[LEFT] TRACK LEVEL VIEW AT NIGHT ALONG THE WEST
APPROACH TOWARD TERMINAL TOWER IN 1930.
[RIGHT] THE OBSERVATION DECK WAS RESTORED IN 2010 TO
LOOK LIKE ITS ORIGINAL DESIGN, DOWN TO THE CHEKERBOARD
FLOORS, WOOD SLATS AND ANTIQUE RADIATORS.
GLOBAL AND GENERATIONAL CONNECTIVITY
Globetrotters aren’t the only visitors who travel to witness
the extraordinary views from the Observation Deck,
however: Residents who lived or worked in Cleveland
decades before often return to re-experience its
breathtaking views.
“When people think back to their visits to the
Tower, they most remember their experience atop the
Observation Deck,” said Beck.
Bir recalled a sentimental story involving a gentleman
wanting to arrange a tour for his elderly father, who had
often reminisced about his days as an electrician at the
Tower decades before.
“The man was wheelchair bound, but still had his wits
about him,” said Bir.
He and other staff took the man on an extensive tour
of the Tower, Bir recalled fondly, and even arranged to
have an old electrical meter from the 1950s cleaned up,
mounted and installed in one of the electrical rooms as a
surprise.
MARIANA TOSCAS NOWAK, MFA ( MNOWAK@IREM.ORG), IS THE
EDITOR OF JPM®.
