CLEVELAND, OHIO (January 7, 2021) – Cleveland Construction, Inc., a leading national construction management firm, and The Millennia Companies®, have completed the historic renovation and adaptive reuse of the 75 Public Square building from office space to a multi-family luxury apartment development. The building’s first residential tenants began moving into the building on December 29, 2021.
Formerly named the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company building, extensive work on the 15-story, 131,000 square-foot structure included complete historic renovation and adaptive reuse of the office space on floors 2-14 into 93 one-bedroom and 21 two-bedroom luxury apartment suites, along with the total renovation of both the building’s interior and restoration of the exterior façade. Common areas and tenant amenities also were created, and infrastructure such as elevators, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems, were installed new. Work included first-floor construction shells for future retail tenants and basement space for a new tenant lounge, fully equipped fitness and exercise area, self-service pet salon, bicycle storage, leasing office, and mailroom. A luxurious 600-square-foot deck, including restroom facilities and a full outdoor kitchen highlight the building’s rooftop.
As the construction manager, Cleveland Construction ensured trade contractors’ work progressed efficiently and according to the scheduled workflow. This included pre-installation meetings to identify obstacles, solve problems, approve plans, specifications, materials, inspection schedules, and safety requirements. Work included demolition, historic rehabilitation, facilities upgrades, and adaptive reuse construction. Under Cleveland Construction’s management, the renovation project was completed in 18-months culminating on December 29, 2021, despite the project starting with uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic during the Spring of 2020.
Vice President of Construction, Dan Dietrich said performing the renovation through the height of the pandemic presented several new challenges. In addition to material procurement and delivery issues exacerbated by supply chain disruption, working effectively and safely on an older building required some outside-the-box thinking.
“We developed a comprehensive COVID-19 plan, with safety protocols from the very beginning of the project, which coincided with the onset of the virus in the Spring of 2020,” Dietrich said. “I’m proud of how our team established new means of project communication and management to ease fears and create a safer work environment that also allowed the renovation to progress on schedule.”
As with many historic buildings, traditional project-specific construction safety plans were developed and adapted to the building’s unique conditions. The roof has no parapet that presented major safety challenges for individuals to perform work. Cleveland Construction, along with the trade contractors, shared the cost to install a temporary railing system around the roof perimeter. This roof railing system, in conjunction with Cleveland Construction’s site safety plan, eliminated the need for potentially cumbersome fall protection harnesses so workers could perform their jobs efficiently and safely.
Cleveland Construction ensured historical accuracy in renovating 75 Public Square, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. This included restoring the historic brick and terra cotta exterior finishes and maintaining the building’s original overall appearance and installing new aluminum windows that conformed to historical configurations.
“75 Public Square has the amenities residents have come to expect in luxury apartment communities in addition to an unrivaled location,” says Frank T. Sinito, Chief Executive Officer, The Millennia Companies ®. “Cleveland Construction flawlessly executed the vision to transform this historic building into a premier boutique living destination.”
Originally completed in 1915, the building served as the city’s electric utility company headquarters until 1958. Cleveland Construction followed all Secretary of the Interior standards during the renovation. The renovations also received approval from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office and the National Parks Service and meets Cleveland Green Building standards by complying with Enterprise Green Communities criteria.
The 75 Public Square Apartment project was designed by Sandvick Architects and developed by The Millennia Companies with interior design provided by K2M Design. Three engineering firms also were involved. Barber & Hoffman completed the structural work; Denk Associates handled mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work; and Riverstone performed the civil.
View the historic renovation and adaptive reuse construction profile for 75 Pubic Square.
Leasing is now underway. Prospective residential and commercial tenants should contact 75 Public Square at (216) 236-0484 or visit www.75publicsquare.com.