Once The Second Tallest Skyscraper In America, Cleveland's Terminal Tower Was A True Feat Of Engineering
By Nikki Rhoades|Published May 31, 2022
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Nikki Rhoades
Author
Nikki is a lifelong Ohioan with a love for literature. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Akron and has enjoyed publishing her written work since 2007. She has a love of travel and does so frequently, though she believes that home is where the heart is — she continues to work in and around Cleveland as a digital content specialist to this day, working on everything from commercial scripts and social media posts to grassroots marketing initiatives.
Today, Cleveland’s Terminal Tower has a history that’s deeply intertwined with that of the city. It’s a source of pride for locals and, quite frankly, it should be. The Terminal Tower is the second-tallest building in Ohio but, once upon a time, it was the second-tallest in the world. At 771 feet (or 235 meters), the tower is still impressive to this day… and in its architecture is a hidden story that deserves to be celebrated. After all, its engineers reached new and incredible heights.
When the Terminal Tower first opened in 1930, crowds were stunned by its beauty.
Many Clevelanders already enjoyed a sneak preview by assisting during its construction, but to others, this Beaux-Arts beauty was unexpectedly stunning. At the time it opened, its massive height was challenged only by the 791-foot-tall Woolworth Building in New York City.
The project was funded by the Van Sweringen brothers, who were already locally famous.
The Van Sweringen brothers were well-known in Greater Cleveland, thanks in part to their hand in modernizing Shaker Heights. Their construction of the Shaker Rapid Transit, which opened in 1920, connected the sleepy community to the bustling center of Downtown Cleveland. For a pricey $179 million, they started construction on the Terminal Tower in 1926.
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Construction continued for a mere few years... and when the tower was finally dedicated on June 28, 1930, it was undeniable that Cleveland was an incredibly modern city.
When this photo was taken in 1928, Cleveland had already accomplished many firsts. Cleveland was already home to several stunning arcades, with the Old Arcade considered by many to be the world's first shopping mall. However, the building had already quietly opened to tenants in 1928. Within two years, its external lighting was revealed, and its strobe light was bright enough to guide ships and planes.
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While its strobe light and spotlights were impressive, the Second World War caused the city to turn them off.
The tower remained dark until September 22, 1974. By that time, its iconic strobe light was replaced with standard aircraft warning lights. Today, its collection of 508 LEDs continue to paint it in a beautiful light.
When it was unveiled in 1991, Key Tower was known as Society Center. Key Tower is among the to 50 tallest buildings in the United States, challenged primarily by structures in New York City and Chicago.
It's amazing to consider that the Terminal Tower was originally meant to be just 14 stories in height... but, fortunately, a little bit of Cleveland know-how changed that plan.
Today, its 52 stories make it an iconic addition to the Cleveland skyline. The Van Sweringen brothers intertwined this design with their Shaker Transit vision by placing it at the nexus of Public Square railways, and they rounded it out by pitching the tower as something like a "city within a city." Railroad tycoons hailed Cleveland as being a city of the future.
While various construction projects in the ensuing decades effectively dwarfed the Terminal Tower in the grand scheme of things, its legacy continues to inspire Clevelanders to this day,
Iconic, beautiful, and arguably the most recognizable aspect of Cleveland's skyline, the Terminal Tower continues to dazzle visitors to this day.
While the Terminal Tower may just be the second tallest building in Ohio, locals will never forget when it was the second tallest in the whole world. Heck, it was the tallest building outside of New York for decades after its construction! Truly, this iconic landmark put Cleveland on the map.
