The CAXTON BUILDING, erected in 1901-03, is one of the finest expressions of the tall steel-framed office building in Cleveland. The president of the Caxton Bldg. Co. was AMBROSE SWASEY, a promoter of the benefits of engineering to mankind. The building was originally devoted to such occupants in the graphic-arts trades as the Caxton Co., a commercial printing and graphic-arts business. It was named after Wm. Caxton, the first British printer in the 15th century. The architect was FRANK S. BARNUM, official Cleveland public school architect beginning in 1895, who specialized in functional, fireproof, utilitarian school construction. The main entrance of the 8-story building on Huron Rd. is a large, semicircular terra cotta archway with Romanesque details. The upper stories of the facade are treated so as to stress the verticality of the construction. Some of the floors in the rear part of the building were designed and constructed to bear loads of 300 pounds per sq. ft., in order to accommodate printing presses. In 1905 it was occupied by the business of Alfred Cahen, which subsequently became the WORLD PUBLISHING CO. Declared a Cleveland landmark in 1976, the early 1990s saw ongoing restoration and renovations to the building interior. Located north of the Gateway complex, the building housed restaurants and cafes. It was also the location for the job-training program CLEVELAND WORKS INC. In 1995 the building boasted a 90% occupancy rate.
