Building Federal Reserve Bank Cleveland
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BUILDING OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF CLEVELAND MARCH 1. 1937 REVISED AUGUST I, 1948 1948 EXTERIOR OF BUILDING Size The building, covering 200 feet on East Sixth Street and approximately 216 feet on Superior Avenue, is 200 feet high from street level to r oof and 225 feet hi gh from street level to upper pent house. The st ;;-le of the architecture is a modern adaptation of Italian Renaissance; i t s dignif:L ed simplicity recalling the security of the fortress buildings of Florence. Material The material of the exterior of the building is Etowah Georgia mar ble, a stone which resembles granite and has a pinkish cast which, however soi led it may become, still retains a vmrm tint. Below the marble is a base of Moose-a-Bee granite from Maine. The design in the center of the stones around the large arched wina_ows is called the ;'Keystone" and is formed of an eagle with outspread wings surmotmted by a star with outwardly radlat:tng rays. The large arched windows are protected by heavy grilles of Swedish iron. Entrances The main entrance doors ar e ma_de of bronze. About the main entrance is seen concentrated a group of architectural and decorative sculpture symbolic in intent and composed with relation to t he architectural forms which are its background and setting. Inte_g:::-ity and Security_: Flanking the tall archway of the min entrance stand the figures carved in stone of Security and Integrity. The female figure on the right, representing Security, gazes forth in firm strength, clad in armor and bearlng in one hand her iron-b01.md casket, in the other her sturdy sword ; Strong, determi ned, serious, crowned wi th oak leaves, she stands undlsmayed, conscious of her power to repel, every danger. Corresponding to her on the other aide of the door stands the gentler figure, Integrity, cr owned with olive, her face calm and thoughtful, her ga ze fixed on a future untroubled by doubt. In one hand she bears the important rolls of office whose contents and seals remain inviolate in her keeping . In her ot her hand she raises aloft a rod, tipped with an uplifted right hand, symbollc of the oath which witnesses her confession of responsibility. These two statues keep guar d at the entrance door, the one wi th uplifted sword as though to protect, if necessary by force, the strong box entrusted to her care, the other with the pledging hand as though to swear by all that is holy, to her worthiness of the t rust reposing in her. Bronze Panel Between these two, the main entrance door is topped by a bronze panel in which the orb of the world, bound by Zodiac, is held in equilibrium, guarded by two eagles with outspread wings, who have the talons of one claw firmly implanted on the shield of the United States.. The great scales of Conmwrce just behind each eagle are held in the same minute balance as the Orb of the World, symbolizing financial practice and stability.. The pattern here is not left to end abruptly but gracefully vignettes itself by a classic Greek border at each end into the side columns. In the metopes of the doorway frieze occur, in bronze, replicas of classic coins which suggest the ancient origin of modern currency, while the stone cartouche above bears the seal of the Federal Reserve Bank of the Fourth District and is flanked by the fruits and flowers symbolic of a bountiful prosperity. On Superior Avenue at the aide of the building a dignified stone screen is pierced by two entrances for the employees of the bank. This wall is treated with monumental severity, and against the closed arch beneath a curved pediment is placed the colossal bronze figure of "Energy." The figure is that of a man in the fullest development of his physical powers, his great muscles hardened by bodily work, not by athletic play, his face instinct with the intelligence which gove:i.~ns his muscular labor. He typifies the great physical energy which, directed by intelligence, is characteristic of the tremendous activity of the district for which this great bank serves as· the economic and commercial stabilizer. In thls group of sculpture of the Federal Reserve Bank of the Fourth District are symbolized in monumental form the ideals of the great institution of v1hich it is a part. At the entrance, Integrity and Security, flanking the symbols of world and national economic equilibrium reassure the public which enters the portal. At the side, Energy under intelligent control looks down upon the workers who enter the gates and who share, in large measure, the qualities "lvhich the figure tYIJifies in enduring bronze. The sculptor of the three statues iS Henry Hering of New York City .. MAIN BANKING ROOM The Main Banking Room is designed in the period of the Italian Renaissance to harmonize with the building exterior. The cage grilles are Swedish iron, and the window grilles, which appear to be of wrought iron, are in reality inexpensive cast iron. The seals in the window grilles are the seals of the twelve Federal Reserve cities in the United States. The marble in the lobby is Sienna. 1~e ceiling is made of ornamental plaster, decorated by hand in oil by Joseph Stur~y of Chicago. ' · The three center doors leading to the corridor are made of bronze, the six end doors of wood which resembles bronze. -2- Mu:val Painting Above the center door of the central lobby of the Main Banking Room is a mural pa~atir1g of the steel industry, painted by Miss Cora Holden, a Cleveland artist. The painting portrays the open-hearth process in the steel industry, one of the basic industries of the Fourth District, at the moment when the soft hot metal is being poured into the ingot mouids from the huge ladle swung on a great crane. The picture, which is called "Steel Production~' " wns painted from actual observation at the steel mill and. is the process of the Upson Nut Works of the Bourne-Fuller Steel Company. The tones of this painting are so delicately blended that, while adhering strictly to fact, they are inuperfect harmony with the gold and brown of the lobby mar~le. -----·Decorative Maps (by Joseph. F. Sturdy Company of Chicago, Illinois) On the left and right walls of the central lobby and flanking this painting are two decorative Ill8pe called, respectively, the "Modern Map" and the "Historical Map." The Modern Map This map shows the Federal Reserve banks, districts, and branches i n the United States, and the geogre.phical distribution of the resources of the country, indicative of the nation-wide scope of Commerce. T~e Federal Reserve banks are represented by a gold star in· a circle having a red background. The branch banks are shown by smaller circles of red and gold, with .the respective names in blue lettering. The boundary lines of the main districts are composed of black and gold squares, the branches of broken black lines. The district numbers are shown in large gold numerals. T~e main subdivisions of products of the country are shown in large white letters, the area producing them outlined with a broken white line. The local produc's of the various states are shown in appropriate lettertng or in painted illustrations. The on areas are shown with wavy light brown lines. The in~ividual state lines and ne.mes are shown in red. Canadian provinces are decorated with their respective emblems, and in the province of Quebec we see both the badge of Canada· and the coat of arms of Great Britain. The territory of Mexico is' decorated with the seal of Mexico showing the eagle with the snake in its beak. List of Ships on Modern Map Starting in the left upper corner: fishing boats; a large Pacific Mail stee.mer (United St ates Shipping Board); a four-masted schooner; a sail boat; a Munson Line steamer (United States Shi pping Board); a full-rigged ship, two sail boats, a large Admiral 011iental Line Steamer (United States Shipping Board); a small white coast wise steamer and some tug boats. -3- In the Gulf of Mexico we see a white trading schooner and an A. H. Bull Line Company steamer in the sugar trade. On the west and east coast of Flo:rida we find some yachts, above them a Royal Mail steamer, at its side a small rum r1n1ner; then a Munson Line steamer (United States Shipping Board)~ a full-rigged ship; then the Berengaria (Cunard Line), the leviathan (United States Line); and then Hew England fishing boats. Description of Cartouches - Modern Map The two figures in the lower right and left hand corners of this rrap are called "cart ouches." In the center of the left cartouche {nearest t he main outer door) is the present seal of the United States on a gold backsround. At t he top is a beehive symbolical of industry, thrift and savings. Below are two £Olden keys which suggest the bank, the vaults, and the Treasury. The key at the left is supported by a Vltlcan, who personifies Industry - industrial sciences and in dustrial arts and manufacture - while the key at the right is supported by Mercury, who personifies transportation - by air, land and water, and Commerce. The shells on which the two male figures rest suggest pearls and precious gems, the pendent corals the treasures of the sea. The date shown on the ribbon, 1923, is the date of the opening of the present Federal Reserve bank bui lding in Cleveland, Ohio.