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UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

 

Buildings and Grounds of Case, WRU and CWRU (1882-1949)


The staff of the University Archives has compiled summaries of information about buildings and grounds used by Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, 1882-1949. All sources used are in the CWRU Archives and may be consulted in the Archives.

This list is a chronological index, arranged by use dates, to the individual buildings and grounds summaries. The list includes:

Building Identifiers
Derived from a controlled vocabulary created by the University Archives
Dates
First and last years of documented Case or WRU control of the space and use for non-investment purposes
If it is known that the building was in use after 1949, the last date is 1949+
Trivia
Firsts, lasts, leasts, mosts, and other minutiae to inform, amuse, surprise

An alphabetical index, arranged by building identifier, is also available.

Information in the summaries includes:

People
associated with the buildings, including architects, general contractors, donors, occupants
Dates
of significant events, including construction, alterations, demolition, purchase, sale, ceremonies
Names
formal and popular
Descriptions
images, locations, size, architectural style
Uses
functions carried out in the buildings
Finances
costs and funding sources

Information is included only during the time period that a particular building/space was under University control.
Investment properties are not included.
Some information about some buildings is not available.
Unknown data is indicated by a question mark (?)

Identifier
Dates Used
Trivia
1840 Medical School, 1846 1846 - 1885 First WRU building in Cleveland
1880 Adelbert Main Building 1882 - 1949+ First WRU building in University Circle
Cutler Hall 1882 - 1949+ First WRU President's residence
Pierce Hall 1882 - 1949+ First WRU men's dormitory
Observatory, 1883 1883 - ? First University Circle observatory
Privy 1883 - ? Only documented University outhouse in University Circle
Case Main Building 1885 - 1949+ First Case building in University Circle
Medical School, 1887 1887 - 1929 Last downtown home of the School of Medicine
Chemical Laboratory, 1887 1887 - 1949+ First Case building relocated
Ford House 1888 - 1925 First home to more CWRU schools than any other building
Clarence Building 1888 - 1895 Only home of WRU's Music Conservatory
Adelbert Gym, 1888 1888 - 1949+ First WRU men's gym
1890 Clarke Field 1891 - 1949+ First WRU athletic field
Mechanical Laboratory 1892 - 1928 First Case building designed by Coburn and Barnum
Bellflower Road, 11109 1892 - 1949+ Longest continuous WRU President's residence
Chemical Laboratory, 1892 1892 - 1949+
Clark Hall for Liberal Arts 1892 - 1949+ First Mather College classroom building constructed
Guilford House 1892 - 1949+ First WRU women's dormitory constructed
Physics Building 1894 - 1949+ First WRU building designed by Charles F. Schweinfurth
Electrical Laboratory 1895 - 1949+ Third Case department, Electrical Engineering, to have its own building
Bangor Building 1896 - 1910 First building used solely by School of Dentistry
Adelbert Road, 2145 1896 - 1949+ First building constructed for School of Law
Hatch Library 1896 - 1956 First Adelbert College library building
Astronomical Observatory 1897 - 1920 First Case building razed
Eldred Hall 1897 - 1949+ First Adelbert College student center
Physiological Laboratory 1898 - 1929 Third School of Medicine building
DeGrace Hall 1899 - 1949+ Longest gap between construction and formal naming (102 years)
1900 Harkness Chapel 1901 - 1949+ First campus church constructed
Van Horn Field 1901 - 1949+ First Case athletic field
Haydn Hall 1902 - 1949+ First Mather College student center
Rockefeller Mining and Metallurgy 1905 - 1949+ Second vertical addition to a campus building
Rockefeller Physics 1906 - 1949+
Camp Case, 1907 1907 - 1907 First off-campus survey camp
Mather Gym 1907 - 1949+ First WRU women's gym constructed
Camp Case, 1908 1908 - 1908
Gas Building 1908 - 1910 First downtown home of WRU's School of Pharmacy
Cushing Laboratory 1908 - 1929 First WRU building named for a faculty member
Camp Case, 1909 1909 - 1909
1910 Camp Case, 1910 1910 - 1910
East 9th Street, 2450 1910 - 1917 Last downtown home of School of Dentistry
Ohio Wesleyan Medical School Bldg 1910 - 1920 First University building acquired as a result of a merger
Morley Chemistry Laboratory 1910 - 1949+ Second WRU building named for a faculty member
Raymond House 1910 - 1949+ Longest continuous Case President's residence
Camp Case, 1911 1911 - 1912
Stone Chapel 1911 - 1949+ Last campus church constructed
Camp Case, 1913 1913 - 1916
Cummington Road, 2256 & 2258 1913 - 1937
Case Club 1913 - 1949+ First Case student center
Mather Memorial Building 1913 - 1949+ Last WRU building designed by Charles F. Schweinfurth
Mather House 1915 - 1949+ Third Mather College dormitory
Camp Case, 1917 1917 - 1917
Adelbert Road, 2117 1917 - 1949+ First WRU-owned residence converted to a classroom
Dental School 1917 - 1949+ First University Circle building constructed for School of Dentistry
Barracks #1 1918 - 1919
Barracks #2 1918 - 1919
Elysium 1918 - 1919
Mess Hall 1918 - 1919 First WRU cafeteria building
Euclid Avenue, 11462 1918 - 1921
Camp Case, 1918 1918 - 1936 First Case survey camp equipped with cabins
Adelbert Road, 2051/2079 1919 - 1927 First WRU building relocated
Adelbert Gym, 1919 1919 - 1949+ Third WRU gym
1920 Adelbert Road, 2087 1920 - 1927 Second WRU building relocated
Adelbert Road, 2029/2045 1920 - 1949 Last University Circle home of School of Pharmacy
Warner & Swasey Observatory 1920 - 1949+ First formally named Case building
Adelbert Road, 2023/2041 1921 - 1949+
East 100th Street, 2060 1923 - 1928 First School of Education residence
Cornell Road, 2039 1923 - 1949+ First home of WRU President, Robert Vinson
Animal House, 1924 1924 - 1943+ Second University Circle School of Medicine building
Adelbert Road, 2057 1924 - 1949+ First home of School of Nursing
Wood Building 1924 - 1949+ First University Circle School of Medicine building
East 93rd Street, 1949 1925 - 1928 Second School of Education residence
Euclid Avenue, 1935 1925 - 1929 First Cleveland College building
Reserve Manor 1925 - 1929 Third School of Nursing residence
Ether Drift Research House 1926 - 1937
Health Service Building 1926 - 1949+ First WRU infirmary building
Power House 1926 - 1949+ First building constructed jointly by WRU and University Hospitals of Cleveland
Psychology Laboratory 1926 - 1949+
Electric Building 1927 - 1929 First School of Applied Social Sciences downtown building
Abington Road, 2044 1927 - 1930
East 96th Street, 2050 1927 - 1930
Euclid Avenue, 11015 1927 - 1930 First University Circle home of WRU's School of Architecture
Adelbert Road, 2035 1927 - 1949+ First WRU Faculty Club
Adelbert Road, 2063 1927 - 1949+
Adelbert Road, 2121 1927 - 1949+ First WRU building connected to another via a passageway
Bellflower Road, 11217 1927 - 1949+ Last home of School of Education
Bingham Mechanical Engineering 1927 - 1949+ First Case building designed by Wilbur Watson
Hitchcock Hall 1927 - 1949+
Mather Athletic Field, 1927 1927 - 1949+ First Mather College athletic field
Abington Road, 2056 1928 - 1933 First School of Library Science residence
Abington Road, 2058 1928 - 1933 First School of Applied Social Sciences residence
Abington Road, 2096 1928 - 1933
Stearns Road, 2060 1928 - 1936 First home of School of Education
Abington Road, 2090 1928 - 1942
Abington Road, 2118 1928 - 1948
Abington Road, 2124 1928 - 1949+
Abington Road, 2130 1928 - 1949+
Abington Road, 2134 1928 - 1949+
Adelbert Road, 2125 1928 - 1949+ Second WRU-owned residence converted to a classroom
Adelbert Road, 2131 1928 - 1949+
Cornell Place, 11622 1928 - 1949+
Flora Stone Mather House 1928 - 1949+
Warner Building 1928 - 1949+ First Case Trustee for whom two buildings were formally named
Abington Road, 2050 1929 - 1933
Adelbert Road, 2101 1929 - 1937
Abington Road, 2114 1929 - 1943
Garfield House 1929 - 1945
Adelbert Road, 2069 1929 - 1949+
Adelbert Road, 2073 1929 - 1949+
Baker Building, 1942 1929 - 1949+ First WRU building named for Newton D. Baker
Carlton Road, 11893 1929 - 1949+ Last home of WRU President Robert Vinson
Cornell Place, 11623 1929 - 1949+
Cornell Road, 2115 1929 - 1949+
Pathology 1929 - 1949+
Thwing Hall 1929 - 1949+ First WRU university-wide library building
1930 Adelbert Road, 2025 1930 - ?
Abington Road, 2070 1930 - 1933
Abington Road, 2045 1930 - 1941
Abington Road, 2026 1930 - 1942
Abington Road, 2033 1930 - 1942
Abington Road, 2039 1930 - 1942
Abington Road, 2069 1930 - 1949
Abington Road, 2073 1930 - 1949
Abington Road, 2121 1930 - 1949+
Adelbert Road, 2107 1930 - 1949+
Animal House, 1930 1930 - 1949+
Bellflower Road, 11039 1930 - 1949+
Euclid Hall 1930 - 1949+
Harvey House 1930 - 1949+
Lowman House 1930 - 1949+
Robb House 1930 - 1949+
Squire Valleevue Farm 1930 - 1949+ WRU's only working farm
New York Central Athletic Field 1931 - 1949+
Service Building 1931 - 1949+
Abington Road, 2108 1933 - 1943
Manor House 1935 - 1949+
Tyler House 1936 - 1949+ First of two buildings named for Marion Clark Tyler
May Squire House 1937 - 1948
Camp Case, 1937 1937 - 1949+ Last off-campus survey camp
Pink Pig 1938 - 1949+ First University animal housing converted to human housing
Smith Chemical Engineering 1939 - 1949+ First Case building financed by a loan
1940 Society for Savings Building 1941 - 1942
Boulevard House 1941 - 1949+
Western Reserve Historical Society 1942 - 1943
Fairmount Boulevard, 2530 1942 - 1949+
Church of the Covenant 1943 - 1944
Navy Dormitory 1943 - 1947
Perkins House 1943 - 1949+ First WRU building formally named for a female faculty member
Smith House, 1943 1943 - 1949+ First WRU building formally named for a dean
Bellflower Road, 11235 1944 - 1949+
Williamson House 1944 - 1949+ First WRU building formally named for an alumnus
Bellflower Road, 11418 1945 - 1949+
Bellflower Road, 11418 Coach House 1945 - 1949+
Bellflower Road, 11421 1945 - 1949+
Bellflower Road, 11430 1945 - 1949+
Auditorium Garage Building 1946 - 1949+
Women's Federal Building 1946 - 1949+
Blackacre Trailer Camp 1947 - 1949+ First and only WRU trailer park
Davis Building 1947 - 1949+ First WRU building formally named for a staff member
Engineers Building 1947 - 1949+
Government Building 1947 - 1949+
Standard Building 1947 - 1949+ Last downtown Cleveland College building
Tomlinson Hall 1947 - 1949+ Last Case student center
University Cafeteria 1947 - 1949+ First permanent WRU cafeteria building
Bellflower Road, 11201 1948 - 1949+
Mather Athletic Field, 1948 1948 - 1949+
Temporary Building 1948 - 1949+ Last University classroom/office building without plumbing
1950 Baker Building, 1957 1957 - 2004 First University building razed in the 21st century