The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Landmark legacy graces cityscape
Walker and Weeks created buildings that make ‘a city a city’ in Northeast Ohio
Robert A. Weeks is proud to point out that the Walker and Weeks architectural firm, founded by Frank Ray Walker and Harry Ellis Weeks had a hand in shaping the future of Cleveland and its surrounding areas.
“They were bold enough,” said Robert, the great grandson of Harry and current Mentor resident who now owns his own business development company, R-Weeks Consulting. “It’s amazing how many projects they did and how difficult it was to get to other places. In 1911, it wasn’t like today where you just get in the car and ride for 30 or 40 minutes.”
Prior to starting R-Weeks Consulting seven years ago, Robert has worked in several architectural firms in Cleveland. Now, he assists others with business development.
“We engineer, procure and install historic replication windows,” he said. “It’s really cool that I get to poke around my great grandfather’s buildings. Right now, we’re installing replacement windows in Severance Hall.”
Walker and Weeks made their mark as bank, church and public building architects. Most of their residential work was done in Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights, as well as Bratenahl. A home that sold two years ago in Chagrin Falls was one of the last projects Walker designed.
The firm also has a local presence with the Willoughby Masonic Lodge. In 1928 after the lodge was constructed, the Willoughby Theatre was opened inside.
“They’re both from Massachusetts and went to MIT for architecture. They met there and they may have traveled to Europe together because that’s what architects did for training,” Robert said.
After college, both Walker and Weeks started their own firms in Massachusetts in Pittsfield. At that time, Cleveland was starting to be recognized as a “booming city,” Robert said. Between 1905 and 1906, the two moved to Cleveland started working with J. Milton Dyer, who was the architect of Cleveland City Hall, the Cleveland Athletic Club, the Tavern Club and the Coast Guard station on the Cuyahoga River.
“Dyer was an interesting character. He had a very up and down career,” Robert said. “He’d do a lot of buildings in Cleveland, make money and go to Europe for a long time. He’d just disappear, so in his portfolio, there’s gaps. It’s broadly known that Walker was the designer of Cleveland City Hall. It’s a Dyer building, but Walker and Frank did it while they worked for Dyer.”
After they finished the Cleveland Athletic Club in 1911, today the Athlon apartments, Walker and Weeks was formed in November that same year. Some of their early projects included the former Bingham Warehouse on Ninth Street, which is now an apartment building, and the Goodyear headquarters in Akron.
Most notably, Walker and Weeks had a big hand in creating the Hope Memorial Bridge, the Guardians of Transportation pylons and the old Cleveland Stadium, alongside Osborne Engineering, which is still located in Cleveland.
“Walker designed the pylons. Henry Hering was the sculptor of those,” Robert said. “The stone was cut and shaped in Little Italy. I’ve always loved those pylons. I started knowing about their history in grade school. Later on, you find out that everybody else likes them too. That’s when it really became cool.
“The Market Garden Brewery has the Guardians on many of their brands and people have tattoos of that.”
Walker and Weeks have also made their mark in University Circle, not only designing Severance Hall, but the library across the street and the Methodist Church. Robert said they competed for the art museum, but they didn’t get the credit for it.
From 1911 to 1949, Walker and Harry’s firm produced more than 600 buildings.
“The legacy they left behind are buildings people still love today,” Robert said.