- HubPages»
- Travel and Places»
- Visiting North America»
- United States»
- Ohio
Cleveland's Halle Building
Talk about impressive names! Between them, the original Halle Brothers — Samuel Horatio Halle and Salmon Portland Chase Halle, had more than their share. These siblings founded The Halle Brothers Company — Cleveland’s premier upscale department store for almost a century — in February, 1891, just a few blocks from Public Square.
After several early decades of growth and relocation, The Halle Brothers Company in 1910 opened a new $5 million building between Huron and Prospect Roads in the city’s vibrant Playhouse Square district. By the late 1920s, the retail emporium had broadened its reach to include much of northern Ohio, as well as parts of New York, Indiana and Pennsylvania, and was considered on a par with such great commercial enterprises as Marshall Field’s and Lord & Taylor.
The Halle Brothers Company survived the Depression and continued to thrive through America’s Post-War period. However, the 1960s saw a change in the chain’s fortunes. With increased competition from such Public Square department stores as The May Co. and Higbee’s (both readily accessible to a much wider regional customer pool via light-rail transit), faltering traffic at Playhouse Square, and continued city-wide suburbanization, Halle’s flagship store suffered, dragging the chain down with it. From 1970 through 1982, the company’s assets passed through several new owners, before being eventually liquidated. Its flagship store was acquired by Forest City Enterprises in 1986 and converted to office use.
In the early 2000s, as the City of Cleveland contemplated its Euclid Corridor transportation and revitalization project, Forest City Enterprises undertook a substantial renovation of The Halle Building’s lobby and lower level food court. Theatrical theming and décor were stripped, restrooms and food court renovated, sleek new surfaces and finishes installed, lighting revamped, casual lobby seating added, and original mural art commissioned. Today the Halle Building’s lobby displays perhaps the nation’s largest original installed watercolor — a dramatic scene of the Cleveland cityscape from West Side Market to Cleveland State University, conceived by ZZ Design and painted by renowned watercolorist David Rankin.
The building also served as the fictional site of Drew Carey’s place of employment in his eponymous television comedy, while the department store company itself was the inspiration for the naming of Cleveland-born actress Halle Berry.
- Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square
Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square This moderately sized but quite elegant hotel is nestled into the heart of Clevelandâs Playhouse Square district, immediately opposite Star Plaza, at the irregular intersection of Huron Road, East 14th Street,. - Cleveland's Public Square
Examine the four square blocks at the cross-hairs of Cleveland's downtown that contain many of the landmark historical elements of this Midwest metropolis. - The Terminal Tower: A Cleveland Landmark
To most Cleveland residents, this structure towering over Public Square is the most recognized icon of the City. - Cleveland's Tower City Center
Enjoy the grandeur of one of Cleveland's most enthralling interior spaces, the skylit atrium court of the Shops at Tower City Center. - Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland, Ohio
Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland, Ohio Developed as part of Forest City Enterprise’s massive renovation and expansion of the base of the Terminal Tower and its adjoining structures in the late 1980s, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel flanks the retail Avenue at Tower... - Cleveland's Old Stone Church
Old Stone Church A dark and commanding presence on Cleveland’s Public Square since the early 1800s, Old Stone Church now stands among its much larger and younger neighbors: the Terminal Tower, Key Center and the former BP Headquarters (now 200... - Cleveland's Key Tower
Key Tower, Cleveland, Ohio When this office tower was completed in 1991, it became the nation’s tallest structure between New York and Chicago. Even today, after recent building booms in Hong Kong, China, Dubai and elsewhere, Key Tower remains... - See Cleveland's Horseshoe Casino
Cleveland's Horseshoe Casino, in the shadow of the Terminal Tower If you are one of the fortunate ones who have acquired an entry ticket or wristband for the Grand Opening of Clevelandâs Horseshoe Casino this coming Monday evening, May 14th, at... - Tour Cleveland's lakefront (and riverfront)
If you're traveling to the Forest City, you might want to check out any of these sights strung along the Lake Erie shoreline and the banks of the Cuyahoga throughout downtown Cleveland. - Cleveland's Justice Center
Cleveland's Justice CenterOntario Street & Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio Lakeside Ave E & Ontario St, Cleveland, OH 44113, USA The City of Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Justice Center is a substantial development in neo-Brutalist... - Cleveland's Flats District
The low-lying or 'flat' area of the downtown Cleveland core, along the Cuyahoga River was the first area settled, and is still vibrant today.