CLEVELAND ARCHITECTS DATABASE

The Cleveland Architects Database is a listing of architects and master builders that have worked in Cleveland, from the 1820’s until the 1930’s.  Discovering which architects designed certain buildings was determined by utilizing several sources, including the City of Cleveland Building Permits, and publications that included American Architect and Builder News, Inland Architect, Interstate Architect, the Ohio Architect and Builder, the Annals of Cleveland, the Plain Dealer, the Leader, the Press, Material Facts, the Bystander, and Cleveland Town Topics. The Cleveland Public Library card index for Architect’s in the Fine Arts Department was used.  Books on Cleveland Architecture that were consulted included Cleveland Architecture 1876 – 1976, and the American Institute of Architects Guide to Cleveland Architecture were consulted.  A catalogue of architectural drawings maintained by the Western Reserve Historical Society was consulted.  The Cleveland Necrology file maintained by the Cleveland Public Library, the United States Census, and Cleveland City Directories were consulted in compiling this database.

For the purposes of this database an architect was defined as anyone that called himself or herself as an architect.    Robert Keiser compiled the Cleveland Architects as a hobby in after work hours over several years.   This project terminates with 1930. Local building activity was severely curtailed by the Great Depression, and did not recover until the 1950’s.  Many of the references in the database have not been researched.  Craig Bobby has researched many of the references and has provided the Landmarks Commission with photographs.

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The following are abbreviations used throughout the database

AABN – American Architect and Builders News (1876 – 1909)
bp – City of Cleveland Building Permits (1889 – present)
cd – City Directories
mps – Mary Peale Schofield files – Western Reserve Historical Society
Inland – Inland Architect
Intestate – Interstate Architect and Builder (1899 – 1902)
nd – no date
NRHP – National Register of Historic Places
OAB – Ohio Architect and Builder (1903 – 1909)
OAEB – Ohio Architect, Engineer and Builder (1910 – 1919)
ohi – Ohio Historical Inventory form
PD – Plain Dealer

The following people have contributed to the completion of this project.

Tim Barrett, Craig Bobby, Scott Frantz, Karla Kaulfuss, Walter Leedy, Tim
McGuire, Daniel Musson, Donald Petit, Ray Pianka, Frank Piccirillo, Drew Rolik, Maurice Ruelens, Richard Sicha, Kara Hamley O'Donnell, and Ann Marie Wieland