Public Square, Cleveland

History

Public Square was part of the Connecticut Land Company's original plan for the city, which were overseen by Moses Cleaveland in the 1790s. The square is signature of the layout for early New England towns, which Cleveland was modeled after. While it initially served as a common pasture for settlers' animals, less than a century later Public Square was the height of modernity, when in 1879 it became the first street in the world to be lit with electric street lights, arc lamps designed by Cleveland native Charles F. Brush. The square was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1975.

Until the construction of the Sherwin-Williams Headquarters, a parking lot faced the northwest quadrant of the square for decades. A 12-story building, which was built on the spot in 1913, was demolished in 1990 to make way for the new Ameritrust Center, an 1197 ft skyscraper designed by New York's Kohn Pedersen Fox. Before construction began, Ameritrust was acquired by Society Bank, which was also planning to construct and subsequently relocate to a new building on Public Square—Key Tower (formerly known as Society Center). Because Society did not need two skyscrapers, plans for the Ameritrust building across the square were scrapped.

Other buildings that face the square include 55 Public Square (1958), 75 Public Square (1915), the Society for Savings Building (1890), Metzenbaum Courthouse (1910), the former May Company department store (1914), the Park Building (1903), and the Hotel Cleveland (1918). The demolished Cuyahoga Building (1893) and Williamson Building (1900) formerly stood on the site of 200 Public Square.

Public Square is often the site of political rallies and civic functions, including a free annual Independence Day concert by the Cleveland Orchestra. At the Balloonfest '86, close to 1.5 million balloons rose up from Public Square, engulfing the Terminal Tower and setting a world record.

A light and sound show called Illuminate CLE hosted by Destination Cleveland began in 2025.

2010s renovation

In collaboration with landscape architect James Corner, the city in 2009 began to explore concepts for a redesign of the square. In October 2011, Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson proposed his plan to redevelop the square, which included closing Superior Avenue and Ontario Street to create a large green space in the center. On October 23, 2014, the Cleveland Landmarks Commission approved a plan which closed Ontario Street but kept Superior Avenue open to bus traffic, and kept the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument prominent.

The project began construction on March 9, 2015, and was officially opened on June 30, 2016. Public Square's development was showcased during the Cleveland Cavaliers championship parade as a welcome sight with much of the construction materials removed to display the renovation. At first, buses did not run along Superior Avenue as planned, but in order to avoid a $12 million repayment of grants to the Federal Transit Administration, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority agreed to run buses along it by March 2017. The city installed jersey barriers along Superior Avenue due to fears of terrorism, contrary to the original design. These barriers were removed on March 25, 2024.

A privately operated cafe, Rebol, located in the southwestern area of Public Square, opened in July 2016.

Transportation

Road

Public Square is bounded by East Roadway and West Roadway at the western and eastern ends and by Rockwell Avenue and South Roadway at the northern and southern ends.

In total, ten U.S. and state routes meet at Public Square. It is the northern terminus of SR 3, SR 8, and SR 43; the western terminus of US 322, US 422, SR 14, and SR 87; and the northeastern terminus of US 42. US 6 passes through the square on Superior, and US 20 enters from the west on Superior and leaves via Euclid Avenue. US 21 also terminated at Public Square until that route was truncated to Marietta in 1967.

Public transit

Public Square is adjacent to the Tower City transit station, served by three RTA rail lines. The HealthLine, a bus rapid transit line that travels along Euclid Avenue, terminates at Public Square.

Historically, the square served as the terminus of several streetcar lines in Cleveland, including the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit and other interurban lines.

Historical events and popular culture

• On April 28, 1865, the casket of President Abraham Lincoln was on public view in Public Square during his body's trip back to Illinois.
• On the evening of April 29, 1879, Charles F. Brush's new streetlights lit up Public Square for the first time utilizing a generator situated near the square itself.
• In 1881, President James A. Garfield lies in state in Public Square following his death
• In 2011, Public Square was transformed into a beer garden and street scene in Stuttgart, Germany, for the filming of The Avengers.
• An episode of American Ninja Warrior taped in Public Square in May 2017.
• Public Square was used as a filming location for James Gunn's Superman in July 2024.

Gallery

File:Public_Square,_Cleveland.jpg|alt=Public Square in 2016|Public Square in 2016 facing west on Superior Avenue's vehicle-free bus/bike lanes File:Looking north - Cleveland Public Square.jpg|The north side of Public Square in 2012 File:Climate strike Cleveland Public Square 01.jpg|School strikes for climate protest in Public Square (March 15, 2019)

References

References

1. "Ohio(OH), Cuyahoga County". Nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com.
2. (July 30, 1999). "Public Square". [[Case Western Reserve University]].
3. {{usurped
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6. (April 16, 2025). "Destination Cleveland Debuts Illuminate CLE Lighting Experience". [[Destination Cleveland]].
7. "Redesigning Public Square". Downtown Cleveland Alliance.
8. Litt, Steven. (December 20, 2009). "Re-imagining Cleveland's Public Square". The Plain Dealer.
9. Litt, Steven. (October 29, 2011). "Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson envisions unified Public Square as symbol of greener city". The Plain Dealer.
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12. Litt, Steven. (March 2, 2015). "It's official: Public Square renovation to launch Monday, March 9". The Plain Dealer.
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15. Christ, Ginger. (March 7, 2017). "Breaking down the Public Square bus debate: Q & A". The Plain Dealer.
16. Christ, Ginger. (February 21, 2017). "RTA hopes to reopen Public Square to buses by March 6". The Plain Dealer.
17. Christ, Ginger. (August 16, 2016). "Federal agency says closed Public Square is a violation of funding deal". The Plain Dealer.
18. (August 14, 2017). "James Corner Field Operations vows high quality replacement for Jersey barriers for Public Square".
19. (June 14, 2018). "Public Square's Jersey barriers could be replaced with bollards if $2M can be raised: Group Plan Commission".
20. (2017-08-18). "No more room for compromise on Public Square".
21. Allard, Sam. "Public Square Opens to Buses with New, Ugly Safety Features".
22. Daprile, Lucas. (March 25, 2024). "Cleveland removes Jersey concrete barriers from downtown's Public Square". The Plain Dealer.
23. Trattner, Douglas. (June 24, 2016). "Rebol at Public Square Unveils Concept and Menu". The Cleveland Scene.
24. {{Ohio road map. (1967)
25. {{AASHTO minutes. (1967A)
26. (February 11, 2015). "Public Square Bus Stops". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.
27. (2005). "Cleveland and Its Streetcars". [[Arcadia Publishing]].
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31. (August 2, 2021). "Timeline".
32. Sangiacomo, Michael. (23 August 2011). "Avengers filming moves to Public Square". The Plain Dealer.
33. Morona, Joey. (July 10, 2017). "'American Ninja Warrior' episode taped in Cleveland airs tonight". The Plain Dealer.
34. Morona, Joey. (July 1, 2024). "Superman saves the day in scene filmed at Cleveland's Public Square (photos, spoilers)".