CLEVELAND, Ohio - Lovers of historic architecture have no reason to fear.

The design of the much-anticipated downtown Heinen's supermarket in the Ameritrust Rotunda building blends history and retail in ways that should bring a beloved but long off-limits landmark back to life while respecting its integrity.

A first look on Tuesday - a month before the scheduled opening on Feb. 25 - revealed that Heinen's owners Tom and Jeff Heinen, working with Cleveland architect John Williams of Process Creative Studios, have tried to save as much of the original fabric of the Rotunda as possible.

They have inserted refrigerated display cases, wine racks, a "Global Grille," a coffee bar and other features into the two lower floors of the three-story Rotunda with a clean, minimal look that highlights the old bank's original architecture.

"This was incredibly exciting and terrifying to be responsible for this building," Williams said. "But it's incredible that it will be open to the public again."

Designed by George Browne Post, architect of the New York Stock Exchange, and built between 1905 and 1908 as the Cleveland Trust Building, the Rotunda is part of the Ameritrust complex redeveloped by Geis Cos. of Cleveland. The complex includes the 1971 Ameritrust Tower designed by Marcel Breuer, now known as The 9, and converted by Geis with the 156-room Metropolitan Hotel and apartments.

The Rotunda, originally the Cleveland Trust and later Ameritrust banking lobby, has been closed since the early 1990s after Ameritrust merged with Society Bank.

Williams said that all remaining original material and decoration in the Rotunda has been preserved, including areas of marble floor tiles revealed when rugs were removed from the second-floor balcony overlooking what was the banking lobby.

Geis Cos. obtained federal and state historic tax credits to help finance the renovation of the entire Ameritrust complex, which required a review of the Rotunda design for Heinen's by state and federal historic-preservation experts.

"They wanted somebody not educated in architecture to come in and look around and understand what's historic and what's not," Williams said.

Jeff Heinen, co-owner of the Cleveland-based grocery chain, said he and his brother and fellow co-owner, Tom Heinen, view the downtown market as an investment in the revitalization of Cleveland.

They said Tuesday they would follow a trial-and-error process in learning how urban shoppers want to use the store, which includes traditional grocery aisles in the adjacent 1010 Euclid Building, also part of the complex.

A curb cut along Euclid Avenue just east of East Ninth Street will allow pickups by car, but the Heinens said they expect most customers will come on foot.