terminal tower turns 93

On June 28, 1930, the Terminal Tower opened to the public. Happy 93rd birthday to Cleveland’s Terminal Tower.

The heart of downtown Cleveland is Public Square. At the square's southwest corner rises Cleveland's iconic 52-story, 771-foot-tall skyscraper, the Terminal Tower. The firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White designed the Terminal Tower. It was modeled after the New York Municipal Building. The original plans for the building called for a 14-story building, but it was later increased to 52 floors. The Van Sweringen brothers built the Terminal Tower for $179 million.

Cleveland’s Terminal Tower was completed in 1927. It opened for tenants in 1928, although the complex wasn't dedicated until 1930. At the time of its completion, the Terminal Tower was the second tallest building in the world. It would remain the tallest building in North America (outside of New York City) until 1964. The tower was originally built as an office building, In 2016, K&D bought the Terminal Tower for $38.5 million and spent $100 million to convert 11 floors of office space into into 297 luxury apartments. The Terminal Tower sits atop the city's rail station, the Cleveland Union Terminal.