Citizens Building (Cleveland)
| Industry | Banking (original) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1903 |
| Headquarters | Cleveland , United States |
| Products | Office and retail space |
The Citizens Building is a high-rise office and retail complex situated at 840 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. Originally constructed in 1903 for the local financial institution Citizens Savings and Trust, the structure experienced a major modification in 1924 when its front portico was removed to make way for a two-story extension. Since 1982, the building has been home to the City Club of Cleveland and was officially renamed the City Club Building in 1999.
Project Initiation
In September 1899, Citizens Savings and Trust purchased a parcel along with a two-story edifice at 850 Euclid Avenue, a site owned by the city since 1854. This location had previously been occupied by a high school and more recently served as offices for Cleveland public schools and the main Cleveland Public Library branch. The bank acquired the property through an auction, paying $310,000. Five months later, they commissioned local architectural firm Hubbell & Benes to design their new headquarters—a steel-framed building initially planned to rise 13 stories, featuring granite-clad lower levels and upper floors finished in brick or terra cotta.
By mid-1900, the design evolved to include 14 stories (), one of which was below ground level. The building presented a frontage along Euclid Avenue and another on Oak Street (currently E. 8th Street), with primary and secondary entrances on each street respectively. The facade of the first two floors was clad in Barre Granite, while the upper stories were constructed using brick complemented by ivory-hued glazed terra cotta. A prominent granite portico supported by four Doric columns, each standing tall, marked the Euclid Avenue entrance. The architectural plan balanced practical office accessibility with aesthetic features such as paired windows that provided natural illumination to the women's parlor.
The lobby spanned wide and deep, illuminated by an overhead skylight, leading into a main banking hall originally deep and high (later altered). Nearby rooms included a women's banking parlor, an elevator foyer, a safe deposit banking area with vault facilities, and corridors for clerical departments. Initial construction expenses were projected between $1.2 million and $1.5 million (equivalent to $ to $ today).
Hubbell & Benes also oversaw interior design elements, incorporating marble floors and wall finishes throughout public corridors on every floor. Distinguished artists Edwin Blashfield and Kenyon Cox contributed murals adorning the lobby space, while Tiffany & Co. supplied decorative components. Ornamental plasterwork was crafted by McNulty Brothers from Chicago, with local carpenter Henry Watterson managing woodwork details.
Challenges During Construction
By April 1901, estimates for constructing the Citizens Building had dropped to $450,000. Variety Iron Works of Cleveland was contracted to assemble the steel framework, with demolition of existing structures scheduled to commence on April 1, 1901.
Later that year, a conflict emerged between Citizens Savings and architect Levi Scofield, responsible for erecting the neighboring Schofield Building. Both parties agreed to share a party wall; however, whereas the Citizens Building featured a portico and plaza area, Scofield’s structure extended 17 feet northward up to the property boundary. To preserve visual harmony, Scofield agreed to construct a wall at least 21 inches thick embellished with pilasters protruding 2.5 inches from its base. The bank authorized Scofield to encroach 10.5 inches onto their property for this purpose.
Scofield initially completed the wall and pilasters but exceeded the permitted encroachment limits, leading Citizens Savings to initiate legal action. After dismantling and reconstructing the wall with pilasters integrated as bas-relief elements, disputes persisted regarding adherence to agreed specifications. These conflicting interpretations compelled both sides to seek adjudication through the Ohio Court of Common Pleas.
Despite efforts toward resolution and court inspections of the partially built structure, no established legal precedent addressed their situation. On January 10, 1902, Scofield’s team reported that an iron column from the Citizens Building intruded into space designated for their shared wall. The court suggested a compromise: Citizens Savings would permit minimal encroachment by Scofield’s building accommodating this column, while Scofield would shift his non-shared wall back by four inches and enlarge pilasters to better correspond with those on the Citizens Building. Both parties accepted this arrangement to avoid unfavorable judicial outcomes.
Completion of Construction
The conflict with Scofield caused delays in finishing the Citizens Building, compelling Citizen Savings to leave its former location and relocate to temporary facilities beginning February 3, 1902. Although the structure was not entirely completed, it officially opened to the public on September 28, 1903, extending operating hours to accommodate the numerous visitors eager to experience its opulent interiors. By late October 1903, the installation of safe deposit boxes and vaults was finalized, safeguarding more than $1 million worth of bonds, furs, rugs, silver items, stocks, and other valuables transferred into the new premises.
Building Overview
The finished Citizens Building comprised 14 stories—13 above ground and one subterranean level. Its footprint started as a rectangular shape but transitioned into a U-configuration from the third floor upward to optimize daylight exposure, ensuring no interior office was situated further than 10 feet from a window. The structure utilized a steel framework combined with reinforced concrete floors, featuring an innovative technique where steel T-beams were embedded transversely within the concrete. This approach reduced overall weight and expense while improving structural integrity.
From an architectural standpoint, the building blended Renaissance Revival elements with a Neoclassical portico—a combination that generated some debate. The exterior facade included granite cladding on the first two floors; brickwork adorned with ivory-glazed terra cotta window surrounds from floors three through eleven; and fully ivory-glazed terra cotta covering the top two stories.
Portico Details
The entrance portico was inspired by the design of the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens in Greece. It was recessed from the Euclid Avenue (north) property boundary.
This portico incorporated four granite columns topped with Doric capitals, each standing tall and measuring in diameter. The granite tympanum, carved by Cleveland sculptor Joseph Carabelli from a single stone block, depicted allegorical figures symbolizing Industry, Banking, or Thrift according to different interpretations.
Concealed behind this portico was the main entrance to Citizens Savings and Trust—a double door larger than typical entrances. The door frame’s architrave featured glass designs crafted by Tiffany & Co. The substantial bronze doors slid horizontally into wall recesses instead of swinging inward or outward.
To the portico’s east side was an entry leading to a foyer with elevator and stair access serving offices on floors three through thirteen. On its west side, double windows illuminated the women’s banking parlor.
Lobby and Adjacent Rooms
Entering through the main bank doors led into a lobby measuring wide by deep, crowned with a leaded glass barrel vault ceiling that allowed abundant natural light. Walls and pilasters were faced with Italian marble, while architraves, door lintels, and piers boasted colored glass, gold leaf, and mother-of-pearl inlays designed by Tiffany & Co.
A door on the east side of the lobby opened into the foyer for upper floors, which also featured white Italian marble walls and pilasters enhanced by Tiffany decorative inlays.
On the west side, another doorway provided access to the women’s banking parlor. This room’s walls were draped with silk brocade tapestries and embellished with ivory and gold inlays created by Tiffany. Custom mahogany furnishings upholstered in green damask completed this elegant space.
An additional west-side door granted elevator and stairway access to the second floor where bank offices and specialized departments were situated.
Murals by Blashfield and Cox
Within the lobby are two allegorical lunette murals created by Edwin H. Blashfield (east side) and Kenyon Cox (west side), artists who had previously partnered on prominent endeavors such as the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Although each worked independently on their respective pieces, they maintained close collaboration during their commissions for the Citizens Building.
Blashfield’s composition, titled The Uses of Wealth, portrays Wealth as a golden-robed female figure clutching a key symbolizing "Opportunity" and an olive branch representing "Peace," with protective emblems like a military helmet and sword nearby. Behind her stands Labor, depicted as a robust man wielding a shovel. Opposite them are personifications of arts and sciences: a chemist, musician, and poet, accompanied by cherubs that embody opportunity. The mural underscores wealth as the cornerstone for culture, scientific advancement, and security.
Cox’s work, entitled The Sources of Wealth, features Prudence adorned in gold-embroidered garments positioned before a temple and a beehive—an emblem of industry—with a cherub holding a bridle to signify self-discipline. To her right appear allegorical figures representing sources of wealth: a fisherwoman, farmer, and weaver, surrounded by industrial implements such as blacksmith’s tongs. Commerce is centrally depicted as a floating figure bearing a caduceus, emblematic of trade. Cox’s piece is recognized for its more nuanced allegory compared to his earlier lunette at the Library of Congress.
When revealed in 1903, both murals received widespread praise and continue to be esteemed as exemplary instances of early 20th-century commercial art serving corporate narratives.
Main banking hall and upper-level spaces
The primary banking hall spanned approximately wide by long and featured a U-shaped marble counter inlaid with smoked glass and mother-of-pearl crafted by Tiffany & Co. Bank tellers conducted transactions from bronze-grilled cages designed by Hubbell & Benes and produced by Jno. Williams, Inc. Walls and pilasters made from Italian marble incorporated glass and gold motifs created by Tiffany & Co., while the silver-and-gold ceiling reflected illumination from hundreds of electric lamps. Glass mosaic inscriptions promoting investment and thrift adorned pilasters near the cornice; at the southern end stood a large illuminated clock flanked by additional mosaics. The room was completed with bronze lighting fixtures and bespoke mahogany furnishings.
Flanking the main chamber were east and west corridors each measuring wide by deep; the eastern corridor housed safe deposit banking parlors containing small to medium-sized boxes, whereas the western corridor accommodated clerical offices.
Public spaces in both basement and upper stories featured marble flooring and wainscoting. The basement secured vaults for cash and large valuables. The second floor contained executive offices—including those for president, treasurer, vice president, secretary—and board meeting rooms alongside trust departments. All floors were accessible via electric elevators. The building was equipped with its own electrical generation, air conditioning, and water chilling systems providing chilled water on every level, as well as a central vacuum system.
1924 portico removal
In August 1923, Union Trust Co. purchased the Citizens Building for $3 million (equivalent to roughly $ in today’s dollars). The new proprietors removed the original portico in March 1924, resulting in the destruction of Blashfield’s mural; the status of other artworks remains uncertain.
Local architect Harry D. Hughes designed a wide single-story extension projecting forward to the property boundary, increasing the building's depth to . This renovation cost $400,000 (approximately $ today) and introduced six retail storefronts along with an entrance foyer connecting to existing interior spaces. Hughes also refurbished the basement area and replaced an existing mezzanine with a new second floor. Architectural historian Joseph J. Korom characterized this addition as an "exercise in design banality."
1999 renaming
In 1982, the City Club of Cleveland established its new offices on the second floor of the Citizens Building. A year before the turn of the millennium, in 1998, the City Club initiated a $1 million fundraising campaign aimed at refurbishing its section of the building and secured a lease renewal for a decade, with an option to extend for an additional 20 years. The building’s proprietor, Barris-Guren & Co., consented to rename the structure in honor of the City Club.
The renovation project, which ultimately totaled $2.5 million in expenses, resulted in a 5% increase in auditorium seating capacity, a substantial enlargement of the lobby area, and modernized telecommunications and networking systems. Prominently displayed on the E. 8th Street façade were large letters spelling out "The City Club," installed at a cost of $30,000. Both the building’s refurbishment and its renaming reached completion by January 2000.