Terminal Tower Observation Deck at Tower City Center open weekends through December

The Terminal Tower Observation Deck is now open to the public every weekend through December 18, 2011 after being closed for nearly a decade. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the deck has remained inaccessible despite efforts to reopen it.
The Terminal Tower, part of Tower City Center, was originally meant to be 14 stories tall. Construction was completed in 1928 and it officially opened on June 28, 1930. Standing at 708 feet, the 52 floor structure was the tallest building in the United States outside of New York City until Boston’s Prudential Center was built in 1964.
It was built for $179 million by the Van Sweringen brothers; today the estimated cost would be $2.5 billion. It is no longer Cleveland’s tallest building since the completion of the Key Tower in 1991.
It is currently owned by Forest City Enterprises, a real estate management and development company, whose corporate headquarters are located in the building.
To reach the Observation Deck, visitors must travel to the 33rd floor and then switch elevators to get to the 42nd floor. It is only open on the weekends to prevent the law firm on the 33rd floor from being disturbed by visitors.
In 2007, Forest City was presented with a proposal to renovate and reopen the deck. By 2010, the $40 million renovation was complete of the interior and exterior of the Terminal Tower.
The Observation Deck was restored back to its Art Deco inspired appearance in the 1930s. Original photographs of the deck were consulted to recreate its original look. The windows, the black and white checkered floor and even the restrooms give visitors the feeling they have stepped back in time.
The Observation Deck has only been closed one other infamous ...