Downtown in Cleveland in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Rockefeller Building
Warehouse District Anthology
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2021
1. Rockefeller Building Marker
The greatness and drive that characterized Cleveland’s early captains of industry were magnified in the buildings that housed their ventures.
The magnificent Root and McBride-Bradley Building, at West 6th and Lakeside, was built to accommodate the wholesale dry goods business of Ralph Root and Leander McBride in 1885. This is one of several structurally transitional buildings designed by Cudell and Richardson. The original occupant did not survive a recession in the 1950s. The building now houses the offices of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and other residential and business uses.
The most unusual story is part of the history of Cleveland's most significant industrialist and the world's first billionaire, John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil. Rockefeller was already in his later years when he commissioned Knox & Elliott, students of Louis Sullivan, to design a 17-story skyscraper on the site of the Weddell House, a 19th-century hotel, in 1903. Four additional bays were added along Superior Avenue in 1910.
Rockefeller reportedly never set foot in the structure, but, when his son lost the building through a legal dispute with Clevelander Josiah Kirby, Rockefeller clearly was aware of the building’s place and operation. Kirby had put his name prominently on the top of the
this page online
Erected by The Warehouse District Development Corporation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 41° 29.851′ N, 81° 41.962′ W. Marker is in Cleveland, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It is in Downtown. Marker is on West 9th Street just south of Frankfort Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1468 West 9th Street, Cleveland OH 44113, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Industrialists & Early Skyscrapers (here, next to this marker); Moses Cleaveland Survey (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); This Marks the Site of the Weddell House (about 600 feet away); Liberty Enlightening the World (about 600 feet away); Moses Cleaveland’s “Capital Town” (about 600 feet away); John D. Rockefeller, 1839-1937 / The Standard Oil Company (about 700 feet away); Hardware Industry (about 700 feet away); William Bingham (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cleveland.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2021
2. Marker detail: John D. Rockefeller
More about this marker. Warehouse District Anthology is a collection of stories that tell the history of Cleveland's first neighborhood. Like street level book pages, each freestanding element was designed by artist Corrie Slawson based on the District's history, curated and written by Thomas Yablonsky.
Regarding Rockefeller Building. National Register of Historic Places #73001416.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Cleveland Warehouse District Anthology
Also see . . .
1. Rockefeller Building.
The Rockefeller Bldg. is the best example in Cleveland of the "Sullivanesque" style, its resemblance to Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Bldg. in Buffalo (1885) having often been remarked. The characteristics of the style are the emphasis on the vertical columns to express the steel frame underneath, and the interlacing organic-geometric cast-iron ornament on the lower stories, the latter being an especially fine feature of the Rockefeller Bldg.(Submitted on February 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Rockefeller Building.
The ROCKEFELLER name is prominently displayed on the West 6th side of the building. This has been this way since 1905,(Submitted on February 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)except for a brief period when fellow Cleveland businessman Josiah Kirby bought the skyscraper from the Rockefellers in 1920 and subsequently changed the facade to the Kirby name. However, Josiah Kirby angered the Rockefeller family by doing so, thus the Rockefeller family bought the building back and reverted it to the ROCKEFELLER moniker in 1923.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 20213. Rockefeller Building Marker(looking south • West 9th Street on left)
3. Root and McBride-Bradley Building.
Completed in 1887 by Cudell & Richardson, the building has eight stories, rises to a height of 128 feet, and is a product of the Chicago school of architecture. It is most notable for being the first building between New York and Chicago to be designated for multi-use. The building has since served as a model for the conversion of historic buildings throughout the city. It was originally named the Root-McBride Building but was later renamed the Bradley Building. National Register of Historic Places #80002978.(Submitted on February 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2021
4. Rockefeller Building (east façade)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2021
5. Root and McBride-Bradley Building
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2021
6. Rockefeller Building (south façade)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2021
7. Rockefeller Building (south entrance)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 22, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 241 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on February 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
