The WESTERN RESERVE BUILDING, 1468 W. 9th St., is one of 3 tall office buildings designed by the firm of Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham built in Cleveland between 1889-93. Erected in 1891-92, its structure is transitional between that of the other two, the Society Natl. Bank Building (1889-90) and the CUYAHOGA BLDG. (1892-93, demolished 1982). The exterior structure consists of masonry load-bearing walls, the interior supports include cast- and wrought-iron members, and the floors are of tile arch construction. Because of its adaptation to the sloping triangular site at Superior Ave. and W. 9th and W. 10th streets, the 8-story building has design features that the others do not, including the placement of the bay windows and the treatment of the sandstone piers of the 2 lower levels. The cornice design, a simple curve of corbeled bricks, is similar to that of the firm's masterpiece, the Monadnock Block in Chicago. The Western Reserve Bldg. was constructed for SAMUEL MATHER. It was rehabilitated by the Higbee Development Corp. in 1975-76, when the Romanesque entrance arch, which had been altered with granite facing in the 1940s, was restored. An 8-story contiguous addition was completed in 1990. Planned by Keeva J. Kekst architects, its design was based on details from other Warehouse District buildings and finished in white microcotta.
