Cleveland Developer Turns Old Bank Hall Into Swanky New Dining Destination

Real estate developer Frank Sinito of Millennia Companies purchased the historic Garfield Building in downtown Cleveland in 2015. Work was immediately started to convert offices to luxury apartments to fill the growing demand for downtown housing in Cleveland. Alongside the commercial site was the historic National City Bank hall (formally Guardian Trust). The grand bank hall is the second largest in the world and had sat empty for 12 years. The space encompasses over 15,000 square feet spread over three floors. The design team diligently went to work creating the posh Marble Room Steaks & Raw Bar. The finished restaurant makes one wonder how this gorgeous venue is in the heart of downtown Cleveland and not Paris, London, or Manhattan.

The décor is a mash-up of Cleveland’s exquisite gilded age and modern city chic with a soaring glass wine cellar overlooking the bar, velvet seating, and sexy art by renowned fashion photographer Greg Lotus. Huge lower-level vaults that used to house the enormous wealth from a bygone era have been converted to ultra-luxurious private party rooms.

The menu is another juxtaposition of classic-meets-modern with steakhouse mainstays like massive USDA Prime tomahawk steaks, A5 Miyazaki Kobe Strip Loin, enormous Elkhorn oysters from the Willapa Bay, and of course, Dom Petroff Ossetra Caviar with deviled local quail eggs. Features like bigeye tuna poke bowl, “fish-n-chips” sushi roll, and seared Hudson Valley foie gras on a funnel cake with strawberry jam are unexpected and delicious.

If you grab a seat at the bar on a busy night, you will probably see a professional athlete or two enjoying a steak with a fine glass of red wine and listening to the live music. Sightings of Jon Bon Jovi, Khloe Kardashian, Scott Disick, Lebron James, and Jerry Jones this past year have kept diners on the lookout for celebrities that might be visiting Cleveland and stopping into Marble Room Steaks & Raw Bar.