many of which are currently utilized by their second or third generations of faith). There are also several monumental churches in near east side suburbs of Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights along Cedar Rd, Fairmount and Shaker Boulevards.

• www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cleveland/arcade.html