| What makes it historical? |
The Cleveland Trust Company, founded in 1894, was one of Cleveland’s first banks to have branches throughout the city! Their business grew rapidly, and by 1905, they needed a bigger, better building! To place their new headquarters, the company bought up the First Methodist Church and the Wedge Building on the corner of Euclid and 9th Avenue, then invited architects from around the country to compete for the final design! The winner was George Post, who was already well known for his work on such buildings as the New York Stock Exchange!
Construction took two years from December 9, 1905 until December 28, 1907 and was about $400,000 over budget! At completion, it was the third largest bank building in the USA and the first building built in Cleveland to be exclusively a bank! It was mostly Neoclassical in style but also has elements of Beaux-Arts and Renaissance Revival styles, with a huge rotunda and dome! It was the bank’s headquarters until 1991 when the Cleveland Trust Company merged with Key Bank and consolidated in Cleveland’s new tallest building! |
