{"nrhp_refnum":"04001148","name":"Vitrolite Building","other_names":["Cuy-319-3"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2911-2915 Detroit Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cleveland","county":"Cuyahoga County","state":"OH","lat":41.489364677000026,"lon":-81.71130683099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-10-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Art"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story commercial building at 2911-2915 Detroit Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, designed in 1925 by architect Alfred B. Sylvanus and built in 1926 for the Vitrolite Company, with a glazed terra cotta facade and a Vitrolite-lined showroom.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion C as the only known surviving Vitrolite company showroom in Ohio. It also represents the company's early eclectic Italian Renaissance aesthetic, before Art Deco became fashionable. No comparable building in Cleveland matches its unity of design inside and out.","narrative":"Located on Detroit Avenue on Cleveland's west side, this two-story commercial building was designed in 1925 by architect Alfred B. Sylvanus and completed in 1926 for the Vitrolite Company at a cost of $100,000. Its glazed terra cotta facade uses Italian Renaissance detailing, including five arched second-story windows with spiral columns, corbelled cornices and faux granite panels. Inside, the first-floor showroom repeats these motifs in hand-painted Vitrolite structural glass, with an original cork composite parquet floor. The building served as a showroom, design and installation center that could provide services otherwise available only from the company's West Virginia factory, until it was sold in 1939. It is described as the only known Vitrolite company showroom still standing in Ohio and a rare survivor of the company's early decorative style. The facade has lost only its balustrade, and the showroom retains most of its original tiles, though painted over, with restoration planned.","period_of_significance":"1926","architect_builder":"Alfred Bruno Sylvanus, Architect; Mitzel-Shields Co., General Contractor","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revival / Italian Renaissance","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Facade nearly fully intact except a missing terra cotta balustrade; showroom Vitrolite tiles largely survive but are painted over. Restoration was planned, including removal of concrete block and recasting of broken tiles.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.7318-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/04001148.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001148/1d75642324-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001148/1d75642324-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cricchetti","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vitrolite_Building.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Cricchetti</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vitrolite_Building.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71987624","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137649932"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/cuyahoga-county/vitrolite-building-04001148/"}