A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume I, Part 59

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1262

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As an artist, Herman Matzen is a rugged man of northern power, imbued with a sense of line, form and strength, and alive with an enthusiasm for his work that is marvelous and contagious. Yet, this Thorwaldsen has the unre-

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lenting critic in him, who, like Faust, is never satisfied, and who storms forward to better and higher achievements.

Cleveland may claim another artist of distinction in Luella Varney, whose home has been for years in Rome, but who was born in our city. She went to Italy a young girl, where she caught the Roman fever, speaking in an artistic sense, and could never free herself from it. One of her most beautiful pieces of work is her Perkins' memorial in Lake View cemetery, a little north from the Garfield monument. It represents the figure in bronze of a young girl of inimitable charm. The youthfulness of the nude body is as lithe as the dawn of a beautiful day. It thus expresses the symbolism of the awakening in an- other and better world.

The sculptress is also a fine portraitist who has made some busts of dis- tinguished citizens of Cleveland, and one of Mark Twain. The likeness of the latter is perfect, and there is life in the bronze features.

A young sculptress of promise is Miss Anna Pfenninger, also Cleveland born and principal of the Westend Art School as mentioned before. Her bust of Abraham Lincoln has found much favor among connoisseurs, as has also the bust of the former president, Carl Riemenschneider, of Wallace college, Berea. Among the younger element, Walter Zinz and Richard Ernst deserve mention- ing. As assistants to Professor Matzen, they have shown much talent and diligence.

From time to time a wandering sculptor has found his way to Cleveland, but never to rest long. It is only of late that the possibility of eking out a living has presented itself to these artists. The two Herkomers, fathers of Hubert and John, and clever wood carvers and decorators, settled in Cleveland over thirty years ago, but were unable to subside any length of time, and removed finally with their families to England. Some of the old mansions on Euclid avenue show still in their interior work the rare skill of the Herkomers. As to the rest, a clever stone cutter sufficed in those days to do the artistic details then in demand on new buildings.

A young man, now famous, found his way about 1886 to the studios in the city hall. It was Carl Niehaus, the New York sculptor. He, too, was unable to remain long in Cleveland. He went to Germany and later to Italy, learning and studying his art with great earnestness. Returning to New York, he soon found well deserved recognition and is today one of the best known American sculptors.

Geo. Rackle, who died at the beginning of 1909, an old man, was well known as a sculptor within the city of Cleveland. His best effort was the fountain in the lake at Wade park, a piece of work not to be despised. Another artist who left his mark was the sculptor Hamilton, creator of our Moses Cleaveland, on the public square and the Harvey Rice monument in Wade park. George Heiden- reich, wood carver and sculptor created a heroic bust of Schiller, for the Schiller- Goethe association. This work adorns now the Cleveland Public library.

Besides the already mentioned monuments, the city possesses a few statues of great artists. There is the Schiller-Goethe monument by Ernst Rietschell of Weimar, a present of the German-American population of Cleveland; further a Perry monument by Jones, and a Mark Hanna, by St. Gaudens. The first two have their places in Wade park, the last mentioned in the University circle. The

THE OLD UNION CLUB, Euclid Avenue where Hippodrome now stands

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bronze statutes of two heroes of liberty, Kosciuszko of Poland and Kossuth of Hungary honor their countrymen, but they cannot be classed as real works of art. The statues ordered for the new courthouse will be fine specimens of the sculptor's art, the models at this time being all finished. The list is as follows : Jefferson and Hamilton, by Karl Bitter of New York, Marshall and Ranney by Herbert Adams of New York. These four American lawgivers are to be cast in bronze, while the other statues will be of marble, thus : Moses and Gregory IX, by Herman N. Matzen of Cleveland; Justinian and Alfred the Great, by Isador Konti of Yonkers, New York; Edward I and John Hampden, by Daniel C. French of New York; John Somers and Lord Mansfield, by Karl Bitter, and Stephen Langdon and Simon de Montford, by Herbert Adams of New York.

The development of the art of painting in Cleveland could best be studied at the early exhibitions of the work of our artists. Nowadays these exhibitions are mostly confined to the Cleveland School of Art. But once in a great while a group of paintings is seen in one or the other of the art stores downtown. The re- sult is that fewer people are able to view them, although the exhibitions at the School of Art, are, as a rule, well patronized. It is not saying too much that the progress of our painters is laudably to be commented on. Yet, on the other hand, it is also true that the great initiative is missing, the force that creates works of an exceptional character. While our artists are progressive in technical things, they seem to lack in conception, in the faculty of seeing the most modern thing, such as a city of today. The charms of nature are always admirable, and wel- come, and reposeful to the eye and the soul. But the work of man, too, has its artistic aspect. A trip up the river discloses features of strength and beauty, a look over the harbor in daytime or at night is a look into wonderland. Very seldom do we get a glimpse of these things in the studios. Our rich business men, who like to buy pictures from foreign artists, ought to encourage our paint- ers to depict their great establishments, the fiery hells of their furnaces, and their gigantic buildings wherein the world's work is done.

There are, at least, two painters in Cleveland who can do those things-F. C. Gottwald and Henry George Keller. Both of these men are artists of reputation, teachers at the School of Art, clever and modern. F. C. Gottwald, one of the founders of the original Art club has always been identified with the art life of Cleveland. He studied and painted in Munich, Holland, France and Italy. Many a fine painting stands to his credit. His versatility is remarkable. The moist Netherlands and sunny Italy yield their different charms with equal cheerfulness to his brush. His last pictures from southern Italy were revelations of coloration and sunshine, and full of poetical conception. But with not less truth, does he ex- press the rainy climate of Holland and the characteristics of her fascinating women and her hearty men.

Frederic Carl Gottwald is a scholar and an artist of refinement. He is inde- fatigable in research, and in the study of the great masters, and always on the alert to discover the secret of his art. By nature he is an excellent teacher.

Henry George Keller of the Palatinate came to Cleveland at the age of two months and was raised and educated in our city. His first ambition was to be a sculptor but he finally fell into the hands of a painter, and painter he became, and a painter he is. A good, strong painter with a fearless brush and full of

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good ideas. He still has a tender spot for sculpture but practical art claimed him at the beginning, and so he worked at circus posters, saving money for his higher education. He studied at Karlsruhe, Dusseldorf, Munich, and Paris, won a stipendium, composition prizes, a silver medal, and also a journey to Italy. Fi- nally returning to Cleveland he was engaged by the School of Art, of which he is is one of the most successful teachers. His work in water and oil shows the rational impressionist and he has done some beautiful things in his time. A great friend of nature, he is not only a good landscape painter but also a fine observer of animal life.

Among the teachers of the School of Art, there is another artist who deserves mentioning as a successful man. Louis Rohrheimer, interior decorator and de- signer, is Cleveland born. He received his art education in the old world, study- ing at first under Herman Matzen and then in Paris, London and Munich. At present he is head instructor of decorative designs, and is conducting a large establishment, beautifying the interior of public and private buildings.

Painting in water colors in the school is taught by Grace Veronica Kelley, a lady of much talent and versatility in using the brush. Next to her is Nina V. Waldeck, who, too, was educated in the school and afterward went to New York and then to Paris, where she studied at the famous Julian academy.

Cartooning is taught by James Harrison Donahey, the famous cartoonist of the "Cleveland Plain Dealer" and the well known "Uncle Biff." The latter is a jolly, village blacksmith and Donahey's most popular creation. As a cartoonist Donahey wields an exceedingly clever pencil; his humor is never offensive and shows the man of heart. He is of a creative mind, studious, modest, and al- together a charming fellow, and a real artist.

Some of the founders of the first art club of Cleveland have become famous and achieved an international reputation, some are dead, and others still among the quick we have with us as was shown above. Of the Herkomers, Hubert, cousin of Herman, is likely the most widely known of our artists. Hubert is the head and soul of the artists' colony at Bushey, near London, where he possesses a magnificent home and a great studio. His old uncle John, the wood carver, is still with him, and also Herman Herkomer, who returns to this country now and then to execute a few portraits of rich Americans. Daniel and Emil Wehrschmidt are members of the Bushey colony, painting and teaching. Daniel has a good name in London as an engraver of splendid ability.

Another of our painters who made England his home after a long sojourn in France is Max Bohn, a giant in wielding the brush. He carried away a gold medal from the French Salon. His love for sea and sailor formed more than once the inspiration for pictures of great strength and beauty. He also excels in mural decorations, and has only lately been called back to Cleveland to adorn the new courthouse with frescos. Much may be expected of him.

Arthur Schneider was for a number of years court painter to his highness the Sultan of Morocco, and a fine courtly painter he is, whose water colors of his temporary African home are full of interest and artistic conception.

Of our other painters, George Grossmann and Otto Bacher belong to the art colony of New York where they are respected landscape painters. Louis Loeb died recently in his summer home in Stamford county, at the age of forty-two

From a photograph, Courtesy B. F. Bower

THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE PUBLIC SQUARE IN 1896, FROM THE SOCIETY FOR SAVINGS BUILDING

Shows the postoffice, Case hall, the Cuyahoga building (one of the city's first modern office buildings), the Arcade on Superior street. and the Garfield and New England buildings in the distance ; also the hovels, corner Ontario street.

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years. His first artistic training was gained at the Morgan Lithographing Com- pany. A few years later he went to New York where he became known as a maga- zine illustrator. His. ambition made for the higher art, and he went to Paris to study under Gerome. Returned to America, he settled in New York and became soon known as a portrait painter of great ability.

A few more of the old guard are not accounted for. One of the last artists to leave the city hall was John Kavannaugh, lovable as man, independent as artist, a poet and landscape painter, he was slowly starving to death. Finally he sold his sketches, paintings, and other works of art at auction, in order to be able to die in peace.

John Semon, one of the best landscape painters in this region and elsewhere, leads the life of a hermit of the forest. Seldom does he come from his abode in Bedford to the city, but his woodland interiors testify to his beautiful art and his great devotion to nature. O. V. Schubert is among the quaint, silent artists. George Groll is drowning in business, but still painting a little on Sunday; and Adam Lehr, a master in still life tries his hand at landscape painting with in- different success.

A. M. Willard, who became famous as the Yankee Doodle painter, has lately modeled the figures of his picture in clay, with fine success. Ora Coltman has achieved success with his fine water colors. His visits to Europe are always pro- ductive of pleasing sketches. He designed the splendid tablet to Carnegie in the Woodland branch library.

Among the younger men is Charles Francis De Klyne, an artist of no mean talent. There is a pleasing gentleness in his landscapes and marines. He joined the Art club, painting with Willard and F. H. Tompkins. While still a youth he went to New York to study under W. Chase, Turner and Kenyon Cox and thence to Paris. After returning to Cleveland he, for a time, was instructor at the Art club and at the School of Art. One of his costudents in Cleveland was Joe DeCamp, another gifted young man who became a successful artist.

Other artists of Cleveland entitled to honorable mention as painters of worthy aims and accomplishments are George B. Bradley, landscape painter ; F. W. Sim- mons, a fine portraitist ; Caroline Wittlesey, acquarellist ; Wilhelm G. Reindel, landscapes ; F. W. Edmonson, portraits; Homer E. Potter, decorative designer ; May Ames, who studied in Greece and Italy; R. B. Farnum, a draftsman of re- pute; Martha Weaver, working in ceramics, also Carrie Osborn, now living in Paris, and finally Maude Stumm, well known in New York as a gifted woman.

This sketch of the art history of Cleveland would remain incomplete without the mention of some of the "Wandervoegel" that have been known here. Who does not remember the unfortunate DeScott Evans? His last exhibition at Natt's art gallery (also a thing of the past and replaced by the Guenther gallery on Euclid avenue) revealed an artist full of original conception. He and his two daughters were among the victims of the ill fated steamer "La Bourgogne." A man of still more talent, and well known in Cleveland was F. H. Tompkins now of Boston. The strength of his execution and of his sense of color showed great artistic virility. His portraits are alive with the glow of light and the warmth of blood. The man he paints is not a shadow. Another artist who spent some time in Cleveland and who made a reputation for himself in Munich is Silas Wenban,

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noted steel engraver. A famous scholar of a famous master was the animal painter Joseph Thormann, years ago one of the members of the old Art club. Anton Grub, well known landscape painter, but dead these twenty years, was in his young days one of Cleveland's promising artists. The cyclorama painter Levi, will also be remembered by many as a virile personality among our artists.

It may be said that today the first epoch of the art life in Cleveland is nearing its end, and that a new era is at hand. The exterior sign will be seen in the new Art museum. The time of La Boheme is past and gone forever. There will still be starving artists, but they will starve in a dress suit. The Dutch clay pipe and the "stein" have vanished, and with them the gay and boisterous merrymaking. Serious work will be done in the future as well as it was done in the past. The outlook is not bad, and the further development of our art life will keep step with the growth and advancement of our city.

CHAPTER L.

ARCHITECTURE.

By Frank S. Barnum, of the Cleveland Chapter Am. Inst., of Architects.

The term Architecture is used in its broadest sense in this chapter.

Cleveland, as has already been shown, had its origin in the determinations of a party of surveyors under the direction of Moses Cleaveland, beginning a survey and platting of the town about the middle of 1796.

There are some slight references to a storehouse near the mouth of the river, found by them on their arrival. But so far as definite records show, having pretty well completed the survey of the town near the end of the year, and being about to return to their homes, they built the first residence erected in Cleveland as a home for Job Stiles, one of the party, who with his wife, was to remain and winter in the wilds of Cuyahoga.

With Edward Paine, they became the first permanent residents of Cleveland, occupying their own home upon their own homestead, being original lot No. 53, located upon the north side of Superior street very near the present intersection of Bank (West Third) street.

In the following year, James Kingsbury built himself a home upon lot 64, located on Superior street a little east of the new postoffice site, or almost exactly in the line of the north and south axis of the proposed mall.

These homes were log cabins, not over large or pretentious, probably nothing more than would afford shelter and meet the very simple requirements of prim- itive pioneer life.

It appears that in this same year, 1797, Lorenzo Carter erected a cabin near the river and Mandrake lane. It is possible that this "cabin" of Major Carter was larger and had better accommodations than others, as it is related that "Within its hospitable log walls were held the councils of the settlers, the social gatherings and public merry makings."

Residence of Harvey Rice, Woodland Avenue

Governor Wood's House, Ridge Road. Rockport

Home of Erastus Gaylord. on Woodland avenue, built 1836. Type of the classic columns then much in vogue.

Residence of T. P. May. It stood on Erie street facing Superior street. It was torn down in 1866-7 and Superior street extended through to the city limits

A GROUP OF OLD RESIDENCES

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From such humble beginnings .Cleveland has grown, having no advantages over other similar settlements, save those vouchsafed by nature and such as may have been due to the superior intelligence and force of character of its early inhabitants.

Building progressed according to the actual needs of the growing com- munity. For some years, at least, the settlers for the most part were of a class endowed more liberally with energy and thrift than with wealth, and such cap- ital as was possessed found ready employment in trade and in such improvements as were actually required by the growth of the community and consequent en- largement of its business activities.

Naturally, in the crystallization of the community, the needs of government became apparent, and with its development came the need of shelter for the conduct of its functions, the storage of records and the detention of offenders.

Education and religion, most important factors in the physical development, as well as in determining the character of any community, soon received recog- nition; though it is significant that the jail preceded the schoolhouse several years and no religious society was organized until four years later. And the first church building was not finished until 1829, or within three years of the building of a second and larger jail.

In the year 1800 James Kingsbury built the first saw mill in Newburg, from where, for some years, the lumber used in Cleveland was hauled.

Just when the first brick yard was started, does not appear, but it must have been very early; as also the opening of some of the exhaustless sandstone de- posits in the near vicinity.

With reference to the buildings erected during the first two decades records are almost completely lacking ; but from such references as we find, and the pretty definite records of a few buildings, it may be safely assumed that during this period all buildings erected were of the simplest, only such as would be re- quired to meet the practical needs of the community.

In 1812 the first courthouse was erected, in the northwest section of the public square. It was a two story building referred to as being built of logs; but one account says "of hewn timbers, or blocks, three feet long laid transversely so as to make a wall of solid wood three feet thick as a safeguard against the escape of prisoners." It seems reasonable to suppose, however, that this construction obtained only in the jail portion. The first story included the jail or "lockup" and rooms to accommodate the sheriff and family, the second story being taken up with the courtroom.

The illustration is reproduced from a water color made by Otto Ruetenik in 1875 for Mr. Waterman from notes and a small pencil sketch furnished by him.

The first schoolhouse was a very simple one room frame building twenty-four by thirty feet, built about 1816, on the south side of St. Clair street, just a little east of Bank street.

In 1821 there was completed almost directly opposite this first school build- ing the Cleveland academy, a two story brick building, more pretentious but still severely plain. Both these buildings were erected at private expense but in 1817 the village treasury returned to the subscribers the cost of the one room build-

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ing, and some years later the academy and its lot were purchased by the board of education.

The log cabin of the earlier years was followed by the framed timber building at first of simplest form and plainest finish. But the steady growth of the village with its constant demand for homes for its families, its trade, its manufactures, its government, schools and churches caused a development along architectural lines both interesting and instructive. As the town grew wealth accumulated and with it the desire for better buildings. Conditions had changed from that of a struggle for subsistence and to transform the wilderness, to that of a regulated community, with growing aspirations and desires to express its importance, to satisfy its religious, its educational and its intellectual needs and in the doing of these and many other things was Cleveland built.

Homes were erected that were expressive of the social and financial status of their owners and probably, to some extent at least, of their tastes. In most cases the designs for these buildings were provided by their builders and were usually the work of their own hands, inspired by some of the few works upon building and architecture then available, most of them English publications.

These designers were for the most part mechanics, usually carpenters, who had been thoroughly trained in England or Europe where no mechanic was a finished workman who was not something of a draftsman, reasonably familiar with and capable of drawing the common architectural forms in use at the time and able to copy readily from the plates in his text-books.

Probably in most cases, at least of the more important residences they were literal copies, which would account for the fact that much of the work of those days was in better taste and conformed more closely to the canons of architecture than the buildings that followed them. What has been named "Georgian" ar- chitecture and which in the United States we speak of as "Colonial," has in its highest expression much beauty of proportion coupled with great refinement of detail. And if there was a lack of originality, strict adherence to the text-book produced a class of buildings that did not offend good taste and for many years saved the town from the bizarre and startling forms in wood, brick and stone of later and more venturesome artists (?) not hampered by over much education nor any lack of confidence in their own creative genius.

A new and growing community offered an attractive field for the educated builder especially if gifted with genius enough to modify and adapt the text-book design to the tastes and requirements of his prospective patron without destroy- ing its character.

Such men became the builder architects of Cleveland, and it is no doubt due to them that most of the homes and many of the other buildings of their day were at least void of offense. Indeed much of the domestic architecture of the early half of the nineteenth century, down to a time when the size and more rapid growth of Cleveland attracted the professional architect, was refined and scholarly and would easily put to shame most of the work that immediately followed it. In- stances are not wanting, indeed, some of us living, have assisted in the dismantling of buildings of classic or colonial character that had been the homes of families

From an old cut First Presbyterian Church, 1834

Trinity Cathedral, the tower with the chimes

From an old cut First Baptist Church, 1835

Trinity Church in 1870. Dedicated, 1855. Torn down. 1904.

From an old cut St. Paul's Church in 1856. Euclid avenue and Sheriff street

Old Stone Church. 1910

TYPES OF THE OLDER CHURCH ARCHITECTURE

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A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume I, Part 59

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1262

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1262