Bauhaus in Greater Cleveland | Jason R Woods

ASM International headquarters by Buckminster Fuller and John Terence Kelly. Materials Park, Ohio, 1959. Photo by Jason R. Woods.

ASM International headquarters by Buckminster Fuller and John Terrence Kelly. Materials Park, Ohio, 1959. Photo by Jason R. Woods.

On my way to Washington DC, I made a couple early morning stops in suburban Ohio to see some surprising designs straight from the Bauhaus itself. On a quiet, rural road about 30 miles outside Cleveland, you can see the world’s largest open-air geodesic dome. It’s inventor, Buckminster Fuller, was commissioned in the mid-1950s by the American Society for Metals to help design a state-of-the-art facility for its headquarters. Along with a former Bauhaus student, John Terrence Kelly, the two created a design that still looks as futuristic as it did nearly 60 years ago.

The dome encapsulates a garden (open to the public) in the center of the semi-circular building’s courtyard. Stretching 250 feet across and over 100 feet high, it acts as a showcase to ASM’s focus on innovation of materials.

The building itself is John Terrence Kelly’s creation, featuring a three-story layout, with two fully above ground, and the lower level opening up to the parking lot thanks to a sloping site. The upper floor cantilevers out over the second and features a metal screen around the outer portion of the semi-circle. Users can walk through from the front of the building to the central garden. The cantilever and walk-thru help appear the building to float, as with many designs out of the Bauhaus.

ASM International headquarters by Buckminster Fuller and John Terrence Kelly. Materials Park, Ohio, 1959. Photo by Jason R. Woods.

The tallest building in Cleveland’s suburb of Shaker Heights is what many believe to be the last major project that Walter Gropius was involved in. Tower East is a 15 story office tower clad in concrete and glass. The geometric design is lifted above a lower section, adding a sense of lightness to an otherwise heavy looking structure. The Architects’ Collaborative is officially credited as the firm responsible for Tower East, but it is hard to ignore Gropius’ direct influence, especially in the glass corners.

Tower East in Shaker Heights, Ohio by Walter Gropius and The Architects’ Collaborative. Photo by Jason R. Woods.