The Cleveland Group Plan of 1903

Cleveland Board of Education Building

The Cleveland Board of Education Building was designed by the architectural firm of Walker and Weeks and is a six story example of Beaux-Arts style influenced by the Italian Renaissance.  The Cleveland schools sold the property at auction to the St. Louis-based Drury chain in 2013 and after a $52-million renovation, the building re-opened on April 29, 2016 as the Drury Plaza Hotel Cleveland.

In terms of artwork, the building is noted for the Holden Murals, painted by Cleveland artist Cora Holden in the main lobby.  With the subjects of "Progress of Education" and "Branches of Education" the panels each measure 12 by 16 feet. At the front entrance to the building (facing the Mall) is a statue of Abraham Lincoln by Max Kalish, financed by the pennies of Cleveland schoolchildren.  The text of the Gettysburg address is inscribed on the base.

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