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Terminal Tower

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For the tower in Montreal, see Terminal Tower (Montreal). For the Pere Ubu compilation, see Terminal Tower (album).
Terminal Tower
The Terminal Tower complex in 2006
Map
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommercial offices
Location50 Public Square
Cleveland, Ohio
CountryUnited States
Construction started1926
Completed1930
OpeningJune 28, 1930
Cost$179 million
OwnerForest City Enterprises
Height
Antenna spire235 m (771 ft)
Roof216 m (709 ft)
Top floor52
Technical details
Floor area577,000 sq ft (53,600 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Graham, Anderson, Probst & White
DeveloperVan Sweringen brothers
Structural engineerHenry Jouett
References
[1][2][3][4]
The tower lit up in rainbow colors in August 2014 when Cleveland hosted the Gay Games.

Terminal Tower is a 52-story, 235 m (771 ft), landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was built during the skyscraper boom of the 1920s and 1930s, and was the fourth-tallest building in the world when it was officially dedicated on June 28, 1930. Only three buildings in New York City were taller than its 708 feet (216 m), 52-floor frame. It is part of the Tower City Center mixed-use development, and its major tenants include Forest City Enterprises (corporate headquarters and current building owner) and Riverside Company.[5]

Architecture

Built for $179 million by the Van Sweringen brothers, the tower was to serve as an office building atop the city's new rail station, the Cleveland Union Terminal. Originally planned to be 14 stories, the structure was expanded to 52 floors with a height of 708 feet (216 m) and rests on 280-foot (85 m) caissons. Designed by the firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the tower was modeled after the Beaux-Arts New York Municipal Building by McKim, Mead, and White. The Terminal Tower opened for tenants as early as 1928, though the Union Terminal complex wasn't officially dedicated until 1930. It would remain the tallest building in the world outside of New York City until the completion of the main building of Moscow State University in Moscow in 1953 and would continue as the tallest building in North America, outside of New York City, until the Prudential Center in Boston, Massachusetts was completed in 1964. The building's height allowed radio station WHK to place antennas on the building to increase range of the 1420 kHz signal.

In the 1980s, a plan to build a taller building than the Terminal Tower was put forward, but was rejected by city officials who wanted to keep the Terminal Tower as the city's tallest building. The building, the BP Building, was scaled down, and the Terminal Tower remained the tallest building in Cleveland until the completion of Key Tower in 1991.

Observation deck

On a clear day, visitors on the observation deck can see 30 miles (48 km) from downtown Cleveland.[6]

On August 26, 1976, gunman Ashby Leach stormed a Chessie System conference room on the 42nd floor.[7] Leach, who was disgruntled with Chessie System's decision not to pay into a G.I. Bill fund that would have increased his wages and benefits during his apprenticeship with the company, held thirteen hostages before his arrest.[7] He was subsequently jailed for three months pending trial, before being acquitted of kidnapping and convicted for assault, extortion and carrying an illegal weapon.[8] Upon his release, he embarked on a speaking tour for the group Vietnam Veterans Against the War.[7] After the hostage incident, direct access to the floor was removed. When Chessie left the building, the observation deck reopened.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the observation deck was again closed to the public. In 2007, a proposal was brought to Forest City to reopen the deck. The proposal included a renovation of the deck and the addition of an express elevator to take visitors to it. This was to be done after the upper floors were renovated and the scaffolding removed.

In 2010, Forest City Enterprises finished renovating the complex's elevators, upper floors, and spire. The observation deck reopened on July 10, 2010[9][10] for a limited period, with plans to expand public access.[11][12]

To reach the observation deck, visitors take the elevator to the 32nd floor and then transfer to another elevator to reach the 42nd floor. Prior to its original closure, the deck was open only on weekends, to prevent disruption to the law firm that has offices on the 32nd floor.

External lighting

The Terminal Tower was lit when it opened in 1930. A strobe light on top of the tower rotated 360 degrees. It helped ships in Cleveland's port and airplane pilots landing at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. In the 1960s, the strobe was retired and replaced with conventional aircraft warning lights. The tower only once went dark, during the 2003 blackout.

Today, the Terminal Tower's external lights include 508 LEDs that can be configured into various color schemes - such as red and green during the Christmas season and red, white, and blue for various federal holidays.[13][14]

Many Cleveland social and medical groups light the Terminal for their causes. In February, the Terminal is red for the American Heart Association Go Red for Women campaign, and pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. Some of Cleveland's ethnic groups have had the Terminal lit in their traditional colors, such as green on Saint Patrick's Day. On Polish Constitution Day, usually May 3, Cleveland's Pol-Am community lights the Terminal in white and red (Polish flag colors), and the tower goes red, green, and white (Italian flag colors) for Columbus Day.

The Terminal also sports the colors of the various sports teams in town, such as red and blue for the Cleveland Indians, orange for the Cleveland Browns, and wine and gold for the Cleveland Cavaliers.[15] During the 2014 Gay Games, the Terminal was lit in a rainbow pattern (representing the gay pride flag).[16] In January 2015, the Terminal was lit in scarlet and gray in support of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the football team's National Championship run (as Cleveland is known for having a large OSU fan base).[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Terminal Tower". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
  2. ^ Terminal Tower at Emporis
  3. ^ "Terminal Tower". SkyscraperPage.
  4. ^ Terminal Tower at Structurae
  5. ^ "Terminal Tower". Forest City Enterprises. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  6. ^ "Cleveland Recommended Tours". Yahoo! Travel. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
  7. ^ a b c Hunt, Andrew E. (2001-05-01, copyright 1999). The Turning: A History of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. New York University Press. pp. 182–183. ISBN 978-0-8147-3581-7. OCLC 40848421. Retrieved 2010-09-28. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |laysummary= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Joy, Ted (June 1977). "The Siege of Terminal Tower". Mother Jones Magazine: 21–25, 58–59. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  9. ^ Petkovic, John (2010-07-09). "Terminal Tower observation deck reopens to the public". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2010-07-11. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Ischay, Lynn (2010-07-11). "Gallery: Terminal Tower observation deck reopens". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2010-07-13. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ Smith, Robert L. (2010-08-01). "Hundreds savor the view and the memories from Terminal Tower's observation deck". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2010-08-21. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ "Terminal Tower Observation Deck to open this Summer". Downtown Cleveland Alliance, 2010-06-28.
  13. ^ Terminal Tower lights - WKYC.com
  14. ^ Terminal Tower lighting - Tower City Cleveland.com
  15. ^ Terminal Tower in wine and gold - Twitter.com
  16. ^ Terminal Tower photos - Cleveland.com
  17. ^ Terminal Tower in scarlet and grey - Twitter.com
  18. ^ a b When Baseballs Fell From On High, Henry Helf Rose To The Occasion, by Bruce Anderson, Sports Illustrated, March 11, 1985
  19. ^ Nitz, Jim. "The Baseball Biography Project: Ken Keltner". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 20 July 2010.

Further reading

  • Herrick, Clay. Cleveland Landmarks (1986) ISBN 0-9646459-0-4
  • Johannesen, Eric. Cleveland Architecture 1876-1976 (1979) ISBN 0-911704-21-3
  • Nash, Eric. Manhattan Skyscrapers (1999) ISBN 1-56898-181-3
  • Rarick, Holly. Progressive Vision: The Planning of Downtown Cleveland 1903-1930 (1986) ISBN 0-910386-86-2
  • Van Tassel, David. Grabowski, John. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (1987) ISBN 0-253-33056-4
  • Jr., Harwood H. Herbert. Invisible Giants: The Empires of Cleveland's Van Sweringen Brothers (2003) ISBN 0-253-34163-9
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Terminal Tower.
Preceded by Tallest building in the United States outside of New York City
1930–1964
216 m 		Succeeded by
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