National Register of Historic Places
Lake Shore Bank and Cleveland Public Library St. Clair Branch
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
The record
- Listed
- December 15, 2015
- Type
- Building
- Address
- 5410 St. Clair Ave. & 1368 E. 55th St., Cleveland
- County
- Cuyahoga
- State
- Ohio
- Contributing resources
- 2 buildings
- Coordinates
- 41.51987, -81.65235
- Reference number
- 15000901
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
The story
Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com
The Lake Shore Bank and Cleveland Public Library St. Clair Branch is a pair of buildings at 5410 St. Clair Ave. and 1368 E. 55th St. in Cleveland, listed in 2015. The bank was built from 1903 to 1904 and the library from 1903 to 1905, designed by Watterson and Schneider in the Neo-Classical Revival style.
Why it's listed
It was listed under criteria A and C, with local significance in architecture, commerce, education and social history. Its significance runs from 1904 to 1965, covering years as a bank and library.
Physical character
The bank's facade has fluted Ionic columns under a pedimented portico, a dentiled cornice and terra cotta parapet, on red brick walls. Inside are marble floors and wainscoting, a coffered ceiling and an original fireplace with ceramic tiles. A 1906 west wing held a foreign exchange office, and a 1971 opening connected the two buildings through their shared wall.
Historical context
Mechanics Savings Bank, established 1890, was renamed Lake Shore Banking & Savings Company in 1895 and merged with Cleveland Trust in 1922. The library closed in 1941 and reopened from 1943 to 1946 as the Intercultural Library; Cleveland Trust donated the bank building in 1970, and Goodrich-Gannett used both buildings until 2006.