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Author Lauren Pacini

Join us when author Lauren Pacini visits to discuss his new book, Empire Builders: An Illustrated History of the Rise and Fall of Cleveland’s Van Sweringen Brothers.

About the author:

Lauren R. Pacini is a photographer, author, and unabashed and unapologetic cheerleader for all things Cleveland. After a varied career including consulting in human resource management and information technologies, he became passionate about black and white architectural photography, with an emphasis on the repurposing of Cleveland's historic industrial and commercial buildings. His books combine photography with narrative to tell the story of Cleveland, a city experiencing a powerful rebirth. He was a co-recipient of the 2012 National Trust/HUD Secretary's Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, in connection with the historic renovation of Saint Luke's Hospital and its transformation into Saint Luke's Manor.

Empire Builders tells the story of how it took two Van Sweringen brothers to envision the garden community that became Shaker Heights. It took the promise of a fifteen-minute transit ride from home to downtown offices to draw people to the new village. It took the purchase of the 513-mile Nickel Plate Railroad and the construction of the Terminal Tower, then the tallest building outside of New York City, to make that rapid transit a reality. Before the Great Depression, the brothers’ real estate empire included 12,000 acres from Shaker Square to the Chagrin River. Their railroad empire consisted of a 30,000-mile, $3 billion network, extending from the Atlantic to within 600 miles of the Pacific. Before losing almost all of it during the depression, their personal net worth of $120 million equaled nearly $2.2 billion in today's dollars. Quite an accomplishment for two who were born into abject poverty.

This story of building one of the wealthiest cities and longest railroads in America, and what happened to it after the Great Depression, combines the author’s text with nearly 180 photographs, charts, and maps. 

Books will be available for purchase and signing.