The BUILDERS EXCHANGE, a nonprofit trade association, represents the allied interests of construction industry in northern Ohio. It was founded in 1888 and incorporated in 1892 for the "promotion of social enjoyment . . ., the Advancement of all legitimate interests of the building trades of Cleveland, and to preserve affiliation with the National Assn. of Builders." Its first president was Ephraim H. Towson, and the organization's first headquarters were in the ARCADE. In 1899 the exchange moved its offices to the Chamber of Commerce building on PUBLIC SQUARE. When the Builders Exchange moved its offices to the Rose Bldg. in 1916, it was the largest such organization in the country. In 1929 the exchange moved to the 18th floor of the Builders Exchange Bldg. (later the Guildhall Bldg.) in the Terminal Group, where it mounted an elaborate "Home in the Sky" exhibit, which attracted wide attention for a number of years. After a further move in 1941 to 1737 Euclid Ave., the exchange moved in 1987 to its present (1995) location at 981 Keynote Circle in BROOKLYN HTS. It had almost 500 member companies in 1995. The Builders Exchange operates a construction reporting service and the first interactive bulletin board for the construction industry in the state. It promotes high standards of workmanship through its Craftsmanship Awards Program, introduced in 1956, the first of its kind in the nation.
