Ameritrust Tower, Cleveland Ohio, (architect—Marcel Breuer, 1971)
I had a delivery and mega buy near Cleveland so we decided to extend our stay to shop (and eat) at the amazing Westside Market during the day and watch King James and the Cavs (along with that massive new curved-front four-sided scoreboard) later that night. The no-brainer hotel choice was at the Metropolitan at the 9, a 156-room hotel which is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection.
This thunder cat is located within the recently restored architectural master class example of brutalist design, the world’s only office tower designed by Marcel Breuer, an instructor at Germany’s famous Bauhaus and one of the 20th century’s most important architects. Unbelievably, this extraordinary 29 story high rise sat empty for years and in danger of a death sentence, courtesy of the wrecking ball.
Thankfully though, this magnificent building is now stacked with amenities, including a dog park, 24 hour room service, spa, gym, valet, private chef, concierge, theatre, ballrooms, restaurant, lobby bar, and rooftop lounge. The best part though, lies a bit further down. Deep within the bowels of the building rests The Vault, a password-only speakeasy/nightclub that appropriately is located in the actual vaults of the former Ameritrust Bank. Literally a labyrinth of rooms, corridors and hidden alcoves filled with intricate glass and gears, and shiny, hulking steel, this pre-prohibition-style lounge features a 1906 bank vault door with four historic vaults.
While I imagine this visually stunning space to be jaw-dropping during a leisurely mid-afternoon tour, it actually turned into an utterly over-the-top experience late Saturday night. The dizzying sea of humanity, trippy lights and maze-like design mentally teleported me to New York or Las Vegas. Three and 1/2 Manhattans later, my last actual memory was attempting to explain who Marcel Breuer was to a couple right next to us over the top of a thumping Paul Oakenfold set while watching two half-naked pixies in kabuki masks dance and fling glitter atop a raised platform (or was that our coffee table?). Damn, Cleveland rocks, at least for one night.
