At the Top of the Tower

I have lived my entire life in the Cleveland area, but I have never been to the observation deck on the 42nd floor of Cleveland's most iconic building, the Terminal Tower.

I have written before that when this building was completed in 1927, it was the second tallest building in the world.  Until 1964 it was the tallest building in the world outside of New York City.  

I decided that this was a place that I needed to visit before I move to Mexico.  Last Saturday was forecast to be a sunny day, so I decided to go.  I invited my high school friends Gayle and Duffy and my friend Frank (who always house-sits for me when I travel) to accompany me.

Here we all are in the Tower City shopping mall beneath the Terminal Tower.

The entrance hall to the Terminal Tower is beautiful.

We took two elevators to go up to the 42nd floor observation deck.  From there we had a view in all directions of Cleveland.

Looking to the southwest

Below, you can see the Cuyahoga River, the "crooked river" which empties into Lake Erie at Cleveland.  The interstate highway that you see goes to the Cleveland Airport and beyond that is the suburb where I live.

Looking to the southeast

In the center is the arena where the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team plays, and just beyond that the stadium where the Cleveland Guardians (formerly the Cleveland Indians) baseball team plays.

Looking to the east

Euclid Avenue, downtown Cleveland's main street, heads to the east, past the cultural institutions of University Circle and on to the city's eastern suburbs.

The Huntington Building (officially known as 200 Public Square) was completed in 1985. It was originally the headquarters of Sohio (Standard Oil of Ohio).  Then when BP (British Petroleum) bought Sohio it was known as the BP Tower.  In 2011 the building became the regional headquarters of Huntington Bank.  The building was originally planned to be taller than the Terminal Tower, but the plans were changed so that the Terminal Tower would remain the city's tallest building.  (However, in 1991, the Terminal Tower was surpassed by the Key Tower.)

Looking to the north

The 57-story Key Tower is the tallest building in Ohio, and the tallest building between Philadelphia and Chicago.  Beyond it is Lake Erie.  Even from up here you cannot see the shore of Canada on the other side of the lake.

Directly below us is Public Square.

Just to the left of the Key Tower, you can make out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the shore of Lake Erie.

The Justice Center houses the headquarters of the Cleveland police department and the county and municipal courts.  Behind it is the Cleveland Browns football stadium.

The break wall protects the port of Cleveland from the notoriously rough waters of Lake Erie.

A freighter approaches the entrance to Cleveland Harbor.

Looking to the west

The lakeshore curves out to the western suburb of Lakewood.  The tent-like structure that you see on the opposite bank of the Cuyahoga River is a waterfront concert venue.  At the bottom of this photo near the center you can see the Rockerfeller Building which was completed in 1905.  The industrialist J. D. Rockerfeller got his start here in Cleveland.

Beneath us we can see the construction site for the proposed world headquarters of Sherwin Williams Paints.  It will be a 36-story tower and will be Cleveland's fourth tallest building when completed.

Well, after all these years as a local resident, I can finally say that I have finally been to the top of the Terminal Tower.