Levi Scofield

Levi Tucker Scofield (originally Schofield) (November 9, 1842– February 25, 1917) was a prominent architect and sculptor from Cleveland, Ohio. He served as a captain in the 103rd OVI in the American Civil War and designed many public buildings and several monuments during his career. He was a third generation Cleveland resident and the Schofield Building, which he designed, is named after him.

Early life Scofield was born in Cleveland to William Benedict and Mary Scofield. His grandfather, Benjamin Scofield, came to the city in 1816 from New York and was responsible for the construction of many of Cleveland's earliest buildings. In 1856, Scofield's father built the Scofield Block on Erie Street out of which his mother ran a boardinghouse on the second and third floors. Scofield attended Cleveland Public Schools and trained as a builder and architect, working under his father.

Career Following the war, he briefly worked in New York before returning to Cleveland. Both Barnett and Scofield are honored with busts above either main doors. Scofield's name is listed on tablet 14. In October 1901, a man fell from the building. Scofield was not arrested due to the intervention of Cleveland mayor Tom L. Johnson who suggested the contractor be arrested instead. The building now serves as the Kimpton Schofield Hotel and the Schofield Residences. thumb Schofield BuildingScofield's personal residence was built in Cleveland's Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood in 1898. Since then, the mansion has fallen into significant disrepair. Efforts are underway to preserve and restore the structure.

Personal life Scofield married Elizabeth Clark Wright in 1867. Together they had five children: William, Donald, Sherman, Harriet, and Douglas. Scofield's four sons all worked at his architectural firm.

Scofield was the first Cleveland architect taken into membership in the American Institute of Architects. He was known to be a friend and golfing partner of John D. Rockefeller. thumb Schofield family mausoleum at Lake View Cemetery. Levi T. Scofield designed the structure and is interred there following his death in 1917.

Projects

Schofield Building (Euclid Ninth Tower) (1902) 2000-2034 East 9th Street Cuyahoga County Soldiers and Sailors Monument (1894), Scofield worked on the Civil War monument for seven and a half years without compensation and contributed over $57,000 to its cost. Athens Lunatic Asylum, Athens, Ohio Asylum for the Insane, Columbus, Ohio North Carolina Penitentiary Cleveland House of Corrections These Are My Jewels, a Civil War Monument installed at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, and then moved to the grounds of the Ohio State Capitol Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield, Ohio