The first Cleveland Clinic building

You might be surprised to learn that this off-white four story brick building, on the south side of Euclid Avenue at East 93rd Street, was the original home of the Cleveland Clinic. The building, opened in 1921, was the first of many built by this world-class hospital.



This postcard, from the Cleveland Memory Project, illustrates many of the early buildings. The view is from the east, looking west. They following legend is provided on the reverse of the card:
1. Garage
2. New Surgical Pavilion
3. New Assembly Room
4. New Hospital Addition-Private Rooms
5. Existing Hospital-1924
6. Power Plant
7. New Hospital Addition-North Wing
8. Existing Hospital-1928
9. New Main Entrance to Hospital
10. Research Laboratories
11. New Pharmacy
12. New Clinic Building
13. Original Clinic Building-1920.

It is worth noting that most of these early buildings are still standing, the exceptions being the parking garage (1), the "New Surgical Pavillion" (2), and the "New Assembly Room" (3).



This photo of the original Clinic building, also from the Cleveland Memory Project, depicts the Cleveland Clinic Fire. The fire, which occurred on May 15, 1929, killed 123 people. The fire was caused by an incandescent light bulb igniting nitrate-based x-ray film. Most of the deaths were the result of poisonous gasses released by the burning of the x-ray negatives.

The Cleveland Memory Project has other resources on the fire, including the report from the National Board of Fire Underwriters addressing the disaster. The fire led to stricter regulations regarding the construction of such buildings and the storage of film.

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The Cleveland Clinic has long been a leader in medical research. It is one of the top hospitals in the country, and in some fields, the world. From this beginning they grew to the giant they are today.

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The Clinic clearly has some respect for historic buildings, contrary to what recent events might suggest. They have the ability and the resources to repurpose 80+ year old structures to fit contemporary needs.

In the near future, once I am able to take some more photographs of the exterior of the Philip Johnson Cleveland Play House building, we will be asking for design proposals for the site, to illustrate how the Cleveland Clinic might utilize the existing structures. It is my hope that this will illustrate that we, as a community, care about this complex and its history and are committed to repurposing the Cleveland Play House in a way that serves both the Clinic and the City.

Over the top and comfortable with it

Today, I had hoped to take some photographs of the Tudor Arms, that wonderful Tudor Revival building at East 107th and Carnegie. The subject came to mind when I learned that the building, which I had long assumed was just an old office structure, was to be rehabbed into a hotel. Bill barrow put it very nicely in his entry, Mysterious Eastside Building to Become Doubletree Hotel. Come lunch time, it was gray and raining, so my photographic excursion was cancelled.

Instead, I give you some photographs of some of the most wonderful (and over the top) houses in the East Boulevard neighborhood. The neighborhood is just to the east of Martin Luther King Boulevard, between Superior and St. Clair. These houses were built back at a time before the well-off moved up to the Heights.



The level of detail on this Swiss Chalet style house is impressive. I'd hate to think about keeping it painted.



I'm not sure what to say about this Colonial Revival. It might have worked a bit better before the second floor porch railing was built up.



Modern code requirements haven't been good to some of these tiny old porches. While the masonry is impressive, the second floor railing doesn't quite work. I'm not sure what would work.