House of Blues

Cleveland, OH

The House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio, is the recipient of the 2008 Award of Merit for Historic Preservation from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office. Within the personality of the Cleveland House of Blues is a careful blend of ideas and styles that create a unique place revealing a story of Cleveland’s past. The current House of Blues that exists on 4th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland was originally occupied by a Woolworth’s department store. The site was chosen for its location and the opportunity to bring life back to the area. The project team worked together to preserve many existing elements of the space. The exterior façade of the building was kept intact and restored. This was done not only to keep with the architectural tradition of the area, but also to preserve a piece of Cleveland’s history. Inside the House of Blues the terrazzo flooring was kept throughout the main level. Structurally, the team removed four large columns, and two floors were added on top of the current structure. The additional floors were set back from the street and faced with a rooftop terrace to maintain a uniform height appearance with the surrounding buildings. A skylight originally existed where the floors were added onto the existing structure. The design team removed the skylight structure and re-formatted the piece to work as a light fixture that is now mounted onto the ceiling of the lounge area.