200 Public Square

Sohio

In November 1981, Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio) announced plans to build a skyscraper on Public Square. Initially, it was supposed to surpass the Terminal Tower in height, but city officials insisted that the Tower remain the city's tallest building. The BP Building was designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum in the postmodern style and angled to be parallel to both Euclid and Superior avenues.

Construction began in 1982 with the demolition of two Cleveland landmarks, the Burnham and Root Cuyahoga Building (1892) and the 16-story George B. Post Williamson Building (1900). The new structure was completed in 1985 and was officially opened in 1987 as the BP America Tower, when British Petroleum purchased the remaining 45% of Sohio and merged its North American holdings to form BP America, Inc., headquartered in the new building.

BP America, Inc.

Claes Oldenburg's Free Stamp sculpture was commissioned by Alton Whitehouse and other Sohio executives to stand in front of the tower, but BP officials did not appreciate it, and donated the sculpture to the City of Cleveland. After some modifications, the city installed it in Willard Park, next to Cleveland City Hall.

Before the Key Tower was built, the BP Building was the second-most prominent skyscraper in the city, often photographed with the adjacent Terminal Tower as a twin emblem of Cleveland. It contains 36 elevators, 10 escalators, 3 fountains, 1 waterfall, 1,500 plants, and several works of art.

When BP purchased Chicago-based Amoco in 1998, the company said it would move its headquarters from Cleveland to Chicago. The building was purchased by the Chicago-based EQ Office in 1996 for $144 million, which in turn sold it to Harbor Group International in June 2005 for $141.25 million. Harbor Group worked with Electra Real Estate (TASE: ELTR) to purchase the building. The building was subsequently renamed 200 Public Square. Most Clevelanders and the Harbor Group still recognize it as the BP Tower, although many still refer to it as the Sohio Building.

Huntington Bank

In June 2011, Huntington Bank placed its corporate logo at the top of the building. The bank moved its regional headquarters to the tower from the Huntington Bank Building that September.

Harbor Group International put the building up for sale in June 2011. DRA Advisors bought the building in 2018 and put it up for sale in 2023.

Atrium gallery

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References

References

1. Bullard, Stan. (November 17, 2008). "Huntington moving to 200 Public Square". [[Crain Communications]].
2. Livingston, Tom. (August 2, 2010). "Remembering the Public Square implosion". [[WEWS-TV]].
3. "200 Public Square". The Harbor Group.
4. Perkins, Olivera. (June 3, 2011). "New sign on Public Square: Huntington Bank regional headquarters". [[The Plain Dealer]].
5. Jarboe McFee, Michelle. (June 22, 2011). "200 Public Square skyscraper for sale in downtown Cleveland". The Plain Dealer.
6. Jarboe, Michelle. (October 8, 2018). "200 Public Square office tower in downtown Cleveland sold". The Plain Dealer.
7. McDonnell, Sean. (September 13, 2023). "200 Public Square office tower, one of downtown Cleveland's tallest buildings, is up for sale". The Plain Dealer.