Entry No. 9 — the Cleveland file — filed under: speakeasy
Vault
Located deep beneath the historic Cleveland Trust Rotunda, this upscale lounge is built directly inside century-old bank vaults once used by Cleveland's elite. Guests enter through a massive 1906 bank vault door to explore a labyrinth of private cocktail rooms.
The story
When the Cleveland Trust Company built its downtown headquarters in the early 1900s, it constructed a subterranean fortress to hold the city's wealth. Down in the basement, builders encased 200 tons of steel inside 18 inches of solid concrete, sealing the entrance behind a 17-ton circular vault door forged in 1906. Behind that wall of iron, Cleveland’s gilded-age industrial giants—including John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie—kept their fortunes under lock and key.
After a corporate merger shuttered the bank in 1996, the underground fortress sat pitch-black and abandoned for nearly two decades. When the building was resurrected as Metropolitan at The 9, developers didn't bother ripping out the impenetrable steelwork. Instead, they wired four original bank vaults for low lighting, added plush seating, and converted the vault chambers into private cocktail rooms.
Look closely at the walls while you sip your drink and you'll see thousands of original brass-and-steel safe deposit boxes still embedded in the steel. In one room, you can spot a tiny emergency escape hatch that bank records show was unbolted only twice in its operational history. To keep things strange, every vault room continuously projects the 1942 film Casablanca on a silent, soundless loop against the historic walls.
What it's like
Descending to Level B1 beneath the rotunda feels less like going to a hotel bar and more like stepping onto a high-security heist set. You walk straight through that 17-ton steel doorway into a low-lit labyrinth of cocktail nooks tucked directly inside the old vault compartments. Seating in individual vaults is strictly first-come, first-served, and weekend nights bring a dressed-up crowd alongside high-end drink prices. If you want to claim a couch inside one of the smaller vaults without a long wait, hit the basement right when they open at 5 p.m.
The move: Walk through the heavy steel vault door to sip a high-end cocktail inside one of the original vault rooms, surrounded by historic safe deposit boxes.
- 📍 Downtown
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2017 E 9th St, Cleveland, OH 44115
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Cleveland Police Museum — Pair dark 1930s crime history and plaster death masks downtown with a drink inside the steel vaults where Cleveland's wealthy elite once stashed their fortunes.
- The Velvet Tango Room — Compare Vault's subterranean bank-vault luxury with Duck Island's scratch-made cocktail sanctuary inside an authentic Prohibition-era building.
- Porco Lounge & Tiki Room — Shift from dim, serious subterranean steel vaults to a chaotic, rum-drenched tiki wonderland across the river.
Good to know
Do I need a reservation to sit inside Vault?
No, Vault does not take standard reservations. Seating in the lounge and inside the original vault rooms is first-come, first-served, unless a vault has been rented out for a private event.
Where inside the complex is Vault located?
It is located on the basement level (B1) of the Metropolitan at The 9 building at 2017 East 9th Street, directly beneath the Cleveland Trust Rotunda.
Are the vault doors and safe deposit boxes authentic?
Yes. The venue is housed inside the actual 1900s bank vaults of the former Cleveland Trust Company, utilizing the original 17-ton steel entry door and preserved safe deposit boxes.
Is there a dress code or entry fee?
There is no cover charge to get in, but Vault maintains an upscale hotel lounge dress code and occupies the higher price point for Cleveland cocktails.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · marriott.com · ohio.org · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-21