This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Case Western Reserve University Archives

Adelbert Main Building, exterior, west side

This page is referenced by:

Adelbert Main Building
Location
northwest side of Adelbert Road

Description
4-story building of buff sandstone of 47,109 net square feet
This property continued in use after 1949. Post-1949 research is not yet completed.
Other Names
Main Building
Adelbert College
Adelbert Main Building
Adelbert College Administration Building
College Building
Constructed
7/1881-1883

Architect
1881: Joseph Ireland
Cost
1881: ca. $136,000 ($177,000-$181,000 for Adelbert Main Building and Pierce Hall)

Financing
1881: Gift of $100,000 plus part of $30,969.79 from Amasa Stone
Occupants
1882-1885: all Adelbert College academic departments and library, WRU President, WRU Secretary-Treasurer
1886-1888: all Adelbert College academic departments and library, WRU President, WRU Secretary-Treasurer, Case
1888-1893: all Adelbert College academic departments and library, WRU President, WRU Secretary-Treasurer
1894-1895: some Adelbert College academic departments and library, WRU President, WRU Secretary-Treasurer
1896-1918: some Adelbert College academic departments, WRU President, WRU Secretary-Treasurer
1918-1922: some Adelbert College academic departments, WRU President, WRU Secretary-Treasurer, School of Applied Social Sciences
1922-1925: some Adelbert College academic departments, WRU President, WRU Secretary-Treasurer
1925-1934: some Adelbert College academic departments, WRU President, WRU Secretary-Treasurer, WRU Dean of University Administration
1934-1941: some Adelbert College academic departments, WRU President, WRU Financial Vice President and Secretary
1941-1945: some Adelbert College academic departments, WRU President, WRU Financial Vice President and Secretary, WRU Educational Vice President
1945-1946: some Adelbert College academic departments, WRU President, WRU Financial Vice President and Secretary, WRU Educational Vice President, School of Architecture
1947: some Adelbert College academic departments, WRU President, WRU Financial Vice President and Secretary, WRU Educational Vice President, School of Architecture, WRU Development Vice President
1948-1949: some Adelbert College academic departments, WRU President, WRU Financial Vice President and Secretary, WRU Educational Vice President, School of Architecture, WRU Development Vice President, WRU Graduate School Dean

Uses
1882-1949+: Academic and administrative
Ceremonies
11/1927: from Frances C. Gaensslen

Trivia
First WRU building in University Circle
Alterations and Modifications

Description
1886: Telephone installed
1889: Hand elevator installed
1897: Tower rebuilt
1901: Interior and west entrance remodeled
1910: New boilers, conduits, etc. constructed
1919: Electrical wiring of 2nd, 3rd, 4th floors
1920: Converted chapel on second floor to a lecture hall
1922: Basement renovated and new east entrance built
1927-1928: Unspecified alterations

Architect
1922: Abram Garfield

General Contractor
1910: Page & Corbusier

Cost
1886: ?
1889: ca. $150
1897: $4,430.24
1901: ca. $60,000
1910: $8,586.50 estimated
1919: $2,005 estimated
1920: ?
1922: ca. $10,900
1927-1928: $1,791.50

Financing
1886: ?
1889: ?
1897: Gift of unknown amount from Flora Stone Mather
1901: Gift of unknown amount from Alfred A. Pope
1910: ?
1919: ?
1920: ?
1922: Gift of $10,900 from Samuel Mather
1927-1928: ?

Donors
1897: Flora Stone Mather, friend
1901: Alfred A. Pope, trustee
1922: Samuel Mather, trustee

This summary was compiled by staff of the University Archives from sources in the custody of the Archives.

Previous Building A-Z List Next Building | Previous Building Chronological List Next Building
Fires on Campus Throughout its long history, CWRU has faced its share of disasters. Among the more notable are two fires which destroyed campus buildings over 100 years apart: the Case Main building in 1886, and Adelbert Hall in 1991.

Case School of Applied Science was originally located in downtown Cleveland, occupying the Case family homestead. The school moved to University Circle in 1885 when the Main building was partially completed. In the early morning hours of October 27, 1886, fire was discovered by a passerby who then ran to the closest fire station. Fire consumed the building leaving only the outer walls and the interior brick partitions. For the school, there was a heavy loss of books, curricular material, apparatus and equipment. Students lost drawing instruments and a number of books. According to the local Cleveland paper, The News and Herald, Henry G. Abbey, secretary of the board of trustees, estimated the total loss at $165,000. The cause of the fire was undetermined, but some blamed the Chemistry Department.

On October 27, the same day the fire destroyed Case Main, the trustees of Adelbert College met to “consider what could be done to express sympathy and give aid to Case School of Applied Science.” Ultimately, the faculty and trustees of Adelbert College offered the temporary use of their own facilities, namely Adelbert Main and Pierce Hall (a dormitory). The following day, President Staley penned a letter thanking them and accepting their help.

In 1888, a rebuilt Case Main building was completed and the faculty, staff, and students moved back.

In 1991, Adelbert Main, by then called Adelbert Hall, housed central administrative offices of the university including the president, provost, vice presidents, and controller. The building had been in continuous use since 1882 when Western Reserve College moved from Hudson to Cleveland. (After the move the college was renamed Adelbert College of Western Reserve University.)

On June 23, a fire alarm was tripped twice before the fire was located and the Cleveland Fire Department was called at 1:57 pm. The firefighters arrived five minutes later and first tried to fight the blaze from inside the building. When the roof collapsed, they evacuated and continued the struggle from outside, ultimately declaring the fire under control at 3:43 pm. Sixty firefighters and 10 trucks from 3 battalions fought the fire. The cause was undetermined but a problem in electrical wiring in the attic was thought to be the source of the fire.

Salvage began the next day, after the Fire Department allowed entry to the building. Staff working on the direct salvage of materials from the building included staff from Plant Services, University Archives, University Libraries Preservation Department, Administrative Information Services and Development Information Services, and University Movers. Personnel from the twenty displaced offices were on hand to help identify records, computers, equipment, and belongings. Wet paper records were first frozen and then underwent a vacuum freeze-drying process to remove the water. Paper records that were not wet were deodorized to remove the smell of smoke. Many paintings were restored by several art conservators or recreated. More than 130 personal computers were retrieved from Adelbert. Most information was recovered by backing up the hard drives to tape. The total loss from the fire was estimated at $10-$15 million.

President Pytte was resolved to rebuild Adelbert, "We are definitely rebuilding. All the evidence we have is that we can do that, and we want to keep the exterior stone walls. They're historic." Some changes were made to Adelbert in its reconstruction including a different tower, redesigned central hall and staircase, an expanded skylight, central air conditioning, wiring for CWRUnet, a modern elevator, and 9 new conference rooms. Some offices, like the Controller, never returned to Adelbert. Other offices, such as Student Affairs, were added as new tenants. The process took two years at a cost of $12.4 million.

[photo of Adelbert post-reconstruction?]

Sources
For more information about disasters on campus, see the CWRU Archives Sources page. More information about the campus buildings referenced in this post can also be found in the Buildings and Grounds section of this Scalar site.