The Bank building is an adaptation of the Italian Renaissance palazzo. True to this “fortress palace” style, the building features massive walls on the lower floors to resist infiltration; a few well-fortified entrances; and smooth exterior walls that are difficult to climb. A facade of Moose-a-Bec granite on the ground floor, together with Etowah marble on the upper floors, gives the building its unique pink hue.

The Bank’s historic cash vault—reputed to be the largest in the world—features concrete walls that are six and half feet thick. Its enormous door measures over 10 feet in diameter and weighs 106 tons. This vault housed stores of currency from 1921 until 1992, when the Cleveland Fed completed construction of a new, state-of-the-art cash vault.

The Federal Reserve was created to serve the citizens of a young democracy. The Bank’s main lobby—one of the most spectacular in the city—reminds visitors of the System’s purpose: To keep the value of U.S. dollars stable, thus creating the conditions necessary for maximum sustainable growth. The lobby emulates the style of a Roman basilica, or place of public assembly. Gilt sheaves of wheat sit atop marble pillars, symbolizing abundance and prosperity. A domed ceiling features intricate, hand-painted Florentine designs trimmed in gold leaf.

P.O. Box 6387
Cleveland, Ohio 44101-1387
1.888.FED.CLEV (1.888.333.2538)