Join us on September 19, 6-8 PM, at the Cleveland History Center for the launch of Empire Builders: An Illustrated History of the Rise and Fall of Cleveland’s Van Sweringen Brothers (Indiana University Press, 2024). Architectural photographer and local history author Lauren R. Pacini will discuss his latest book, the first new biography of the Van Sweringen brothers in over twenty years.

Empire Builders explores the lives of Oris P. and Mantis J. Van Sweringen, two brothers from Wooster, Ohio, who rose from poverty to build a real estate and railroad empire. Their achievements include the creation of Shaker Heights and the iconic Terminal Tower in downtown Cleveland, though their fortunes collapsed after the 1929 stock market crash. The book features over 150 new photographs of the historic homes they built throughout greater Cleveland and includes a foreword by John J. Grabowski, who will join Lauren for the discussion.