Van Sweringen brothers

Neither brother married; the two shared a common bedroom in their 54-room mansion, Roundwood Manor, on the grounds of their estate, Daisy Hill, in Hunting Valley, Ohio.

[1] In 1909, the Van Sweringen brothers began exercising options on 1,399 acres (5.7 km2) of land formerly owned by the North Union Community of the Society of Believers, better known as the Shakers.

Conceived and planned as a garden community similar to Baltimore's Roland Park, Shaker Village soon became Cleveland's most sought-after address.

Shaker Standards prevented the community from being developed in any way contrary to how the Van Sweringens intended, including barring African Americans.

Since lots sold slowly, the brothers concluded that Shaker Heights needed a transportation system between the suburb and downtown.

This prompted the Van Sweringens to purchase land in the vicinity of Public Square in downtown Cleveland as early as 1909 to provide a terminus for their rapid transit line.

From this acquisition, the Van Sweringens formed the Nickel Plate Securities Corporation, from which they would use investor money to buy a controlling interest in other major United States rail companies.

They managed to control this huge (for the time) system by a maze of holding companies (including the Alleghany Corporation) and interlocking directorships.

To solve the problem of the passenger station, the Van Sweringens purchased more rights-of-way that gave them access to the area below the southwest corner of Cleveland's Public Square.

The centerpiece of this massive complex was named Terminal Tower, which was the second tallest skyscraper in the United States at the time of its completion.

The plan provided twelve stub-end tracks for the steam passenger trains, with loops for local and interurban cars above.

In 1975, the Rapid and other municipal rail and bus routes were combined under the auspices of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.

Van Sweringen testified before the United States Senate Committee on Banking and Currency, in Washington, D.C., and during testimony, described their complex business dealings as it related to railroads.