Feb 9 2013

Guitar Mania Cleveland

Brent

Cleveland guitar mania

Today’s Cleveland Photo: GuitarMania Cleveland

From the GuitarMania website:

“GuitarMania® is a Greater Cleveland community public art project that has raised $2 million for its two benefiting charities – United Way of Greater Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s education programs. The project consists of large, 10-ft-tall Fender® Stratocaster® guitars creatively transformed into works of art by local artists and national celebrities. The guitars are displayed on the city streets of Cleveland for residents and visitors to enjoy from the end of May through October, 2012. Corporations, organizations and individuals sponsor the guitars and select from a variety of local artists to paint, sculpt or decorate them. Celebrity artists also paint and decorate guitars.”

http://www.cleveland.com/guitarmania/

Here’s a Fun Fact:

Did you know that Cleveland was originally spelled “Cleaveland,” named after General Moses Cleaveland. The “a” was dropped so that the name could fit into a newspaper’s masthead. For more cool fact about Cleveland check out the Citiview Cleveland website: http://citiviewcleveland.com/


May 16 2012

Free Stamp

Brent

willard park free stamp

The Free Stamp by Danish artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen

From about.com:

“The 50-foot tall aluminum and steel replica of a hand stamp sits downtown at Willard Park on Lakeside Avenue, next to City Hall. The artwork was originally commissioned in 1982 by the Standard Oil Company to sit in front of their soon-to-be-constructed headquarters building on Public Square (now the BP Building). The piece was originally to sit with the “Free” stamp facing downward, hidden from view. However, before the piece could be installed, Standard Oil was acquired by the British Petroleum Company (BP) who did not favor the piece. “Free Stamp” sat in storage in Indiana for years before BP donated it to the city of Cleveland.”

More info: http://cleveland.about.com/b/2008/05/31/free-stamp-in-cleveland.htm

Today’s Quote: A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament. –Oscar Wilde


May 7 2012

CLEVELAND UNION TERMINAL

Brent

Cleveland Union Terminal

From the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: “The Cleveland Union Terminal and the Terminal Tower, Cleveland’s most familiar landmark, was the largest construction project of the 1920s in the city. Originally intended for the north end of the Mall, the railroad terminal was located on Public Square Oris and Mantis Van Sweringan following a public referendum in 1919. Excavation of the site began in 1924. The entire depot and office complex was designed by Chicago architects Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. The unprecedented engineering for the project included foundations 250′ deep for the tower, the demolition of more than 1,000 buildings, and the construction of many bridges and viaducts for the railroad approaches. Construction on the steelwork began in 1926, and the 708′ Terminal Tower was completed in 1927, the tallest building in the world outside New York City until 1967.

For more info: http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=CUT

Today’s Quote: “All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem”. – Martin Luther King Jr.


Apr 11 2012

Cuyahoga County Court House

Brent

Cuyahoga county courthouse2012 marks the 100th birthday of the Cuyahoga County Court House on Lakeside Avenue. The courthouse was designed by Charles Morris along with Lehman and Schmitt and is one of the finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style in the city.

For more info: http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=LAS1

Today’s Quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.


Apr 3 2012

Stained Glass in the Old Stone Church

Brent

Old Stone Church

The Old Stone Church on Public Square is one of my favorite buildings to photograph. The staff at the church was kind enough to take me on a tour of the building and I was able to learn a lot about one of Cleveland’s coolest landmarks. (see http://brentdurken.com/inside-the-tower) Here is some more information about the Church from their website:

“The Old Stone Church, long a downtown Cleveland landmark, has a congregation dating back to 1820. Officially known as The First Presbyterian Society, it was founded at a time when Cleveland was just a village of a few hundred people. As Cleveland has grown in size and importance, The Old Stone Church has kept pace, becoming a symbol of spiritual leadership, community involvement and stability in the heart of the city.

The sixteen Christian men and women who met on September 19, 1820, to sign the charter formally establishing the First Presbyterian Church were members of a Bible class which had met for a year under the direction of Elisha Taylor. Among them was Rebecca Carter who with her husband, Lorenzo, had been the first permanent white settlers in Cleveland. A variety of sites, including a one-room schoolhouse and the log courthouse, served as meeting places for the fledgling church. Finally, in 1827, The First Presbyterian Society was incorporated, with the primary purpose of building a permanent home for the congregation.

The first church building was dedicated on February 26, 1834, on the northwest corner of Public Square, the historical center of downtown Cleveland. The building, of Tuscan-style architecture, was built of gray sandstone. It was the first stone church in Cleveland and was known as “The Stone Church.” Later, as the sandstone darkened, the name became The Old Stone Church.

Dedicating the Church was the Rev. John Keep, the last of six home missionaries recruited by the Connecticut Missionary Service for “frontier service” to Congregational and Presbyterian groups. The year following the dedication, the first Pastor, Samuel Aiken, was called. He served more than 25 years, establishing a precedent for exceptionally long pastoral tenure throughout the history of The Old Stone Church.

In 1853, reflecting the rapid growth of Cleveland, the congregation was outgrowing the sanctuary which had been erected just 20 years earlier. A new church, built on the site of the original structure, was dedicated on August 12, 1855. The massive foundation and walls were constructed of sandstone, lined with brick, at a cost of $60,000.

Nineteen months later, on March 7, 1857, a disastrous fire hit The Old Stone Church and spread from the roof to the 250-ft. steeple, which swayed and crashed across Ontario Street. Amasa Stone led the successful struggle to rebuild on the original property, and the renovated church was dedicated on January 17, 1858. Later, galleries and another graceful spire were completed.

During the following twenty-five years many social service organizations were formed by Old Stone members, directed toward moral and social problems. These included the YMCA, the YWCA, Children’s Aid Society, Western Seamen’s Society, Lakeside Hospital, The Goodrich Society, and the first Cleveland medical school.

A Service of Thanksgiving was held at the end of the Civil War, and a new Peace Bell raised in the belfry. As Abraham Lincoln’s funeral cortege stopped at Public Square, people were called to his memorial service at the church by the tolling of the massive bell (now installed in front of the church, facing Public Square).

Old Stone is the only remaining building to have been in existence during the lighting of Public Square with Charles Brush’s arc light in 1879.

The building was struck by another severe fire on January 5, 1884. John Foote, Samuel E. Williamson and Col. John Hay convinced the congregation that the historic site was worth preserving. Work began immediately, with architect Charles Schweinfurth employed to guide the restoration. Mr. Schweinfurth was new to Cleveland and Old Stone’s renovation was the first of many important commercial architectural contributions he was to make to the city.

While Old Stone’s walls required few repairs, the interior needed to be completely reconstructed. The steeple was declared unsafe and removed. The restored church, dedicated on October 19, 1884, is essentially the church you see today. A recent capital campaign resulted in cleaning and repairing the church, re-landscaping, and restoring the steeple. The Sanctuary was also renovated”.

http://www.oldstonechurch.org/

Today’s quote: “On the recollection of so many and great favours and blessings, I now, with a high sense of gratitude, presume to offer up my sincere thanks to the Almighty, the Creator and Preserver”. – William Bartram

 

 


Mar 17 2012

St. Patricks Day Parade

Brent

 

cleveland parade

I don’t normally post a photo on the weekends but I thought I would post one of the St. Patricks Day Parade. Cleveland has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a downtown parade since 1867. It’s one of the largest parades in the country. The crowd is estimated to reach around 400,000 people this year.

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy” – Benjamin Franklin


Mar 12 2012

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Brent

Soldiers and Sailors Monument

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument was originaly dedicated on 4 July 1894 and has recently undergone a 2 million dollar makeover. If you live in the Cleveland area you should try to check it out sometime. In Cuyahoga County, 10,000 of the 15,600 eligible men served in the war, including my own 3rd Great Grandfather Michael Druckenbrod (188th Ohio Vol. Inf.). For more information:

http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=SASM

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/04/ohio_and_clevelands_role_in_th.html

Today’s Quote:

“I have never advocated war except as a means of peace”. – Ulysses S. Grant

Feb 28 2012

Dining room of the Greenbrier Suite

Brent

Terminal Tower

Today’s photo was taken in the formal dining room of the famous Greenbrier Suite. Located inside the Terminal Tower, the Greenbrier Suite was the Van Sweringen brother’s private mansion. What impressed me about this room was the beautiful hand painted wall paper.

For more info: http://blog.cleveland.com/pdmultimedia/2011/08/take_a_tour_of_secret_terminal.html

Today’s Quote: “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody”. – Bill Cosby


Feb 16 2012

The Avenue at Tower City Center

Brent

terminal Tower tower city

The Avenue at Tower City Center from about.com : “The Terminal Tower at Public Square, built in 1930, is the architectural symbol of Cleveland. Originally set atop the Union rail terminal, the beautiful ground level space has been transformed into a spacious and beautiful shopping and entertainment complex called the Tower City Center.

The floors are marble, the railings are polished brass, and the ceilings are hand-painted. Retail stores are tucked into vintage spaces as well as new wide-open, light and airy lofts”. http://cleveland.about.com/od/shoppingincleveland/a/avenue.htm

For more info: http://www.towercitycenter.com/

Today’s Quote: If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send one hundred and fifty lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, and talk by the hour? – Thomas Jefferson


Feb 1 2012

Cleveland’s Skyscrapers

Brent

Cleveland skyscrapers

Today’s photo was taken from the top of the Terminal Tower and shows two more of Cleveland’s tall skyscrapers.  Key Tower can be seen on the left side of the photo. It is the tallest building in Cleveland and the tallest in Ohio. The tower is visible from as far as twenty miles outside of downtown Cleveland. The tower on the right is called by its address 200 Public Square. This tower was built as the headquarters for Standard Oil of Ohio and it was called the Sohio Building. It was renamed the BP Tower when Sohio merged with British Petroleum. When by left the name of the building just became its address. 200 Public Square is the third tallest building in Cleveland and it is the fourth tallest in Ohio.

Today’s Quote – “It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world”. – Thomas Jefferson