2006 Preservation Award Winners
1) First Congregational Church
of Akron – Sacred Landmarks
Preservation
| The First Congregational
Church of Akron had occupied several different structures that
were destroyed by fires until this church complex was built
in 1910. The Meetinghouse was designed in the Richardsonian
Romanesque style by the Akron firm Charles Henry and Son. The
adjacent Fellowship Hall housed an Akron Plan Sunday School. |
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Chambers, Murphy & Burge
Restoration Architects completed a renovation of both buildings
at a cost of $2.3 million. The original slate roof was repaired
and missing slates were replaced.
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features were cleaned and brought back to their original
appearance through careful research and physical investigation.
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Modifications were sensitively
made to meet contemporary needs. The choir loft was enlarged
to accommodate an expanded choir and the lower level of the dais
was modified to provide a ramp for barrier-free access.
Receiving the award: First Congregational Church
of Akron; Chamber, Murphy & Burge Restoration Architects, Ltd.;
Fredrick, Fredrick & Heller Engineers, Inc.; Elwin C. Robison;
Seese/Sveda Construction Company; MuSonics; Casavant Freres
2) Shiloh
Baptist Church – Sacred Landmarks Preservation
| Shiloh Baptist Church, in Cleveland’s
Central neighborhood, was originally built as the Temple B’nai
Jeshuran by architect Harry Cone in 1906. Founded in 1850,
Shiloh is the oldest African American Baptist Church in Cleveland.
In 1922, the congregation purchased the temple building, which
features a central dome and has a classical composition similar
to the Pantheon in Paris. The renovations included measures
to keep the church water tight as well as repair the water
damaged areas of the cupola and sanctuary. Interior plaster
was carefully repaired and repainted with a historically sympathetic
color-scheme. Stained glass windows, which feature their original
Jewish iconography, were restored. |
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The stained glass dome,
which had been dimmed by 100 years of dirt and grime, was meticulously
cleaned and the broken clerestory windows were repaired or replaced.
Lighting was added to enhance the beauty of the dome and other
architectural features.
Receiving the award: Shiloh Baptist Church; Michael
Benjamin; Korfant & Mazzone
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3) The
Bingham Building Adaptive Use to Multi-Family Housing
| The Bingham Building, constructed
in 1915, was designed by the Cleveland architectural firm Walker & Weeks
for the Bingham Hardware Company. Bingham-Burnside, LLC of
Chicago renovated the building using federal historic tax credits
and a conservation easement. The massive $70 million undertaking
involved the renovation and conversion of the 680,000 square
foot warehouse into 340 upscale loft-style apartments with
indoor parking, a one-story penthouse addition and 25,000 square
feet of prime retail space. High ceilings, expansive windows,
original brick walls, hardwood floors and columns create the
urban atmosphere that can’t be found in the suburbs.
One of the convenient amenities, Constantino’s Market,
offers basic grocery items as well as prepared specialty foods. |
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Receiving the award: Bingham-Burnside, LLC; Sandvick Architects;
Marous Brothers Construction, Inc.; Cowden Humphrey Naforney & Lovett;
Colliers International; U.S. Title Agency; Kennedy Wilson; Draper & Kramer;
Cole Taylor Bank; National City Community Development Corporation;
City of Cleveland, Community Development Department; Sabeda Realty
Company; National City Bank; U.S. Housing and Urban Development,
220 Urban Renewal Program; Cleveland Development Advisors; LaSalle
Bank of Chicago; Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation
4) Brownstones at
Derbyshire – Adaptive
Use of a Sacred Landmark
The
First English Lutheran Church, a Gothic Revival landmark, was
constructed in 1938 on the corner of Derbyshire Road and Euclid
Heights Boulevard in Cleveland Heights.
Nicknamed the Church
of the Red Doors for its colorful entranceways, a declining
congregation prompted its closure and sale. Derbyshire
Partners, LLC purchased the property and have made it the
cornerstone for a new development of condominium housing,
the Brownstones at Derbyshire. |
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Both photos taken during construction
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The former sanctuary has
been converted into 5 condominiums. Interior structure for the
upper floors was added, original stained glass windows preserved
where possible, and dormers discretely added to meet fire codes.
A 1950s-era addition was demolished to make way for two surrounding
condominium buildings and carriage house condominiums that were
designed to be sympathetic to the original structure. The resounding
success of this venture is evident by the fact that all of the
condominiums were quickly sold and occupied
Receiving the award: Derbyshire Partners, LLC; Forum
Architects, LLC; Austrian & Associates Inc. Consulting Engineers;
Euthenics; KME Consulting; City of Cleveland Heights
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5) Josaphat Arts Hall — Adaptive
Use of a Sacred Landmark
Built in 1915
in Cleveland’s
St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, St. Josaphat Roman Catholic
Church played an instrumental role in the development of
the surrounding community. In 1998, however, the struggling
parish closed its doors. When Alenka Banco purchased the
property it was in a severe state of deterioration. Exterior
work included installing a new roof; repairing the cement
stairs; replacing the front doors and hardware; and installing
new landscaping, lighting and parking.
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On the
interior, the water-damaged ceiling was repaired and re-painted
with a dramatic three-color scheme, woodwork was repaired
and the maple floors were refinished.
Today, this community
gathering place has been resurrected as the Convivium33
Gallery and several art business studios. |
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Private classes, workshops
and lectures are offered, bringing people of all ethnicities
together through curiosity, respect and love of the arts.
Receiving the award: Josaphat Properties LLC; City
of Cleveland, Department of Community Development; ARJ Inc. Metal
Construction; Griffin Decorative Painting Studio, Inc.
6)
Nottingham-Spirk Innovation Center — Adaptive Use of a
Sacred Landmark
The First
Church of Christ Scientist sits on a hill overlooking Little
Italy and University Circle. Cleveland architects Walker & Weeks completed the Beaux
Arts structure in 1931, which served as the inspiration for
nearby Severance Hall. By the 1990s, however, the congregation
had dwindled and was looking to sell the building. All of the
other potential purchasers planned to raze the historic building
to make way for new residential construction.
Nottingham-Spirk
Design Associates, however, proposed that the magnificent
Roman temple-like façade could become the centerpiece of the
firm’s Innovation Center. The dramatic rotunda space,
dominated by a hand-carved African mahogany 5,000-pipe organ
and a 30-foot diameter painted oculus, now serves as an inspirational
setting for the firm’s employees and clients.
Receiving the award: Nottingham-Spirk Design Associates;
City Architecture; MCM Company; Ted Sande, AIA; Cheryl Stephens;
Cleveland Landmarks Commission; City of Cleveland, Department
of Economic Development; VIP Restoration; The Dependable
Painting Co. |
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7) Idea Center at Playhouse Square - Commercial Revitalization
Built in 1912
as a large retail and warehouse building for the home furnishings
company Kinney & Levan,
1375 Euclid Avenue housed the studios of WJW in the 1950s and
is where disc jockey Alan Freed first uttered the words “rock
and roll” over the radio airwaves. By 2000, however,
the building was 90% vacant and was functionally obsolete.
The building’s rebirth as the Idea Center respects the
original structure and creates a beautiful frame for the exciting
programming now held within.
The 90,000 square foot building
encompasses an innovative facility for WVIZ/PBS and 90.3
WCPN ideastream and Playhouse Square Foundation’s arts education
programs, integrating digital multiple media and public broadcast
communication with performing arts and education. The project
takes advantage of federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits
and is a model for environmentally responsible development. |
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Receiving the award: ideastream;
Playhouse Square Foundation; Westlake Reed Leskosky; URS Corporation;
Turner Construction; The Systems Group; The Dependable Painting
Co.; VIP Restoration
8)
John Hay High School — Historic
School Building Renovation
Named for
Secretary of State John Milton Hay, this magnificent neoclassical-style
school building was constructed in 1929 and was designed
by George M. Hopkinson. The renovation was part of the
Cleveland Municipal School District’s master plan that was approved and largely
funded by the Ohio School Facilities Commission.
The school
contains four floors and over 200,000 square feet of
learning space. Architects Richard L. Bowen & Associates found
creative solutions to programming needs while taking both
a historic preservation and green building approach. New
heating and cooling systems and computer technologies were
seamlessly integrated into the building while many original
features, such as hard wood and glass block floors were maintained.
An innovative solution to window replacement attached
mullions to the outside of the security screens so that
they can be seen from the exterior, thus preserving the
historic façade.
The grand entrance foyer was painted in a historic color
palette and two Works Progress Administration-era murals
were encapsulated to be restored in the near future. |
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The grand two story auditorium was outfitted in the latest stage
technology, the darkened windows were exposed again, and architectural
details and finishes were cleaned and highlighted by historic
colors. A skylight in the third floor cafeteria was uncovered.
Receiving the award: Cleveland Municipal
School District; Richard L. Bowen + Associates; Ohio School Facilities
Commission; OHGR; Doan Pyramid Solutions; Heery International;
The Dependable Painting Co.
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9) Lorain Palace Civic Center – Ongoing
Stewardship of a Historic Property
On
April 19, 1928, the City of Lorain celebrated the grand
opening of the new Palace Theater, the cornerstone for
the city’s rebirth, after a devastating
tornado four years earlier. Designed in a neo-classical commercial
style at a cost of $500,000, the theater’s façade
includes designs in terra cotta and elaborately cut stone.
The magnificent Italian Renaissance
interior features ornate sculptured ceilings and a three-quarter
ton crystal chandelier. After 1944, the Palace was almost
exclusively used as a movie theater and gradually suffered
decline. In 1974, the Lorain Civic Center Committee raised
funds to purchase the threatened theater and began a
systematic program to restore both its interior and exterior.
Today, the Lorain Palace Civic Center continues to serve
the community with a comprehensive calendar of movies and
events. |
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10) Gray Residence- Cleveland Restoration
Society Program Award
Georgiana and David Gray were
renters on Grandview Avenue for several years before they
purchased a home of their own in 1995 – on the same
street. They were captivated by the openness and natural
light that flooded the circa 1917 American Foursquare home’s
interior. |
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| The forty
year-old white aluminum siding on the exterior, however,
was not a major selling point. The couple worked with the
Cleveland Restoration on a complete restoration, including
removing the aluminum siding, repairing all window sills
and flashing, recreating missing details, installing new
gutters and downspouts, installing custom wood storm windows,
major porch repairs and new paint in historic colors. |
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Their biggest surprise was uncovering
a cameo window above the front porch. Originally installed
in an airing closet, this ornamental opening was completely
obscured by interior drywall and aluminum siding. The signature
keystone molding was replicated from the ‘ghost’ pattern
along with molding profiles from a 1910 Sears Roebuck Builder’s
Catalog.
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11) Vitantonio Residence – Cleveland
Restoration Society Program Award
When newlyweds
Tony and Tracie Vitantonio purchased their house on Murray
Hill Road in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood
the 1890s Queen Anne was not new to Tony. Since the early
1920s, the house had been the location of the Vitantonio
funeral home and home to generations of the family. Tony
often visited his grandmother who lived in the home’s
upstairs and had dreams of one day calling it his own. |
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| After
18 long months of rehabilitation projects that day came
as the couple moved in to their “new” old house.
They worked closely with the Cleveland Restoration Society
to ensure that all of the work was done to the highest
standards. Exterior work included a new roof, porch restoration,
windows, landscaping, and new paint in historic colors.
Interior projects included transformation of the first
floor (former) funeral home to a new kitchen, living room,
dining room and side entry mud room/enclosed porch. |
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 The
Vitantonios
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The upper floors were remodeled into
bedrooms, bathrooms, a home office, laundry room and family
room. Tony and Tracie can think of no better home for their
family than this one that has so much personal history and
meaning.
12) Howard M. Metzenbaum
United States Courthouse – Trustees
Award for Preservation Achievement
The Metzenbaum
Courthouse was designed by New York architect Arnold W.
Brunner and built as the U.S. Post Office, Custom House
and Court House in the Beaux Arts style as part of the
Cleveland Group Plan of 1903. Completed in 1910 and listed
in the National Register of Historic Places, the courthouse
was the first of the Group Plan buildings to be built and
set the tone for those to come.
The U.S. General Services
Administration’s $51
million historic restoration project and adaptive use
of the courthouse is one of the first projects to demonstrate
how successfully historic preservation and sustainable
design practices can work hand-in-hand. In April 2006
the U.S. Green Building Council awarded the project Silver
Certification in Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design. The building houses the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts
and District Courts.
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The new layout separates public and private circulation to address
necessary security and accessibility issues. The original light
well has been transformed into a central atrium to provide public
access and space in the center of the building. A new vaulted
passage links the atrium and the historic grand marble lobby.
Thirty-five murals created in 1911 by American artist Francis
Davis Millet were conserved, restored and reinstalled in the
former Postal lobby where they are now accessible to the public.
Receiving the award: U.S. General Services
Administration; Westlake Reed Leskosky; Barber & Hoffman,
Inc.; Project & Construction Services; Rolf Jensen; Schiff & Associates,
Inc.; Hinman Associates; McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory,
Inc.; John Canning Studio; Supersky
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