Keith Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Keith Building |
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The Keith Building
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| Alternative names | B.F. Keith Theatre Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices Theatre |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Location | 1621 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 41°30′05″N 81°40′49″W / 41.501286°N 81.680284°W |
| Completed | 1922 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 83 m (272 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 22 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Rapp & Rapp |
The Keith Building is a tall building, called a skyscraper, located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It stands in the Playhouse Square theater district. The Keith Building is 272 feet (about 83 meters) tall and has 21 stories.
Inside the building, you'll find the Palace Theater. This theater was once a very important part of the Keith vaudeville circuit. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with many different acts, like music, comedy, and dance.
When it was built in 1922, the Keith Building was the tallest building in Cleveland. Today, it is the 25th-tallest building in the city. It is also the tallest building in Ohio that is related to performing arts. For many years, from 1922 to the mid-1950s, the Keith Building had a huge electric sign on its roof. People at the time said it was the biggest electric sign in the world!
Contents
History of the Keith Building
Why the Name "Keith"?
The owner of the building, Edward Franklin Albee II, named it to honor his former business partner, Benjamin Franklin Keith. B. F. Keith was a very important person in the history of American theater. He owned many vaudeville theaters.
The Palace Theater, which is inside the Keith Building, is the second-largest theater in Playhouse Square. It was the main theater for the Keith vaudeville circuit.
Becoming a Historic Place
In 1978, the Keith Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of places important to American history. Being on this list helped Cleveland get money to start fixing up Playhouse Square. The city gave $3.15 million to help with the renovations.
Building Repairs and Ownership Changes
In 1980, an engineering company called Barber & Hoffman started looking at the building. They found some structural problems because the building was over 55 years old. By the year 2000, they had finished a $3 million project to fix the outside of the building and other cosmetic issues.
In 2015, a company called the K & D Group decided to buy the Keith Building. They bought it for $5.2 million. Unlike some of their other buildings downtown, K&D said they plan to keep the Keith Building as an office building. They do not plan to turn it into apartments anytime soon.
Community Impact
The Keith Building has also helped the community. In 2010, it was one of the biggest donors to the Cleveland Food Bank's "Harvest for Hunger" food drive.
The Palace Theater, located inside the Keith Building, is well-known for hosting shows for school children. For many kids in the Greater Cleveland area, seeing a show at the Palace Theater is their very first experience with professional theater.
See also
In Spanish: Keith Building para niños
