Waterman Service Building
Also known as: Board of Education Warehouse; Cuy693-7
Why it's listed
Built in 1922 at East 63rd Street and Waterman Avenue in Cleveland, this four-story red brick warehouse was designed by Walter R. McCornack, architect for the Cleveland school board, to store materials for the city's schools. Its skeleton of concrete and steel was fireproof, and limestone trim marks the base, stringcourses and doorways. A classical stone entrance with fluted pilasters, dentils and the inscription "Board of Edvcation" gives the building a level of detail more typical of a school than a warehouse. In 1938 Arthur Baer designed a four-story addition and an expanded loading dock that matched the original scale and detailing. Inside, the open plan has no corridors, which maximized usable floor area. The building holds about 86,000 square feet. It is considered the only known warehouse owned by the Cleveland school district, and it was listed for its architecture as a fine example of McCornack's work. The property is now vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion C as a refined Commercial Style warehouse designed by school architect Walter R. McCornack. It is the only known Cleveland school district building used for off-site storage. Its classical entrance and masonry detailing are unusual for a school service building, and it reflects McCornack's ideas on fire-resistant, efficient, open-plan school construction.
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 01000897, listed August 17, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3030 E. 63rd St., Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | August 17, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000897 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1922-1938 |
| Architect / builder | Walter R. McCornack; Arthur Baer |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and early 20th Century American Movements/Commercial Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function is listed as vacant; historic function was educational (Board of Education warehouse). |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.50308, -81.64722 (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 01000897.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q137647074
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.