Building on a Legacy
Renovation project revives the Emeritus House on Cleveland's Lower East Side

By Nancy Loyan Schuemann

The Emeritus House Building, located at 4450 Cedar Avenue in Cleveland, stands as a legacy to Jane Edna Hunter. Hunter was instrumental in improving the lives of African-American women by aiding poor, single women from the South who migrated to the North for job opportunities. In 1911, she founded the Working Girls Association, later the Phillis Wheatley Association (in honor of the first African-American to publish a book and earn a living as a writer). She established a settlement house that provided dorm-style accommodations, skills training and job placement. In June of 1927, the Emeritus House Building was constructed to further provide these services. It was designed by famed Cleveland architectural firm Hubbell and Benes Company and is a National Historic Landmark.

Through the years, the 78,000-square-foot, nine-story red brick structure has served as home to many African-American women and in 1967 was converted to senior citizen housing with an elderly services program. A gymnasium, the Sutphen School of Music and daycare/Head Start center were added later. By 2003, the building had fallen into disrepair and a campaign was begun to renovate the historic structure.

A master plan was developed by Robert P. Madison International, Inc.; the architectural firm, founded in 1954, was the first established by an African-American in the State of Ohio. This plan culminated in to a schematic design for the building and suites. Finalized drawings on the value-engineered project were completed during 2004-2005.

"A challenge was how we could improve services to the building," says R. Kevin Madison, AIA, vice president of Robert P. Madison International, Inc. "The biggest challenge of the design was that it was originally designed as a dormitory with a limited footprint. It's a very symmetrical and formal building, but every unit is a different size and configuration. [It was] like figuring out a puzzle."

Marous Brothers Construction was called upon to provide pre-construction, historic consulting and general contracting services in order to assist the not-for-profit developer with decisions regarding design, materials selection, construction methods and technologies as well as workforce and historical compliance, according to Kay Neubert, project manager with Marous Brothers Construction.

The first two floors of the building are for facilities usage and administration with the top seven stories gutted and converted into 42 one-bedroom apartments and 14 efficiencies. Seven units are completely handicapped equipped. The building also has a full basement. All mechanical, electrical and HVAC were replaced and upgraded. For the first time, the entire building is air conditioned and fully outfitted with sprinklers, while the ductwork has been kept out of sight. A trash chute was added for resident convenience and a state-of-the-art security system was installed. A mini Cleveland police station is also housed in the building.

In the lobby, a glass security partition was removed and the space was restored to provide the ambiance of the original lobby, with the refinishing of wooden storefronts and vestibule, period lighting, refinished original marble floors, historic color scheme and a carved wood reception desk (with a rolling security screen for after hours). The desk is a reconstruction of the original, matching historic specifications by referencing the original architects' drawings and specifications. Brass grille radiator covers were restored as were brass railings on the main staircase. A stained glass window off of the lobby was repaired. The two elevators were overhauled with missing historic elevator indicator needles added. The historic switchboard was preserved. Old wood telephone booths were converted to a fire command center. Additional restrooms were added to public areas of the building.

The first floor also houses a resident's laundry room and mailboxes.

On the second floor, the dining hall was renovated with new floor tile spelling the name "The Phillis Wheatley Association." The Hazel Janicki/Robert Morrow mural painted directly on the wall was preserved. A community room and a meeting room were added. A full kitchen with pantry and buffet line complete the area. Historic cabinetry and old coolers were retained. A metal door and casement were faux finished to create an historic wood grained look.

"In any historic renovation, the goal is to retain historic elements and building materials relevant to the history of the structure while making modern-day improvements to the building which support use for generations to come," says Sharon Gumto, architectural historian with Marous Brothers Construction.

To read the rest of this article, download the April issue of Properties Magazine now. [April 2008; download PDF; 6.4 mb]