Sherwin-Williams Aims for Third-Most Interesting Light Display in Downtown Cleveland With New Skyscraper

Sherwin-Williams on Tuesday released its latest design proposals for the Fortune 500 company's new $300 million downtown Cleveland headquarters.

The renderings mark the last step before final approval for the project, which is expected to break ground soon and be completed by 2024.

Despite early and ongoing public criticism of the inclusion of two sky bridges in the design, the final proposal still includes them.

Most of the other details have too remained the same, but Sherwin-Williams this week threw an egg on it, so to speak, and added programmable light displays running up the east and west sides of the skyscraper.

Included to help "distinguish" the glass structure from its neighbors, the display, reminiscent of high striker carnival games, will immediately become the third most interesting light extravaganza in Cleveland, following its neighbor, the Terminal Tower, and the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Renderings show that the array will also glow in colors to honor different causes.

Mayor Frank Jackson said in 2020 that there was never a consideration to ask Sherwin-Williams to contribute to Cleveland's efforts to make Cleveland's housing stock lead-safe in exchange for the $100 million of subsidies the $51 billion company received from the state, county and city for the project. Instead, he deferred squeezing money out of the paint giant to Cleveland's Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, of which the company is a member organization.

Here's to hoping Sherwin-Williams, which for decades knew that its lead paint was toxic and yet fought tooth and nail in courts to absolve itself of legal or financial liability, also makes a gesture and comes up with a light display to celebrate National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which is observed every October.