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Eaton Center (Cleveland)
Encyclopedia
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in downtown
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. The building has 28 stories and rises to a height of 356 ft (109 m). The structure, was one of the structures that expanded Cleveland's central business district eastward in the early-1980s building boom in the city.
The decision for Eaton Center started in 1978, when St. John's College, which at the time was owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland experienced a downturn in enrollment. St. John's College built a dormitory in 1964, but this did not help, the dormitory became offices for the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. In 2007, this complex was demolished for parking for the Avenue Apartments.
With St. John's college merging with Ursuline College in 1978, the St. John's College building went vacant.
Bishop James Hickey reading and hearing Cleveland's corporate community needing space offered the St. John's College land to any developer who would develop it into office space. This deal had one little problem, in October 1980 as papers were signed Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
appointed Bishop James Hickey as Archbishop of Washington, DC, so Hickey's successor Bishop Anthony Pilla went with deal. The deal was this, St. John's College would be demolished, but the land would be owned by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. The proceeds of the land lease would be used by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland for seminaries and educational ministries. The developer was the Oliver Tyrone Corporation.
The Oliver Tyrone Corporation studied St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, in New York City has a similar arrangement with Citigroup
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
when its famed Citigroup Center
Citigroup Center
The Citigroup Center is one of the ten tallest skyscrapers in New York City, United States, located at 53rd Street between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue in midtown Manhattan...
tower was built in 1977.
Demolition of the St. John's College began in January 1981, due to the installation of Bishop Anthony Pilla. There was mass of deconsecration of the St. John's College building. After the mass, the demolition would begin. By February 1981, plans were shown for the Superior Square Center, this was the construction name for the Eaton Center while it was being built. Turner Construction was announced as the general contractor of the Superior Square building.
July 1981, concrete forms and cranes were now present at the site. Superior Square became Cleveland's second tallest building built with concrete, the first tallest building is the National City Center 1978-80. Superior Square became Cleveland's tallest glass skinned building. The shape of Superior Square is octogonal in shape. One section is twenty-five stories and another rises twenty-eight stories.
In 1983, Superior Square opened for business, but in July 1983, Cleveland Based Eaton Corporation
Eaton Corporation
Eaton Corporation is a global diversified power management company with 2010 sales of $13.7 billion. The company is a leading provider of electrical components and systems for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment;...
needing space moved from Erieview Tower
Erieview Tower
The Erieview Tower is a skyscraper located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The building has 40 stories, rises to a height of 529 ft , and has of office space...
to Superior Square. The Superior Square Tower was renamed Eaton Center in 1983.