Ayers Tower and Sahara Motel

Stretching for four miles along Euclid Avenue between Park Avenue and East 105th Street, Millionaire's Row is a complete row of more than 300 mansions. Luxurious architecture of stone, bricks and tile edges. One of the mansions belonged to banker, financier and philanthropist Daniel Palmeli Ayers. Born in 1825, Ayers became president of the Commercial National Bank and by 1885 was worth $3 million. During his lifetime, Ells served as a director of 32 companies. Ayers' business interests include railroads, iron ore, manufacturing, petroleum, steel, cement, coke and natural gas.

The Ayers Building was built in 1876 and is located at 3201 Euclid Street. The Ayers Building's Victorian style was influenced by the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The Victorian villa was designed by architect Joseph Ireland, a New York immigrant who opened an office in Cleveland in 1865. The Ayers Building features a central tower, tile roof, and carved tracery. There are steeples, decorative eaves, wide doorways, and arched doors and windows that set this mansion apart from other millionaire townhouses. The interior is fireproof and includes notable rooms such as a library paneled in black ebony and inlaid with white ivory, and a central hall lit by gas jets and colorful skylights.

Eells was an influential man who used his home to entertain powerful politicians. Daniel and his wife Mary hosted a dinner for the 100 craftsmen who built the mansion. Attendees at the wedding reception of Ells' daughter included President-elect James A. Garfield and Ohio Governor Charles Foster. President Benjamin Harrison also visited the Ayers Tower. Ayers and Republican politician Mark Hanna persuaded William McKinley to run for president in the White House Library. About a decade after completing the mansion, the Ells built their Beach Cliff Country estate on Rocky River. They live most of the year ten miles from their downtown home. Ayers died in 1903 and was buried in Cleveland's Lakeview Cemetery. The 1920s marked the decline of millionaire row as residential buildings were replaced by commercial buildings. The rise of the automobile allowed the wealthy to relocate and still have access to public squares from their new residences. Many of the mansions were sold and subdivided in the 1920s. The Ayres Mansion remained a private residence until 1922. The Eales family sold the mansion to Warren Corning, who then sold it to Price McKinney. Schultz Bros & Co. has purchased a 90-year lease on the Corning Homestead at 3201 Euclid Avenue to convert it into the Spencer College of Business. Cleveland Bible College occupied the Ayers Building from 1942 to 1957. The mansion was converted into an administrative building. Cleveland Bible College, renamed Malone College, moved to Guangzhou in 1957. The mansion sat vacant for two years until it was demolished in 1959 to begin construction of the Sahara Motel.

With the rise of the automobile, motels had evolved by the end of the 20th century into more than just a simple place to rest along the way. In some cases, it becomes a destination. This $4 Sahara Motel was built by Mintz Construction Company. Marvin M. Mintz, the hotel company's president and vice president of Mintz Construction, joked that Euclid Avenue seemed "miles away" from the Sahara Motel. The Sahara Motel is styled after the resorts in Las Vegas and the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The hotel opened on July 28, 1960.

Planning to operate the Sahara Motor Inn itself, the Mintz Hotel Company hired Berg Nielsen as general manager of the hotel. Before coming to Cleveland, Nelson managed the Nordland Hotel in Copenhagen, where he served many European royalty, and the Park Hotel in Niagara Falls. With a staff of 120 people, Nelson's goal is to combine the efficient quality of American hotels with the traditional European cuisine and service. Carl Tis, the manager and owner of the restaurant, also provides entertainment and relaxation for tourists and locals alike.

In addition to being an interlude on the college campus, 3201 Euclid Street has been an evolving entertainment and hospitality venue for nearly a century