T.W. Grogan Company Collection

The T.W. Grogan Company was formed in June, 1926 by Thomas William Grogan who visualized an opportunity for a progressive building management organization in Greater Cleveland. During its history, the T.W. Grogan Company specialized in building management, financing, brokerage, mortgage loans, appraisals, and special services.

In addition to several smaller properties throughout the Cleveland area and the rest of the country, some of the prominent and notable Cleveland landmark buildings managed at one time by the T.W. Grogan Company include the Hanna Building, the Euclid Arcade, the Osborn Building, the Leader Building, the Rockefeller building, and the Carnegie Medical, Bolton Square Hotel, and the Cedar-Glen Apartment buildings.

A small real-estate operation started by Grogan in a one-room office eventually grew to more than 300 properties in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and New Jersey. T.W. Grogan had its main offices in the Hanna Building, which they had purchased from the Hanna family in 1958. By the time of the company's closing in 1999, in addition to the Hanna and Osborn Buildings, the T.W. Grogan Company owned and managed several parking lots in downtown Cleveland, the Aurora Commons office building and shopping center in Aurora, and The Phelps Townhouse, a 140-unit exclusive downtown Cincinnati apartment complex.

About the Collection

This collection was donated to the Special Collections of the Michael Schwartz Library by the Playhouse Square Foundation which purchased the Hanna Building. The collection contains photographs of various buildings in and around the Greater Cleveland area from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Many of the photographs are of two-story, apartment/retail buildings which were so prevalent in the area.

Additional Resources

Acknowledgements

This website is the practicum project of Kent State University Library and Information Science student Chet A. Walker. He would like to thank everyone at the CSU Special Collections Library including Bill Barrow and Lynn Bycko. Additionally he would like to express appreciation to Joanne Cornelius from the CSU Digital Production Unit, Lauren Felder, Web Specialist, and Marsha Miles, Digital Initiatives Librarian. Mr. Walker would also like to thank his advisor at Kent State, Dr. Karen Gracy for her guidance with the practicum.