The Olney Art Gallery opened in 1893 and was Cleveland's first publicly-accessible art space, predating the Cleveland Museum of Art by more than two decades.
The gallery's founder, Charles Fayette Olney, came to Cleveland in the 1880s after a long career as an educator in New York. He settled with his wife, Abigail, in a beautiful Colonial Revival home on Jennings Avenue, now West 14th Street in the city's Tremont neighborhood.
A lifelong proponent of the arts, he was actively involved in several clubs and institutions, notably as vice president of the Cleveland School of Art and president of the Cleveland Brush and Palette Club.
Olney amassed quite a collection of art from his frequent travels abroad - carvings, statues, porcelain and around 200 paintings representing the work of more than 50 international artists. When the collection outgrew his home, he built the art gallery next door, designed by Cleveland architects Coburn and Barnum.
When Olney died in 1903, he left the bulk of his collection to Oberlin College, which became the foundation for the Allen Memorial Art Museum.
Later, the former gallery building was a gathering place for Cleveland's Polish population. As the neighborhood shifted, it became the Ukrainian National Home and a stage was added for dancing and theater.
By the 1980s, both buildings sat empty and fell into disrepair, though they were added to the National Register of Historic Places for their contributions to community development, art and architecture.
After surviving the wrecking ball numerous times, the properties were purchased by Grace Hospital in 1993. After restoration to their original splendor, the former art gallery is now an event space and Olney's residence next door is a wellness spa.
