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List of tallest buildings in Cleveland facts for kids

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Edgewater Park Sunrise (47637567572)
Skyline of Cleveland at sunrise.

Cleveland, the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio, is home to 142 completed high-rises, 36 of which stand taller than 250 feet (76 m). The tallest building in Cleveland is the 57-story Key Tower, which rises 947 feet (289 m) on Public Square. The tower has been the tallest building in the state of Ohio since its completion in 1991, and it also stood as the tallest building in the United States between Chicago and New York City prior to the 2007 completion of the Comcast Center in Philadelphia. The Terminal Tower, which at 771 feet (235 m) is the second-tallest building in the city and the state; at the time of its completion, the building was the tallest in the world outside New York City.

The history of skyscrapers in Cleveland began in 1889 with the construction of the Society for Savings Building, often regarded as the first skyscraper in the city. Cleveland went through an early building boom in the late 1920s and early 1930s, during which several high-rise buildings, including the Terminal Tower, were constructed. The city experienced a second, much larger building boom that lasted from the early 1970s to early 1990s, during which time it saw the construction of over 15 skyscrapers, including the Key Tower and 200 Public Square. Overall, the city is the site of three of the four Ohio skyscrapers that rise at least 656 feet (200 m) in height; Cincinnati contains the other. As of 2020, the skyline of Cleveland is 27th in the United States and 96th in the world with 18 buildings rising at least 330 feet (100 m) in height.

Unlike many other major American cities, Cleveland was the site of relatively few skyscraper construction projects in the 2000s decade. The most recently completed skyscrapers in the city are the Carl B. Stokes Federal Court House Building, which was constructed in 2002 and rises 430 feet (131 m), the Ernst & Young Tower in 2013 which tops out at 330 feet (100 m), and the recently erected 374-foot-tall (114 m) Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel which opened in 2016. Overall, as of August 2016, there were 17 high-rise buildings under construction or proposed for construction in Cleveland. The most recent proposals have been for the 54-story NuCLEus building project in the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex district of downtown and the 34-story, 396-foot-tall (121 m) The LumenTower. The tallest building under construction is the recently commenced 355-foot-tall (108 m) Beacon apartment building downtown on Euclid Avenue.

Skyline of Cleveland from Lake Erie, with the Key Tower, 200 Public Square and the Terminal Tower at the center

Tallest buildings

This list ranks Cleveland skyscrapers and high-rises that stand at least 200 feet (61 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.

Rank Name Image Height
ft (m)
Floors Year Notes
1 Key Tower Cleveland's tallest.jpg 947 (289) 57 1991
2 Terminal Tower Cleveland August 2015 14 (Terminal Tower).jpg 771 (235) 52 1930
  • Tallest residential access building in the city and state
  • Redeveloped from offices into apartments in 2018, though only the first twelve floors are actually apartments as they are much larger spaces
  • Headquarters of K & D Group in Cleveland
  • 98th-tallest building in the United States
  • Stood as the tallest building in North America outside New York City until 1964
  • Fourth-tallest building in the world when it was officially dedicated on June 28, 1930
  • Tallest building constructed in the city in the 1930s
3 200 Public Square 200 Public Square.jpg 658 (201) 45 1985
  • Built as the Sohio Building
  • Also known as the BP Building (HQ of BP America from 1985 until 1998 when BP moved to Chicago)
  • Tallest building constructed in the city in the 1980s
  • Regional headquarters of Huntington National Bank
  • Features a series of water fountains in public atrium that end at the Euclid Avenue wall with a falling water curtain that one can walk all the way around.
  • Floor in the atrium is solid marble and the skylight allows one to see the stepped "crown" 658 feet straight up the facade from the tower floor
4 Tower at Erieview Erieviewtower.jpg 529 (161) 40 1964
  • Alternately known as the Erieview Tower
  • Tallest building constructed in Cleveland in the 1960s
  • Was to be part of the never realized Erieview plan of Urban Renewal Cleveland
  • Houses the Richard Jacobs' Galleria mall which was connected on its building grid in the 1980s
  • Sports the Parker Hannifin downtown YMCA
  • Contained the shop "Gardens under Glass" until its closure in 2013
5 One Cleveland Center One-cleveland-center.jpg 450 (137) 31 1983
  • Built by the same firm that constructed the Citigroup Center in New York City
  • Known for its shimmering aluminum side panels
  • Comes to a prism point at its apex and resembles an electric razor
6 Fifth Third Center Fifth Third Center, Cleveland.jpg 446 (136) 27 1992
7 Carl B. Stokes Federal Court House Building Carl B. Stokes Federal Court House Building (2018).jpg 430 (131) 23 2002
  • Named after Carl B. Stokes the first black mayor of Cleveland
  • Tallest Federal building in Cleveland and Ohio
  • Tallest courthouse in Cleveland
  • Second tallest courthouse in Ohio, behind the Franklin County Courthouse in Columbus, Ohio.
  • Tallest building constructed in the city in the 2000s
8 Justice Center Complex Justice Center complex, Cleveland.jpg 420 (128) 26 1977
  • Tallest building constructed in the city in the 1970s
  • Part of the expansion of Group Plan.
  • Attaches to Cuyahoga County Jail Complex
9 Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building Federal Building.jpg 419 (128) 31 1967
  • Named after the 49th Cleveland mayor Anthony J. Celebrezze who was also Kennedy cabinet member and US Appeals judge
  • Second tallest Federal building in Cleveland and Ohio
  • Recently completely re-paneled
  • Contains Cleveland Bio-Metric Scan services for the United States passport processing and issuing offices.
10 PNC Center PNClev.jpg 410 (125) 35 1980
  • Originally known as the National City Center; building was renamed in 2009
  • 3rd tallest building constructed in Cleveland in 1980s
  • Built to rival Ameritrust Tower that sits catty corner to the PNC
  • Regional headquarters of Pittsbugh based PNC Financial Services which bought Cleveland based National City Corp in 2008
11 The Lumen 396 (120.70) 35 2020
  • 2nd Tallest Residential Building in the city after Terminal Tower.
  • Tallest building constructed in Cleveland in the 2010s.
  • Tallest building in Playhouse Square.
  • Tallest building East of East 9th Street.
  • Largest residential construction project in city in 40 years.
  • Second new residential tower constructed in the city after The Beacon in 2018
12 The 9 Ameritrust Tower.JPG 383 (119) 28 1971
  • Previously known as Cleveland Trust Tower and Ameritrust Tower
  • Redeveloped in 2014 as a mixed use hotel, retail, and residential building attached to the new Cuyahoga County Headquarters
  • Also known as 900 Euclid Tower
13 Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (HCDH) Hilton Cleveland Downtown, May 2016.jpg 374 (114) 32 2016
  • Tallest hotel in the city and the state of Ohio
  • Largest hotel in Cleveland
  • Attached to the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
  • Attached to the Global Center for Health Innovation
  • Located on the Mall (Cleveland)
  • Built as a joint agreement between the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County
14 AT&T Huron Road Building AT&T Huron Rd building.jpg 365 (111) 24 1927
  • Largely thought to the inspiration for Superman's Daily Planet building as Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster lived in Cleveland and this building was erected in 1926-27 ten years before the publishing of the superhero's first appearance in 1938, Action Comics #1.
  • Commonly known as Ohio Bell Building
  • Previously known as the Ameritech Building
  • Once known as SBC Center
  • Tallest building constructed in Cleveland in the 1920s
15 James A. Rhodes Tower CSU Rhodes Tower.jpg 363 (111) 20 1971
  • Originally known as the University Tower
  • 4th-tallest educational building in the United States
  • Named in honor James A. Rhodes who was governor at the time of Cleveland State University's founding in 1964.
16 Eaton Center 1111 Superior.jpg 356 (109) 28 1983
  • Built as the Superior Square Center
  • Renamed Eaton Center when Eaton became the main tenant in 1983
  • Headquarters of IBM in Cleveland
  • Headquarters of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District since 2015
17 The Beacon Cleveland Ohio Beacon July 2018.jpg 355 (108) 28 2019
  • 2nd Tallest new residential tower constructed in the city after The Lumen
  • First apartment tower constructed in the central downtown since 1974
  • Sits atop the 515 Euclid Avenue parking garage
  • Developed by Stark Enterprises
18 Ernst & Young Tower Ernst & Young Cleveland.jpg 330 (101) 21 2013
  • Named after the major accounting firm of Ernst & Young
  • Phase I of the Flats East Bank redevelopment project
  • First downtown private office building constructed since 1992
19 Marriott at Key Center MarriottCLE.jpg 320 (98) 28 1991
  • Second tallest all-hotel building in the city
  • Connected directly north of Key Tower
  • Developed by Richard Jacobs Group as part of Society Center complex.
20 AmTrust Financial Building Mcdonald.jpg 308 (94) 23 1968
  • Building has always housed investment/finance companies since construction, unique among downtown Cleveland
  • Formerly known as Key Center
  • Previously called the McDonald Investments Center
  • Formerly known as the Central National Bank Building
21 55 Public Square 55 Public Square from West 3rd Street.jpg 300 (91) 22 1958
  • Tallest building constructed in the city the 1950s
  • Originally known as the Illuminating Building
  • Famous for its multistory red 55
22 The 925 Building Union Commerce.jpg 289 (88) 21 1924
  • Formerly known as the Huntington Building, originally the Union Trust Building.
  • Largest office space in Cleveland and Ohio
  • Second largest office space in the world at the time of completion in 1924
23 North Point Tower North Point CLE.jpg 285 (87) 22 1990
24 1100 Superior CHESTER COMMONS, POPULAR MINI-PARK IN BUSY DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND - NARA - 550076.jpg 282 (86) 23 1972
  • Formerly Diamond Building
25 Standard Building Standard Building.jpg 282 (86) 21 1925
26 1717 East Ninth Building East Ohio Building.jpg 275 (84) 21 1959
  • Also known as the East Ohio Building
27 Keith Building KeithBuild.jpg 272 (83) 21 1922
  • Connected to the Playhouse Square Center (PSC)
  • Home of the offices of the Playhouse Square Foundation which operates PSC
  • The Connor Palace Theatre is located in the bottom floors of the building
  • 2nd tallest building in Playhouse Square
  • 3rd tallest building East of East 9th Street
28 East Tower Reserve Square.jpg 266 (81) 25 1973
  • 2nd tallest all-residential building in the city after The Beacon (Cleveland)
  • Also known as the Reserve Square Apartments
29 Embassy Suites Tower 266 (81) 26 1969
  • Also known as Embassy Suites at Reserve Square
30 Superior Building Superior Bldg.jpg 265 (81) 22 1922
31 Fenn Tower FennTCSU.jpg 265 (81) 21 1930
32 Landmark Office Towers Complex LandmarksOff.jpg 260 (79) 22 1930
33 AECOM Building AECOM Cleveland.jpg 253 (77) 21 1972
34 Ohio Savings Plaza OSPCLE.jpg 253 (77) 17 1969
35 Ameritech Center Ameritech Center, Cleveland.jpg 253 (77) 16 1983
36 One University Circle
One University Circle (from Euclid & Chester)
235 (71) 20 2018
  • Tallest building in University Circle
37 Westin Hotel Cleveland Westin Cleveland.jpg 222 (68) 22 1975
38 Guardian Bank Building Guardian Building.jpg 221 (67) 15 1896
39 Parkview Apartments Cleveland Parkview.jpg 213 (65) 18 1926
40 Rockefeller Building RockefellerCLE.jpg 212 (65) 17 1905
41 US Bank Centre Cleveland US Bank Centre (8331592370).jpg 210 (64) 16 1991
42 Willson Tower 210 (64) 22 1971
43 W. O. Walker Center 208 (63) 16 1989
44 Lakeview Terrace Apartments LakeviewT.jpg 208 (63) 19 1973
45 Frank J. Lausche State Office Building LauscheSOB.jpg 204 (62) 15 1979
46 Bohn Towers BohnTowers.jpg 204 (62) 22 1972
47 Federal Reserve Bank Building

Federal Reserve Bank — Cleveland, Ohio.jpg

203 (62) 13 1923
48 Chesterfield Building ChesterfieldCLE.jpg 200 (61) 20 1967

Tallest under construction or proposed

This lists skyscrapers & high-rises that are under construction or proposed for construction in Cleveland and planned to be at least 115 feet (35 m) tall, but are not yet completed structures. A floor count of 9 stories is used as the cutoff in place of a height of 100 feet (30 m) for buildings whose heights have not yet been released by their developers.

Name Height
ft (m)
Floors Year
(est.)
Status Notes
Sherwin-Williams Headquarters 500-1200 30+ 2023 Proposed
Realife Skyscraper 450+ 40+ 2021-2023 Proposed
Warehouse District Offices Unknown 37 2018-2025 Approved
Cuyahoga County Justice Center Unknown 35+ 2021 Proposed
The Lumen (Act 2) Unknown 30+ 2021-2022 Planning
Nautica Waterfront District Unknown 28 2018–2025 Proposed
nuCLEus Residential Tower 310 (94), Office Tower 353 (108) Office Tower 27, Residential Tower 24 2020 Approved
City Club Apartments 250-300 (76-91) 23 2020 (Spring) Approved
Warehouse District Apartments Unknown 23 2018 Proposed
The Viaduct 300+ (72) 27 2020-2021 Proposed
Settler's Point Tower 115+ (35+) 19 2022 Proposed
Circle Square (UC3) 250+ 24 2020-2021 Approved
Warehouse District Condos Unknown 18 2021 Proposed
E. 9th-Bolivar Condo Tower Unknown 20+ 2021-2022 Proposed
Dream Hotel 200+ (61+) 19 2022 Proposed
Market Square 162 (49) 11 Story Office Tower & 8 Story Residential Tower 2019 Under Construction
Cumberland Lakefront Apartment Complex 120-150 (37-46) 12 2020 Proposed
Flats South Innovation District (two towers) 115+ (35+) 12 2022 Proposed
Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute Building 115+ (35+) 12 2020-2021 Approved
Kenect Cleveland 115+ (35+) 12 2018 Approved
One West Twenty/Duck Island (two towers) 115+ (35+) 11+ 2022 Proposed
Infinium 115+ (35+) 11 2021 Proposed
Church & State Apartments 115+ (35+) 11 2019 Under Construction
Park Lane Condominiums 115+ (35+) 11 2022 Proposed
Metro Health Campus 115+ (35+) 11 2022 Under Construction
Library Lofts 115+ (35+) 11 2020-2021 Approved
Bridgeworks 200 (61) 18 2023 Proposed

Timeline of tallest buildings

Terminaltower1
The Terminal Tower stood as tallest building in Cleveland for 61 years, from 1930 until 1991.

This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Cleveland.

Name Street address Years as tallest Height
ft (m)
Floors Reference
Society for Savings Building 127 Public Square 1889–1896 152 (46) 10
Guardian Bank Building 623-629 Euclid Avenue 1896–1900 221 (67) 15
Keith Building 1621 Euclid Avenue 1922–1924 272 (83) 22
Union Trust Building 925 Euclid Avenue 1924–1927 289 (88) 22
Ohio Bell Building 750 Huron Road 1927–1930 364 (111) 24
Terminal Tower 50 Public Square 1930–1991 771 (235) 52
Key Tower 127 Public Square 1991–present 947 (289) 57
A. 4 story base, tower has 28 stories.
B. The Union Trust Building has since been renamed the Huntington Bank Building.
C. The Ohio Bell Building has since been renamed the AT&T Huron Road Building.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Cleveland para niños

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