History of the Bank of Cleveland in Garfield Heights

Garfield Heights, Ohio

The Bank of Cleveland

Does anyone else enjoy old buildings that have the names of their former occupants displayed in stone above their entryways? Or is it just me? Either way, that’s what caught my eye while sitting in traffic on Turney Road in Garfield Heights – the griffin and words in the banner at its feet. I had to take a picture so that I could do some investigating.

The imagery, as well as the words “Garfield Park Branch,” “Strength,” and “Safety” made it clear that the building was a bank of some sort. (The fact that PNC recently inhabited the space also helped with that assumption.) So, what are the words peeking out from under the former PNC sign? Bank of Cleveland.

Founded by Stanley Klonowski

Born in what is now Poland back in 1883, Stanley Klonowski attended the University of Poland in Warsaw and spent some time in the Russian army (remember that Russia owned Poland at the time) before immigrating to the United States in 1904. He spent eight years in the country before moving to Cleveland and settling in the Warszawa district, now known as Slavic Village.

Klonowski worked for a local businessman before starting out on his own, opening the Klonowski Savings bank. It was the first Polish bank in the city of Cleveland. You see, when the many immigrants (my ancestors included) moved to Cleveland from Eastern Europe, they sought out people who spoke the same languages and shared the same customers, hence the founding of the Warszawa neighborhood. It makes sense that churches, businesses, banking, and more would follow suit.

In 1921, Klonowski renamed and restructured his bank, turning it into the Bank of Cleveland. Its main office, which no longer exists was on Broadway in the Slavic Village area. Slowly, throughout the 1920s, the bank expanded, building the Garfield Park Branch in 1926.

During and After the Great Depression

Like all banks during the Great Depression, the Bank of Cleveland faltered. Thankfully, Klonowski had an idea for a way to help the banks that didn’t involved the Federal Reserve. He wrote to then-President Herbert Hoover, who like the idea and created a plan that would give banks throughout the United States credit, at a cost of $500 million dollars.

Slowly, the bank pulled through the Depression, and the Bank of Cleveland remained in operation until 1976, when it was purchased by National City Bank (who also have their roots in Cleveland.) A National City branch operated in the same spot as the Bank of Cleveland’s Garfield Park Branch. In 2008, PNC purchased National City, and they kept the branch open until recently.

As far as Stanley Klonowski is concerned, he stepped down as president of the Bank of Cleveland in 1957 and helped found Marymount Hospital, which is also located in Garfield Heights. He died in 1973 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery.

On a Personal, Local Historian Note…

I don’t usually insert myself into these articles, but while researching it, my 78-year-old dad had a few stories to tell. As it turns out, he opened his first bank account in this particular branch back in the 1950s. His father, my grandfather, owned a gas station on Turney Road, closer to Cleveland, and this branch held his business account. My dad also claims that my grandfather knew Stanley Klonowski. What can I say? Cleveland’s a small world?