Key Tower

Rachel Rudolph

Miss Smalley      

English 11-8       

8 November 2012

Exploring the Key Tower

ceiling of one of the rooms in the tower

            The Key tower, a skyscraper filled with elegant and glowing beauty is a place where you won’t regret visiting for a lifetime. There are many beautiful sights in the city of Cleveland, but one can’t compare to the eloquent structure of the Key Tower along with the intricate design and colors of the tower. The Key Tower on 1350 West Mall Drive Cleveland Ohio 44114, is a place where fun does not happen, but amazement does.

            In order to enjoy the splendid and magnificence of the tower, you need to know more information about the tower and were all the immense structure began.



side view of the tower

            The Key Tower was built and designed from 1988 to 1991 by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli. Pelli was a dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University in Connecticut (Mistretta). He wanted to design the Wells Fargo Center using his postmodern design on a building but when he was rejected to design the Center, he accepted the Key Tower project (Mistretta).

            His design is still present today and you can see the gleaming and graceful work of art that Pelli has created. However, before Pelli created the tower, he stopped Philip Johnson from having the right to work on the tower (Mistretta). Years after the tower was created, it was called the Society Center until Key Bank took possession of the tower (Mistretta). Thanks to Cesar Pelli, the Key Tower remains as one of the most exquisite tower in all of Ohio.

            The Key Tower today exists in the heart of Cleveland where everyone can explore its glistening structure. The Key Tower is the tallest building between Chicago and New York City and it is the tallest building in Ohio (“Key Tower”). The tower stands about 948 feet tall and it is located in Public Square of Cleveland. When you are next to the building, you feel so small and tiny that you can’t even see the top of the building; this shows how much work and effort Pelli put into creating this tower. The skyscraper contains 57 floors which include elevators for each floor.

            Despite the outer appearance of the tower, the inside is the big deal when it comes to beauty because of all the different materials that the tower is made of. The majority of the of Rosso (Red) Verona marble (Mistretta). Going into the rooms is like seeing a different reflection of colors and marble which is pleasing to the eye. Despite the Stony Creek granite used for the façade of the tower, Napoleon Red granite is used in the first floors of the tower Mistretta).

            Besides the colorful and intricate parts of the tower and the hotel, the Key Tower is used for office and business purposes. The Key Tower is a commercial office where workers come and do business work for themselves or for the firms (“Key Tower”). The tower is mainly occupied by Key Bank’s headquarters (Mistretta). On a typical day, the Key tower is a busy place for workers but the tower contains shops for food in case the worker is on break and is hungry or they just want something to drink while they are on the job.

            The future of the Key Tower hangs in the balance as each day goes. An intellectual law firm called Amin, Turocy, and Calvin LLP today occupy the top floor of the Key Tower (Mistretta). They want to expand their office space so that they can make a long-term investment (Mistretta). This firm deserves the office space because they represent over a dozen Fortune 500 companies (Mistretta). If their space proves to be a long-term investment, the firm will increase employment by 20% along with an outdoor patio off of the top floor which they are planning to construct (Mistretta). The idea of having a patio outside the top floor is dangerous and I don’t think they should build one because of safety and working issues.

            If you are having trouble finding a sight in Cleveland to go to and experience, I would strongly recommend the Key Tower. The Key Tower contains a good view of Cleveland no matter what floor you are on. I have only been on the first floor of the tower, and the sight of Cleveland was so amazing that I did not want to leave right away. I could see the water fountain next to the tower, the statues in front of the tower, the Quicken Loans Arena from a distance and so much more.

            Not only does the Key Tower provide amazement but it also provides a separate hotel for any tourists of Cleveland. The Cleveland Marriot Downtown hotel contains the Cleveland Spirit shop where any proud Cleveland citizen would love to buy clothes which show their love for Cleveland. The hotel contains comfortable seats and resting places that you will just feel like its home. The hotel has 403 rooms for tourists and for anyone who wants to spend the night in a safe room. Because this hotel was built, it inspired architects to make more which started the hotel-making industry. (Mistretta)

 Not only is the tower beautiful, but it looks lovely at night when the tower lights up in light blue or purple. This scene can be seen about 20 miles away but it still captures the darkness of the night with a beautiful color (Lightning Strikes Key Tower in Downtown, Cleveland). The visit to the Key Tower has to be one of the options if you want a view of Cleveland, as John F. Huth states “no visit would be complete without viewing the city from the Key Tower, Cleveland’s tallest building, which rises 948 feet (288.95 meters) over the downtown section.” (Huth)

The Key Tower is an amazing place to visit because of all the detailed design and beauty. You do not have to be interested in business in order to visit the Key Tower; you just have to be prepared to be amazed.