Historic sites and earthy delights in Cleveland
Aside from the stunningly beautiful Museum of Art (covered in a previous post), I've discovered that the city of Cleveland prides itself on several other historical institutions and cultural landmarks.
Museum of Natural History| University Circle
Though the building itself is very dated, Cleveland's Museum of Natural History is a world leader in human evolutionary study. I was surprised to learn that this historical institution is home to a prized specimen, once at the centre of various documentaries and heated discussions surrounding the evolution of man.
Lucy (above) is a fossil of Australopithecus afarensis dating back 3.2-million years. A former curator of the museum was among the team of scientists who discovered her remains in East Africa during the 1970s. The museum also holds one of the largest collections of gems and jewels in North America (Below: Dinosaur Bone, Utah).
There's a live animal exhibit outside which is home to red foxes (below), otters, owls and a coyote.
Terminal Tower| Public Square
This 52-storey skyscraper located in Cleveland’s Public Square, Downtown, was one of the tallest buildings in the world when it was erected in the 1920s during the skyscraper boom. The Tower was built as an office block looming over the local railway station, Cleveland Union Terminal. In the 1970s, the landmark became the scene of a hostage crisis, when a disgruntled worker held 13 people at gunpoint. Terminal Tower was the tallest building in Cleveland until it was dwarfed by Key Tower in 1991.
Key Tower| Downtown Cleveland – This 57-storey skyscraper (below) is the tallest building in the state of Ohio.
Severance Hall| University Circle
Located in Wade Park’s cultural district, this wonderfully opulent heritage building has been home to the Cleveland Orchestra since it first opened its doors in 1931.
Recently, I had the opportunity to see Bronfman Plays Brahms, a lively and uplifting collaboration between virtuoso pianist Yefim Bronfman and the Cleveland Orchestra, led by conductor Franz Welser-Most. The acoustics in the main theatre of Severance Hall are piercingly clear, even from the balcony.
Like many of this city’s prized cultural landmarks, Severance Hall has its own unique story. In the early 20th century, the Cleveland Orchestra comprised of a nomadic group of artists, whose performances were relegated to various city theatres, auditoriums and tours. Until one day, a wealthy music lover and philanthropist, John L. Severance and his wife Elisabeth, pledged $1million to give the talented musicians a permanent home. (John Severance’s father had been Treasurer to Rockefeller’s Standard Oil.) Sadly, for John, all the money in the world couldn’t save Elisabeth, who died shortly after the construction of the hall began. In the years following, Severance invested millions into making the hall a memorial for his late wife (The Cleveland Orchestra and Musical Arts Association, 2010).
The Arcade| Downtown
According to local history, the Arcade is renowned as one of America's first indoor shopping centres. It cost over $850,000 to build and opened in 1890. A century later, millions were spent restoring the antiquated structure to its original grandeur and it reopened in 2001.
Not all areas of the Arcade are open to the public. Much of it is now part of the Hyatt Hotel. Still, I managed to sneak up to the top floor the other day to get a better view of the glass canopy.
The Arcade is an architectural marvel that is simply beautiful to behold. Sadly, in the heart of winter, this lonely landmark in Downtown Cleveland remains eerily quiet and almost entirely devoid of people.
