Rockefeller Building photograph   Save
Historic Buildings of Ohio/Daniel Porter Collection
Description: This color image shows the Rockefeller Building, Cleveland, Ohio, ca. 1960-1969. John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) erected the seventeen-story structure by between 1903 and 1905. The historic Weddell House Hotel, built in 1847, formerly stood on this site. Located on the corner of Superior and West 6th Street, the Rockefeller Building contained offices for iron, coal, and lake-shipping industries. Josiah Kirby bought the building in 1920 and changed its named to the Kirby Building. Angered by the change, Rockefeller bought the building back, restoring the name in 1923. John D. Rockefeller moved to the Cleveland area with his family at age 14. He ventured into the oil business in 1863. During the 1870s and 1880s, Rockefeller sought to expand Standard Oil's influence. The company began to purchase or drive out of business oil refiners across the United States. By 1878, Standard Oil purportedly controlled ninety percent of the oil refineries in the United States. In 1881 the Standard Oil Company became known as the Standard Oil Trust. In essence, the Standard Oil Company created various companies across the United States that were purportedly their own entities. In reality, Rockefeller directed all of these businesses. Rockefeller was alive during the government's attack on Standard Oil, but he had retired from the company in 1895, well before the dispute ended. In 1901, his wealth was estimated at 900 million dollars, making him the wealthiest man in the world. He dedicated the remainder of his life to philanthropic efforts. He used his wealth to establish the University of Chicago in 1892 and the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in 1901. Rockefeller also was a driving force behind the preservation of Williamsburg, Virginia, as an historic landmark. He donated funds to innumerable other charities through the Rockefeller Foundation. John Rockefeller died in 1937 at Ormond Beach, Florida. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06620
Subjects: Rockefeller, John D. (John Davison), 1839-1937; Buildings; Cities and towns--Ohio.; Cleveland (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)