Virginia Tanno McMonagle interview, 1 August 2016
Abstract
Virginia Tanno McMonagle, owner of Rickey C. Tanno Jewelers in the arcade of the 925 Euclid Building at 925 Euclid Avenue. Born in 1918, she recalls weekly trips downtown with her father to watch the 1923-24 construction of the building, which was originally built for Union Trust Bank and later anchored by Union Commerce Bank and then Huntington National Bank. She relates the story of the origin and evolution of the business that her future husband Rickey Tanno started in the nearby Swetland Building in 1929 and discusses memories of meeting him, arcade businesses, notable customers (including celebrities), V-J Day in 1945, the business’s move from the Swetland Building to the Union Commerce Building in 1949, changes that contributed to the decline of downtown retailing, and her hopes for the building's future.
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Project Team
This series comprises a wide range of interviews conducted by Center staff since 2005 in support of the Euclid Corridor History Project, Neighborhood Connections, and a number of mostly short-term collaborations. It also includes a number of standalone interviews by Center staff.