Legend of the Land: The Schofield Building
Image of the Schofield Building Construction via Cleveland Memory Project
The construction of this Victorian style building began in April of 1901. The building was designed by Levi Scofield (originally Schofield), also known for his Soldiers and Sailors Monument located at Public Square. Levi was born in 1842 on Walnut Street, near today’s intersection of East 9th and Superior Ave.
During the construction of the building, workers faced many tragedies. Laborers were repeatedly injured due to unsafe work conditions that could have been prevented. Scofield refused to put temporary floors in and repeatedly blamed his building inspector Harks for the injuries. Harks took the stand and testified that Scofield refused to put in the temporary floor because he claimed they would be in the way. Despite Scofield being arrested, he was acquitted and never faced charges due to insufficient evidence.
Cleveland Public Library, Photograph Collection
The Schofield in 1910, on the first floor is The Standard Drug Company and the United Cigar Store.
The building was completed in 1902 with red-brick masonry and terra cotta moldings. It was home to an array of Cleveland businesses including, manufacturing companies, advertising firms, printing companies, investment security companies, and jewelry repair companies. It also hosted lawyers, doctors, dentists, brokers, treasurers, tailors, stenographers, and engineers. In the late 1930’s one of the storefronts on East 9th was owned by the Boiardi family, better known for their Anglicized name Boyardee, famous to this day for their canned pasta meals. In 1946 The Cadillac Lounge opened in a space that had previously been a shoe repair shop. The Cadillac Lounge was one of Cleveland’s first gay-friendly bars. The bar hosted popular musicians of the time like Karl King and Mr. and Mrs. “88”. The bar closed in 1970 after facing resistance from city councilmen.
Photo of steel and enamel facade from 2009 via Cleveland.com
The Scofield Building went through many owners in the following decades and in efforts to modernize the structure it lost much of its original look and feel. In 1969 steel and enamel was placed atop the brick and in 1980 the building was covered in granite and panoramic windows were installed. The current owners at the time, Citizens Federal Savings & Loan Association intended to blend the building into its surrounding area. They also changed the name at this time to Euclid-Ninth Tower.
Luckily in 2009 a restoration project began; it was slowed due to the recession and at one point sat for three years surrounded by scaffolding and unfinished. Slowly the restoration continued as the painstaking task of removing the false façade of steel and granite carried on revealing Scofield’s original design. The historic material underneath qualified the building for federal and state tax credit.
The Kimpton Schofield Building Today
In 2013 Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants promised to turn the building into a luxury hotel and apartments. After three years, the decorative cornices, Corinthian columns, and brick and terra cotta exterior were restored. The original marble and iron staircase remains branded with the “S” from over 100 years ago as a constant reminder that we are all history in the making.