The formal dedication of the Cleveland Union Terminal and its iconic tower took place 92 years ago - on June 29th, 1930. Our Cleveland Union Terminal Collection comprises the archives of the company that built the Terminal Tower, the union passenger station, the complex of office buildings, post office, department store and the infrastructure of tracks, bridges, signals, electrical catenary structures and yard facility buildings necessary to switch passenger coaches over from steam to electric and bring them in to the downtown area.
Researchers, history majors, and local history and train enthusiasts have long enjoyed and made use of these remarkable materials. But whatever your particular area of interest or study, there's something in this collection you'll want to see:
Studying Civil Engineering?
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. We have over 5,000 images of original conditions, excavation, blueprints, foundation work, and birds'-eye views of the steelwork captured during every phase of the construction.
Studying Urban Studies?
This was a massive urban redevelopment project that foreshadowed the Rockefeller Center, in New York; gave Cleveland one of the tallest buildings in the world in 1930; forever changed the face of Public Square and demolished wide swaths of adjoining neighborhoods. Long-distance steam trains, interurban lines, rapid transit, streetcars, as well as taxi cabs and automobiles were to be brought together, making this the first attempt in the United States to unify and integrate an entire city's transportation system under one roof. Our collection includes a fascinating, meticulous door-to door survey of photographs of every single building that was razed to make way for the project, links to insightful research about the lasting impact of this "city-within-a-city", and a delightfully poignant memoir written by a self-described "dead-end street kid" whose Italian-American neighborhood was demolished in 1928. How's that for a primary source?
Just love Cleveland-related eye candy?
We've got plenty! Beautiful color postcards from our postcard collection; prints and drawings made during the construction; architectural drawings - including conceptual drawings that never got off the proverbial drawing board - and of course the amazing work of the intrepid Cleveland Press photographers...Cleveland Memory is a rich source of inspiring material. Check out this 2018 exhibition catalog for a wonderful sampling.
The Cleveland Memory Project, launched in 2002, is a freely searchable online collection of photographs, texts, oral histories, maps, drawings, postcards, videos and other local history resources, built by the Michael Schwartz Library at the Cleveland State University in collaboration with a host of community partners around Northeast Ohio.
This week at Cleveland Memory we're celebrating our Cleveland Union Terminal Collection
The formal dedication of the Cleveland Union Terminal and its iconic tower took place 92 years ago - on June 29th, 1930. Our Cleveland Union Terminal Collection comprises the archives of the company that built the Terminal Tower, the union passenger station, the complex of office buildings, post office, department store and the infrastructure of tracks, bridges, signals, electrical catenary structures and yard facility buildings necessary to switch passenger coaches over from steam to electric and bring them in to the downtown area.
Researchers, history majors, and local history and train enthusiasts have long enjoyed and made use of these remarkable materials. But whatever your particular area of interest or study, there's something in this collection you'll want to see:
Studying Civil Engineering?
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. We have over 5,000 images of original conditions, excavation, blueprints, foundation work, and birds'-eye views of the steelwork captured during every phase of the construction.
Studying Urban Studies?
This was a massive urban redevelopment project that foreshadowed the Rockefeller Center, in New York; gave Cleveland one of the tallest buildings in the world in 1930; forever changed the face of Public Square and demolished wide swaths of adjoining neighborhoods. Long-distance steam trains, interurban lines, rapid transit, streetcars, as well as taxi cabs and automobiles were to be brought together, making this the first attempt in the United States to unify and integrate an entire city's transportation system under one roof. Our collection includes a fascinating, meticulous door-to door survey of photographs of every single building that was razed to make way for the project, links to insightful research about the lasting impact of this "city-within-a-city", and a delightfully poignant memoir written by a self-described "dead-end street kid" whose Italian-American neighborhood was demolished in 1928. How's that for a primary source?
Just love Cleveland-related eye candy?
We've got plenty! Beautiful color postcards from our postcard collection; prints and drawings made during the construction; architectural drawings - including conceptual drawings that never got off the proverbial drawing board - and of course the amazing work of the intrepid Cleveland Press photographers...Cleveland Memory is a rich source of inspiring material. Check out this 2018 exhibition catalog for a wonderful sampling.
Visit our Cleveland Union Terminal Collection for thousands of photos, maps, drawings, and even streaming video from 1928!
The Cleveland Memory Project, launched in 2002, is a freely searchable online collection of photographs, texts, oral histories, maps, drawings, postcards, videos and other local history resources, built by the Michael Schwartz Library at the Cleveland State University in collaboration with a host of community partners around Northeast Ohio.
https://www.clevelandmemory.org/