Venice Building
Why it's listed
Modeled on the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, this four-story building at 8401-17 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland was constructed in 1922-23 with eight ground-level stores and 24 small apartments above. Cleveland architect J. Milton Dyer designed it for Frank N. Riley, an insurance and real estate executive. Brown brick walls, art-stone ornament, an arcade with crocket capitals, roundels with quatrefoils and a relief of the Lion of St. Mark at the entrance give it a Venetian character. It is the only apartment house known to have been designed by Dyer and a unique example of Italian Renaissance Revival style in the city. The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce awarded it a medal as the best apartment house erected in 1923. The neighborhood declined after the 1960s, and tenants were ordered out in 1983. The building has been vacant since, and its interior is badly vandalized, though the exterior retains the essential features of Dyer's design. A local housing group plans rehabilitation.
Significance in brief: It is significant under Criterion C as an imaginative but little-known work of Cleveland architect J. Milton Dyer and as a unique example of Italian Renaissance Revival style in Cleveland. It won a Cleveland Chamber of Commerce medal as the best apartment house building erected in 1923. The exterior retains the essential features of Dyer's original design despite interior vandalism.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90001496, listed October 1, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 8401--8417 Euclid Ave., Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | October 1, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001496 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1922-1923 |
| Architect / builder | Dyer, J. Milton; Sam W. Emerson Co. |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant and vandalized, with the interior extensively vandalized; it retains its essential exterior features and is slated for rehabilitation. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.50400, -81.62841 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90001496.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.