Nomination for Smart Building

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

received AUG 3 / 1993 1. Name 2. Location -- 4145 street & number Erie Street NA vicinity of city, town _ state - county _ district - public X unoccupied - agriculture _ museum X building(s) X private X commercial -park _structure X work in progress - private residence _ site - religious . object - in process - yes: unrestricted -government - scientific .being considered - transportation . military _ other: 4. Owner of Property 1801 E. 9th Street, Suite 800 state Ohio 44114 5. Location of Legal Description 53 E. Erie St.

state Ohio 44077 _ federal _ local depository for survey records 039 code Category both entertainment educational Accessible date Ownership Public Acquisition Ohio industrial Status Lake historic title Smart Building date entered Inventory-Nomination Form Present Use Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service Type all entries-complete applicable sections Frederick M. Pakis 3. Classification 6. Representation in Existing Surveys See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms United States Department of the Interior National Register of Historic Places and/or common For HCRS use only NA not for publication FHR-8-300 (11-78) - yes x no congressional district Cleveland 11th (Eckart) _ excellent X altered - good word "Smart" in simple wrought iron.

the west, these are ranked in two sets, one of five windows, one of three, marginally sep- formerly a Masonic Hall, accounting for two-thirds of the second floor to the rear. molded brick and features the arcaded fenestration of the second story resolved, on this level, into single features rather than assemblies. On the south facade the three original pseudo-colonial window units, two new entries, a shingle overhang and an inappropriate brick structure, a temporary measure. The building stands at the five-cornered nexus of civic, commercial and scenic Willoughby Condition ruins square. fair recessed brick checker-board decorative elements.In the center of the west frieze is the arched windows have been infilled with contemporary white painted louvered elements and fan- The original commercial facade which featured a large rectangular plate glass store front final pair of windows.

tionalized by interior rather than exterior features, conforming to and illuminating three the original triple-lighted transom.This facade of the ground story has been painted in storefront and other historic exterior features. and is not being nominated. caded windows which run in what appear to be random patterns across both street facades.On and two arched entries was obliterated in 1978 when a contemporary remuddling produced two Check one 7.

Description one enters the heart of the town makes the building's resuscitation critical both to the shingled overhang, and plans the rehabilitation of the interior and the restoration of the coping and an enriched frieze which, on both the west and south facades, contains four square facing on the Erie Street facade.A recent fire has scarred the interior and produced a hole The Smart Building is a two-story commercial block of rust-red brick laid up in stretcher original spaces, two office spaces in the front third of the building and one large space, overall impression and the eventual revitalization of the entire commercial district.The The ground story is distinguished from the second story by a cornice-like belt course of - moveddate window sets appear as one triplet and three pairs, two posterior sets of which are widely The fact that the Smart Building is virtually the first structure one becomes aware of when brick raised, arched and corbelled window heads that unify the sets.On the south facade, the A molded brick course with dentils sets the main portion of the structure off from the recent yearsa reasonably appropriate color;an early 20th century fire escape appears at the arated from one another by a widened space of wall and distinguished as a set by the molded The edges of these windows, and the corners of the building proper, are finished with Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The principle decorative features of the second story are the ranks of tall, ar- curvilinear molded brick. From early photographs and contemporary evidence, all the windows building at the V formed by the intersection of River Street and Euclid Avenue, is the unexposed deteriorated unaltered frieze. original site This earlier building is not part of the original Smart structure soldiers' monument and park, the area which functioned historically as Willoughby's public ned lunets. story attached building. spaced.Two additional groups of three are found on the rear, partially obscured by a one were double hung with one light per sash.The patterns of the window sets appear to be ra- The two south entries repeat the arcaded theme, one boasting what appears to be Areas of Significance-Check and justify below - prehistoric - archeology-historic _ conservation . law .

science - agriculture - literature - sculpture - military _ social/ .art - music . theater - industry XX politics/government Statement of

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) Samuel Welch Smart, banker and merchant, was born in 1830 to an early Western Reserve set- tler, Samuel Smart, whose peripatetic journeyings from his native England through a number to Willoughby, after trying his luck as far afield as Indiana, by virtue of its having been named after the doctor who delivered him in Herkimer County, N.Y., and by the opportunities ected the fourth mayor of Willoughby. In the latter part of the 19th century, Samuel W. Smart branched out into insurance them into the Bank of Willoughby, housed in his 1885 Smart Building where the bank remained 1910 to 1914 (the 11th). One of Samuel W. Smart's sons, Samuel Holmes Smart, continued the 1926-1934 (the 22nd), and, in turn, raised a son, Roger E. Smart, to become a Lake County loughby College) founded by, among others, who else but Sidney V.

Wilson (who also served as a trustee of the Medical College). Willoughby Township, in 1815, by virtue of its land and 1600-1699 communications economics 1700-1799 1400-1499 architecture education Builder/Architect invention engineering humanitarian unknown Period asty, encompassing four generations and 130 years of Lake County history. Wilson married Smart's daughter Hepzibah in 1856,one year before his father-in-law was el- As the fortunes of the Smart-Wilson combine grew, so did their ancillary commercial activi- The environment which produced such prodigious and sustained civic participation was itself _1500-1599 and the Village Council. banking activities of his father; another son,James Harrow Smart, took his turn as mayor in Willoughby, is significant as a monument to the integration of commerce and public service 8.

Significance Store in 1888, renaming it the Sidney Smart Wilson Company, and became mayor in his turn from Specific dates pursuit of commerce and the translation of this energy into what became a virtual civic dyn- Western Reserve Medical School (Willoughby Medical College),and another institution (Wil- for a generation while its builder went on to become a member of the Willoughby School Board stitutions, the site of forerunner of Lake Erie College Female Seminary),Case Commissioner in the 1960's. 1900- Wilson was himself a recent settler New York state) and was, it is said, attracted The Smart Building, the only commercial structure built by the Smart family in downtown and banking, purchasing the banking interests of one E.W.

Bond 187o) and developing - - other(specify) - transportation - archeology-prehistoric _ community planning _ landscape architecture _ religion _ commerce - exploration/settlement - philosophy Smart. It embodies , the vitality of early Willoughby settlers, expressing their energetic ected mayor of Willoughby, its sixth.

1885 that characterizes the history of both branches of the family of its builder, Samuel Welch The marriage was fortuitous because it placed Wilson directly in line to benefit from the X_1800-1899 notable.The Village of Willoughby was an impressive 19th century incubator of cultural in- brother-in-law, Samuel Welch Smart; had purchased his father's grocery business and they combined commercial and civic energies of his wife's family and his own.By 1854 Wilson's Sidney Smart Wilson, son of Hepzibah and Sidney V.,took over the proprietorship of Wilson's surveying party of the Connecticut Land Company as the"best"and thus reserved for purchase include the manufacture of wagons, was called "wilson's Store" and eventually became known as V.and Samuel W,) became partners in 1860,the year Sidney V.Wilson was himself el- 9.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property - less than one Quadrangle scale 1:24,000 West part, Lot 36, Parcel # 27A-30A-16, City of Willoughby, Ohio _ state 11. Form Prepared By date January, 1983 street & number 2353 Woodmere Drive telephone 216/932-9794 12.

State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: _ national Xlocal As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89 State Historic Preservation Officer signature code Easting county date Northing Zone Attest: Verbal boundary description and justification National Register organization Chief of Registration UMT References Keeper of the National Register For HCRS use only List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries 665),I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated name/title Atlas of Lake County, Ohio, Cleveland: H. B. Stranchan and Co., 1898 Ohio Writers' Project, Lake County History, Works Projects Administration, 1941 Mary L.

Reeb, Consulting Preservationist city or town according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. GPO 938 835 Quadrangle name - Eastlake, Ohio Cleveland Heights, Biographical History of Lake and Geauga Counties, Phila.:William Brothers,1878 14610.91620 Smart Building, Willoughby, Lake County Item number 8 Page by settlers only rather than being available to land speculators or, even, Connecticut- discrete character of early Willoughby, obscuring but not diminishing its past, a past of Willoughby's commerce and the vision of its leadership.

received Inventory-Nomination Form date entered National Register of Historic Places Continuation sheet retrievable through the preservation of the Smart Building as a symbol of the vitality Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service the mid-twentieth century mayorality of James Harrow Smart, the highest per capita income United States Department of the Interior The post-1945 eastward crawl of suburban Cleveland has lately taken its toll on the in the state.

For HCRS use only FHR-8-300 (11-78) - Willoughby, Lake County, Ohio From Heart of Willoughby, a Planning Study by Gaede and Zarney, 1980; used with permission CEMETERY Smart Building TODD FIELD WINDSOR AVI EUCLID CHAGRIN RIVER 0 000 0 WASO Form - 177 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ("R" June 1984) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET nomination by person or local government owner objection Jappeal _sample Reviewer's comments: _ see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: - _technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Iyes Has this property been determined eligible? 7.

Description J excellent J unaltered - original site summary paragraph request resubmission Accessible Category ruins moved Condition deteriorated completeness Status Ownership REJECT dates Action: Reviewer unexposed alterations/integrity RETURN Recom./Criteria Discipline clarity Smart Building Substantive Review: Working No. boundary selection Describe the present and original (if known)physical appearance Lake County Public Acquisition NR decision Present Use Check one fair Date Due: 2p9/83 Federal Agency: 2-1-84 good 8. Significance Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) relating significance to the resource justification of exception Other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data 11.

Form Prepared By Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet context Builder/Architect Date title Signed completeness Period Maps local state clarity Photographs national Phone applicable criteria Specific dates Quadrangle name Verbal boundary description and justification 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification State Historic Preservation Officer signature justification of areas checked UTM References summary paragraph Acreage of nominated property The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: relationship of integrity to significance WEST ELEVATION STUDY . SMART BULDING RENOVATION - WILOUGHET, OHIO ROBERT C.

GAEDE ARCHITECTS INC 250 THE ARCADC CLEVELAND SMART COITH ELEVATICH PROROXEEP ELEVATIONS Willoughby, Lake, Ohio (proposed), 1983 Sketch of facade rehabilitation Smart Building Willoughby, Lake, Ohio Smart Building Date: Photo: M. Reeb 4145 Willoughby, Lake, Ohio Smart Building Date: Photo: L.. Ischay 1983 West facade and present storefron Willoughby, Lake, Ohio Date: 1983 South facade from Sapulding St. Photo: L. Ischay Smart Building Willoughby, Lake, Ohio 1983 Exterior finish detail Date: Smart Building DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EASTLAKE, OHIO EASTLAKE QUADRANGLE 7.5 MINUTE SERIES (TOPOGRAPHIC) N4137.5W8122.5/7.5 Smart Building OHIO 1963 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY UNITED STATES UIM reference: ROAD CLASSIFICATION Willoughby, Lake County Willoughby, Ohio 38131 Euclid Avenue - Telephone 942-1632 - Willoughby, Ohio 44094 January 20, 1983 Joseph P. Tulley Gretta S. Pallister Donald S.

Meneely Nancy E. Kosmetos Gent lemen: We are advised by Mr. Fredrick M. Pakis, on behalf of the architectural significance in the city of Willoughby, Lake County, Mel A. Griffin, Jr. William Kloos Eric Knudson dismantling of some so-called "modernization" of the building which concealed its basic handsome lines. George Thomas A Project of the Willoughby Chamber of Commerce Treasurer OFFICERS Vice-chairman Secretary COMMITTEE "Project Update Smart Building Joseph Richardson Ohio Historical Site Preservation Advisory Board Our organization heartily approves the current efforts and Chalmers Glover supporting our efforts to persuade property-owners to restore, revitalze and put their properties to adaptive re-use. placed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Brook Buterbaugh Larry Snyder Tony Mlakar Alfred Lambo to the presentation and restoration of all that is of historic and Heart of National Registry be favorably considered. Donald Milmine Dennis Morgan George Gamber Very truly yours, George Kleinfeld The Heart of Willoughby is a non-profit corporation dedicated Larry Allen Erie Street & E. Spaulding Street future plans of Mr.Pakis and his associates for this historic owners of the commercial building known locally as the "Smart Seventeenth Avenue at Highway I-71 John Marino We are familiar with efforts of Mr.Pakis and his associates. Daniel Hart Ohio.Its general members are the Willoughby Chamber of Commerce Building' that an application is being made to have said building James Collins Hugh Pallister, Jr. FEB Columbus, Ohio We have studied the plans which are proposed for the restoration 43211 the structure. April 2, 1983 Mr.

Dave Simmons I-71 & 17th Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43211 last Sunday's Lake County News Hearld. I've received numerous comments, all favorable, as a result of the Frederick M. Pakis Sincerely, Inventory & Registration ENC./1 Ohio Historic Center I want to again assure you of our dedication to the historic the Regional Preservation Office? a set of construction specifications detailing our treat- on the nomination. Ohio Historic Preservation Office Enclosed please find a recent article that appeared in I've been working closely with Robert Gaede to develope Dear Dave: rehabilitation of the Smart Building and I look forward to working with you and your staff in the future. respond to your letter of March 1othrequesting comments excited about the project and assures me that he will ment of the Erie Street facade.If at all possible, could 4169 River Street (216) 951.2800 April 4, 1983 Mr.

David Simmons Ohio Historic Center I-71 & 17th Avenue Columbus, OH Dear Mr. Simmons: As Mayor of the City of Willoughby, I am both proud and elated to hear of Personally, I am convinced this project is a long-needed step in the right Willoughby, the State, and the Nation. Very best regards Eric R. Knudson, Mayor Properties. ERK/jc Fred Pakis The Administration and Council are both encouraged and enthusiastic about the tection that the National Register affords. the nomination of the Smart Building to the National Register of Historic plans submitted by the building's owner and his architect. Ohio Historic Preservation Office Willoughby's first nomination to the National Register.

local history and, as such, is eminently worthy of perservation and the pro- The Smart Building has had a long association with events and figures of our historic resources.I feel that the rehabilitation of the Smart Building will serve as a visible reminder of the historical heritage of the City of City of Milloughby I am writing in response to your letter of March 10 requesting comments on direction. It will most certainly raise community awareness and pride in our The bourtesy bity Mayor and Faftyirecter Gpic R. Knudson