The Cleveland Architects Database is a listing of architects and master builders that have worked in Cleveland, since the 1820s and the buildings they designed here and abroad up to and including the 1970s. Sources include City of Cleveland Building Permits, professional publications including American Architect and Builder News, Inland Architect, Interstate Architect, the Ohio Architect and Builder, the Annals of Cleveland, the Plain Dealer, the Leader, the Press, Material Facts, the Bystander, and Cleveland Town Topics. Additional source material reviewed at the Cleveland Public Library Fine Arts Department, various books on Cleveland architecture, the American Institute of Architects Guide to Cleveland Architecture and a catalogue of architectural drawings maintained by the Western Reserve Historical Society were consulted. The Cleveland Necrology file maintained by the Cleveland Public Library, the United States Census, and Cleveland City Directories were reviewed in compiling accompanying biographies.
For this database, an architect is defined as anyone that identified himself or herself as an architect. Generally, these people had an office in the city or designed multiple structures here or in the immediate surrounding cities. This project began as a hobby by Robert Keiser over several years. Craig Bobby has researched many of the entries and donated photographs of those buildings. This is an ongoing project and will be updated on a regular basis. PLEASE NOTE: All entries have not been fully researched and require citations. Please confirm any unsourced entry
George M. Page and John William Cresswell Corbusier.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| T. E. Borton Residence | 2565 Stratford Road, Cleveland Heights, OH | 1910 | Standing |
| John E. Morley Residence | 10819 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland, OH | 1912 | Standing |
George M. Page was born and educated in Rochester, New York. He attended the Mechanics Institute, where he studied architecture, machinery, and mechanical drawing. He entered the office of Otto Brock in Rochester where he remained for two years. He then went on to Buffalo where he worked with the firms Lansing & Beisel and Green & Wicks. He then went on to work in the firm of W. W. Kent in New York City. Returning to Rochester, he took charge of the architectural work for the city's water department. In 1896 he went to work for C. H. Blackall in Boston and in 1902 he opened an office in Cleveland under the name of Blackall & Page. From 1908 to 1913 he was in partnership with J. W. C. Corbusier. He lived at 18104 Landseer Road in Collinwood. He was listed as a registered architect in the November 1940 Ohio Architect. He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church. He was married to Marion Avery in December 1903 and was the father of one daughter, Ruth.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Ranney Residence | Cleveland, OH | n.d. | Demolished |
| C.H. Foote Residence | 2926 Fontenay Rd, Shaker Heights, OH | 1920 | Standing |
Cleveland City Directories 1903-1917
Cleveland Town Topics 12.2.1908 50:17; 12.19.1908 51:4
Raymond D. Parsson started as a draftsman. He would later be listed as an architect in the office of Watterson & Schneider. He was a principal in the architectural firm of Bohnard and Parsson. His office was at 1900 Euclid, and he was a long time resident of 17815 Clifton Boulevard in Lakewood.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| James. J. Hinslea | 16313 Lake Avenue, Lakewood, OH | 1907 | Standing |
Lakewood PD 6.9.07
November 1940 Ohio Architect
Charles S. Pennington was born in Rochester, New York, moving to Cleveland with his parents in 1873. He was educated in the public schools of Rochester and Cleveland. He worked for his father, contractor Alexander Pennington for fifteen years. In 1892 he went into business with Morris M. Gleichmann, who had recently returned to Cleveland from Seattle. That partnership lasted one year, after which he went into business for himself. His office was at Detroit and St. Charles in Lakewood, the oldest house in that community. He designed many houses, apartments, churches, and commercial buildings. He was an early zoning board member in Lakewood. He was one of the founders of Lakewood Presbyterian Church and was a member of the West Side Chamber of Industry. He lived at 16806 Delaware in Lakewood. He retired in 1934. His final years were spent at the Mount Royal Nursing Home in North Royalton. He lived to the age of ninety-seven. He was buried in Lakewood Park Cemetery.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Harrington Residence | 1915 East 84th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1898 | Demolished |
| The Cyrano | 7219 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1899 | Demolished |
| Terrace | 1425-33 West 84th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1903 | Standing |
| Commercial Storeroom for C. J. Lang | Cleveland, OH | 1907 | Demolished |
| Residence for F. W. Schwentner | Cleveland, OH | 1907 | Demolished |
| Salon and apartment for J. T. Kelley | Cleveland, OH | 1907 | Demolished |
| Terrace for William Bahlhorn | Cleveland, OH | 1907 | Demolished |
| William Gordon House | 6904 Franklin Boulevard, Cleveland, OH | 1909 | Standing |
| W.F. & F.H. Meyer Residence | 2110 West Boulevard, Cleveland, OH | 1910 | Standing |
| Commercial-Residential Building | 873 Orange Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1911 | Demolished |
| Residence for Ephraim Aadmire | 6215-7 Franklin Boulevard, Cleveland, OH | 1911 | Standing |
| Mohler Building | 9825-9 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1912 | Standing |
| Detroit Savings Bank | 6501-21 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1913-4 | Standing |
| Commercial-Residential Building for Sarah & Maybelle Pollock | 5716 Broadway, Cleveland, OH | 1914 | Standing |
| Apartment Building for Herbert Farr & Henry McAuley | 7409 Franklin Boulevard, Cleveland, OH | 1915 | Standing |
| Maureen Apartments | 7009 Franklin Boulevard, Cleveland, OH | 1915 | Standing |
| Commercial Building for Isaac Kusse | 12000-2 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, OH | 1916 | Standing |
| Commercial Building for Daniel E. Giessan | 8401-7 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1917 | Standing |
Cleveland Plain Dealer "Lakewood's Pennington Dead at 97" January 10, 1961
Orth, Samuel; History of Cleveland, p. 865-6
Image Source(s): Julia LaPlanca, Craig Bobby
Nicola Petti was an Italian-born architect who came to this country as a child. His education was characterized by a love of drawing pictures of houses, buildings, churches, airdomes, and terminals. He later worked in a carpenter shop and then in an architects office. After fifteen years as a clerk and errand boy he opened his own office. He designed a number of buildings in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood. He was also the architect of several theaters, including the Variety, Kinsman, Imperial, and Moreland, and theaters in Canton, Toledo, and Mansfield. He played string and woodwind instruments. He passed away at the age of forty-nine from pneumonia brought on by diabetes.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| N. Sabbetto Residence | 2074 2074 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland, OH | 1906 | Standing |
| Double Dwelling for J. A. Barnes | Cleveland, OH | 1908 | Demolished |
| Store and apartment building | Hough and East 55th, Cleveland, OH | 1908 | Demolished |
| Monmouth Apartments | 11621 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1909 | Standing |
| Apartment Building for Gatto Bros. & Giallombardo | 2063 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland, OH | 1909-10 | Standing |
| Apartment Building for Gatto Bros. & Giallombardo | 2086 East 125th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1909-10 | Standing |
| Apartment Building for Nicola Petti | 2117-9 Fairview Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1910 | Standing |
| Commercial-Residential Building | 10721 Arthur Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1911 | Demolished |
| Residence for Dominic Minadeo | 2118 - 20 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland, OH | 1911 | Standing |
| Apartments for M. Dionaro | 2042 East 125th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1912 | Standing |
| Residence | 2085 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland, OH | 1912 | Standing |
| Residence | 2163 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland, OH | 1912 | Standing |
| Residence for A. Farano | 2181 - 3 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland, OH | 1912 | Standing |
| Apartments for Samuel Gurss | 2121-3 East 79th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1913 | Demolished |
| Gurss Apartments | 1402 East 105th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1913 | Standing |
| Commercial Building | 1356 Central Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1914 | Demolished |
| Residence | 2179 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland, OH | 1915 | Standing |
| Sun Theatre | 8808 Buckeye Road, Cleveland, OH | 1915 | Demolished |
| Apartment building | 225 East 156th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1917 | Demolished |
| Commercial residential building for MB Scharfed | Superior and South Blvd, Cleveland, OH | 1917 | Demolished |
| Movie Theatre | Buckeye and East 89th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1917 | Demolished |
| Movie Theatre | Madison and West 103rd Street, Cleveland, OH | 1917 | Demolished |
| Store and garage | Woodland and E. 33rd Street, Cleveland, OH | 1917 | Demolished |
| Addition to commercial building for Jacob Babin | 2117 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1919 | Demolished |
| Stores and Apartments for Archie Horwitz | 16500-16516 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1923 | Standing |
| Commercial Building | 5801-9 Broadway, Cleveland, OH | 1924 | Demolished |
| Kinsman Theatre | 14021-14113 Kinsman Road, Cleveland, OH | 1924 | Demolished |
| Commercial-Residential Building for Greenwald and Stecker | 11516-34 Clifton Boulevard, Cleveland, OH | 1925 | Standing |
| Commercial-Residential Building for Greenwald and Stecker | 114206-14 Kinsman Road, Cleveland, OH | 1925 | Demolished |
| Commerical-Residential Building addition | 11508-14 Clifton Boulevard, Cleveland, OH | 1926 | Standing |
| Imperial Theatre | 14233 Kinsman Road, Cleveland, OH | 1926 | Demolished |
| Union Square Building and Theater | 11401-11419 Union Ave, Cleveland, OH | 1926 | Demolished |
| LaSalle Theatre | 819 East 185th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1927 | Standing |
| State Theater | 2476 Collingwood Avenue, Toledo, OH | 1927 | Demolished |
| Theater | Park Avenue, Mansfield, OH | 1927 | Demolished |
| Uptown Theatre | 10545 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1927 | Demolished |
| Variety Theater | 11815 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1927 | Standing |
| Euclid - 100th Building | Cleveland, OH | n.d. | Demolished |
Cleveland City Directories
Plain Dealer 4.11
The Builder's Weekly 3 July 1929, v. 11
Image Source(s): Craig Bobby
Lemuel Porter was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He was part of the New England tradition of carpentry that moved on to the Western Reserve. In 1818, he settled in Talmadge, later moving on to Hudson, where he was the superintendent of construction for Western Reserve College.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle College | Western Reserve College, Hudson, OH | 1827 | Demolished |
| South College | Western Reserve College, Hudson, OH | 1829-30 | Demolished |
Johannesen, Eric Ohio History 1965 -Simeon Porter - Ohio Architect
Simeon Porter was the son of Lemuel Porter. Upon his fathers death in 1829 he was named to succeed him as superintendent and he continued to design structures for Western Reserve College. He moved on to Cleveland in 1850 where he went into business with Charles Heard. That partnership lasted until 1859. When Porter again went into business for himself.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidents House | Western Reserve College, Hudson, OH | 1830 | Standing |
| Chapel | Western Reserve College, Hudson, OH | 1835-6 | Standing |
| Athenaeum | Western Reserve College, Hudson, OH | 1843 | Standing |
| Brecksville Congregational Church | Brecksville, OH | 1844 | Standing |
| Christ Church Episcopal | Hudson, OH | 1846 | Demolished |
| Lemuel Wick Residence | 1051 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1851 | Demolished |
| Second Presbyterian Church | Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1851-2 | Demolished |
| U. S. Marine Hospital | East 9th and Lake Street, Cleveland, OH | 1852-5 | Demolished |
| Old Stone Church | 91 Public Square, Cleveland, OH | 1853-6 | Standing |
| Central High School | Cleveland, OH | 1855 | Demolished |
| Eagle Street School | Cleveland, OH | 1855 | Demolished |
| Cleveland Orphan Asylum | Cleveland, OH | 1859 | Demolished |
| Cottage Chapel | St. Clair below E. 9th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1860 | Demolished |
| Mt. Union College - Chapman Hall | 225 West Hartshorn Street, Alliance, OH | 1862-4 | Standing |
| Commercial Building for D. B. Saxton | 1518-36 Merwin Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1863 | Demolished |
| First Presbyterian Church | 3645 North Main Street, Mineral Ridge, OH | 1863-5 | Standing |
| Brownell School | 2222 East 14th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1864 | Demolished |
| First Congregational Church | 47 Aurora Street, Hudson, OH | 1865 | Standing |
| Ladies Hall (Second) | Professor and College Streets, Oberlin, OH | 1865 | Demolished |
| B. Harrington Residence | Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1866 | Demolished |
| Horace Kelly Residence | 2063 East 55th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1866 | Demolished |
| Miller Hall | Mt. Union College, Alliance, OH | 1866 | Standing |
| Orlando M. Barnes Residence | 3133 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1866 | Demolished |
Johannesen, Eric Ohio History 1965 -Simeon Porter - Ohio Architect
J. Ellsworth Potter was born in Ashtabula. At sixteen he was the youngest county engineer in Ashtabula County. He was featured in an April 1912 issue of the Ohio Architect and Builder as the junior member of the Akron architectural firm of Haglock & Potter. He was a church and school architect with offices in Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Gary, Indiana. He was listed as a registered architect in the November 1940 Ohio Architect.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron Towell and Supply | Wabash Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1918 | Standing |
| St. George Lithuanian Church | 1380 East 67th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1920 | Standing |
| St. George Lithuanian School | 6527 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1920 | Standing |
| Ursuline Academy | Euclid & Belmont, East Cleveland, OH | 1923 | Demolished |
| Commercial-Residential Building for P. J. McDermott | 14921 Kinsman Road, Cleveland, OH | 1926 | Demolished |
| Residence | 23074 Clifford Road, North Olmsted , OH | 1940 | Unknown |
| Residence for Edward J. Krajic | 23181 Clifford Drive, North Olmsted, OH | 1940 | Standing |
| Residence for J. J. Daly | 21481 North Park Drive, Fairview Park, OH | 1941 | Standing |
| Sacred Heart of Jesus Chruch | 4320 East 71st Street, Cleveland, OH | 1949-51 | Standing |
| Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapouch | 17486 Mumford Road, Burton, OH | 1950 | Standing |
| St. Andrew Benedicat Abbey Addition | 10510 Buckeye Road, Cleveland, OH | 1950 | Standing |
| St. Benedict Roman Catholic | 2940 Martin Luther King Drive, Cleveland, OH | 1950 | Standing |
| St. Hyacinth Church | 6106 Francis Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1950 | Standing |
| Our Lady of Guadalupe Church | 3522 Deodar Avenue, East Chicago, IL | 1957 | Standing |
| St. Mary of the Assumption Church | 15519 Holmes Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1957 | Standing |
| First Catholic Slovak Union | 24960 Chagrin Boulevard, Beachwood, OH | 1958 | Standing |
Cleveland Necrology file
Ohio Architect and Builder April 1912
Press May 26, 1958
J. Ellsworth Potter and Henry C. Gabele. In 1929 they had offices at 2077 East 4th Street, Room 805.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John Cantius Church | 2322 Professor Street, Cleveland, OH | 1924-5 | Standing |
William Robert Powell was born and attended school in Radnor, Ohio. He attended Oberlin College and Case School of Applied Science, graduated from Columbia University in 1905, and received a degree in Fine Arts from the Sorbonne in Paris in 1907. According to City Directories, he settled in Cleveland in 1909, and earned a law degree at Western Reserve University in 1929. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and the Hiram Lodge of the Masons at Delaware. He was listed as a registered architect in the November 1940 Ohio Architect. He retired in 1964 and died in 1967 at the age of eighty-nine in Delaware, Ohio. He was buried in Radnor.
| Building Name | Address | Built | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Wolf Clothiers Company | 2125 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1914 | Standing |
| Cleveland Public Library | East 79th Street Branch, Cleveland, OH | 1916 | Standing |
| Six Residences | Allendale Avenue, East Cleveland, OH | 1918 | Unknown |
| Ideal Company Department Store | 59 Lincolnway East, Massillon, OH | 1918-21 | Standing |
| Cleveland Heights City Hall | Mayfield Road, Cleveland, OH | 1923 | Demolished |
| Apartment Building for M. Berkoff | 3411-5 East 140th Street, Cleveland, OH | 1925 | Demolished |
| Lorain Medical Building | 11420 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland, OH | 1925 | Standing |
| Residence | 2904 Montgomery Road, Shaker Heights, OH | 1927 | Standing |
| Fire Station | 3216 Silsby Road, Cleveland Heights, OH | 1929 | Standing |
| Fire Station | 2595 Noble Road, Cleveland Heights, OH | 1930 | Standing |
Cleveland City Directories 1909 - 1939
Coates, William R.; A History of Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland; v. III, p.216-7; 1924 Chicago and New York : American Historical Society
Obituary Cleveland Press May 20, 1967
Who's Who in Ohio 1930 p 104
Image Source(s): Donn R. Nottage, City of Cleveland