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  <title type="text">Cleveland Historical</title>
  <updated>2026-05-09T23:59:35+00:00</updated>
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    <name>Cleveland Historical</name>
    <uri>https://clevelandhistorical.org</uri>
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  <entry>
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[Jefferson Park: A Beloved Central Gathering Spot on Cleveland’s Far West Side]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<img src="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/4d2572d48d5f1425916f26383a87824d.jpg" alt="Jefferson Park Plan" /><br/><p>Early nineteenth-century maps show the land now known as Jefferson Park was part of land surveyed and owned by Leonard Case, a well-known agent for the Connecticut Land Bank and local businessman who served at one point as president of the village of Cleveland. The park site was originally part of Rockport Township, one of the original 19 townships in Cuyahoga County. Rockport Township eventually split into several smaller hamlets, and the area of Jefferson Park became part of the short-lived West Park Township, then West Park village, and finally the city of West Park. West Park was absorbed into Cleveland in 1923 after a decisive vote by residents of West Park on November 7, 1922.</p><p>The earliest known article, written by the <em>Plain Dealer</em> on February 10, 1912, mentions that Jefferson Park was originally planned to be a cemetery and owned by the city’s hospital and infirmary department. However, the land was ultimately deemed unfit “because of the character of the ground.” Park plans were developed by Superintendent Harris R. Cooley, who was Director of Charities under Cleveland Mayor Tom L. Johnson. Accordingly, the street on the south end of Jefferson Park was named Cooley Avenue around this time period. The <em>Cleveland Leader</em> references the opening of the park as May 13, 1912. The history behind the name “Jefferson” is not known entirely, but the same article mentions Cleveland Councilman Harry L. French, who served from 1908 to 1914, as the one who introduced Resolution 25154 to name it Jefferson Park. One can infer that it is named after Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. As such, the surrounding neighborhood also bears the name “Jefferson” but is officially recognized as a sub-neighborhood of West Park, along with Bellaire-Puritas, <a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/935">Kamm’s Corners</a>, and Hopkins (formerly Riverside). </p><p>The 8.5-acre park has a pleasing layout that is inspired by the twentieth-century City Beautiful movement in the United States. Around the same time that Jefferson Park was in the planning stages, construction was underway to execute the iconic <a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/56">Group Plan</a> of 1903, led by architect and planner Daniel Burnham, founder of the City Beautiful movement. According to a 1912 <em>Plain Dealer</em> article, “Supt. Cooley is planning a park 400 feet wide and 1,800 feet long… and a plat is being developed showing a double row of lots around the park.” Everything from the paths to the placement of trees was done in a thoughtful manner that resembles Frederick Law Olmsted’s pastoral style of park design. It is possible that Jefferson Park was designed this way to offer a moment of respite and peace from the busy and often noisy Lorain Avenue. Fortunately, many of the original trees planted during the construction of the park still remain today. Homes around the park were mainly built in the 1920s in the Colonial, Tudor, and Craftsman styles. </p><p>The park, though meticulously laid out in its origination, was little more than walking paths and trees. However, it evolved over time to meet the needs of the neighborhood, and renovations throughout the 20th century included the addition of playing fields, a playground, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a shelter house. Many longtime residents of the neighborhood fondly recall that the Cleveland Fire Department would hose down the playing fields in the winter to create an ice skating rink at the park, before the creation of a neighborhood rink at nearby Halloran Park. In 1937, conceptual plans were developed by the City of Cleveland to add a new recreation center, swimming pool, and game fields. The drawings for the recreation center were based on the 1932-built Portland-Outhwaite Recreation Center (now Lonnie Burten Recreation Center) on East 46th Street in the Central neighborhood. These plans never became reality, as a nearby recreation center was operated at John Marshall High School on West 140th Street. When John Marshall’s original building was demolished and rebuilt from 2012 to 2015, the stone owls that adorned the facade were saved and placed in Jefferson Park along with stone benches as a welcoming entrance to the park from Lorain Avenue. In 2024, the City of Cleveland made improvements to the park, including the addition of pickleball courts, renovated tennis courts, a new playground, and new benches and tables throughout the park. </p><p>While some planned expansions were never realized, Jefferson Park remains a cherished community space, continually evolving with recent upgrades, and serves as a vibrant venue for public events and recreation, preserving its legacy as a peaceful urban retreat.</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/1051">For more (including 13 images) view the original article</a></strong></em></p>]]></summary>
    <published>2025-01-03T00:04:28+00:00</published>
    <updated>2026-04-17T19:17:43+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/1051"/>
    <id>https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/1051</id>
    <author>
      <name>Nate J. Lull</name>
    </author>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[Howard M. Metzenbaum United States Courthouse: Arnold W. Brunner&#039;s Parisian Vision]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<img src="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/d098a0387eb07442e8bb2e0b0e3ad434.jpg" alt="U.S. Courthouse Soon After Completion" /><br/><p>Cleveland’s 1903 Group Plan was a grand undertaking: one of the era’s most ambitious and successful attempts to turn what civic leaders saw as an irredeemable slum into a “City Beautiful,” replete with dignified new structures and striking public spaces. In 1910, the Group Plan’s first building opened and the bar was set high: Christened the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, the structure is an architectural masterwork with a Beaux Arts façade and interior spaces enhanced with fine art and marble and brass finishes. The building was renamed the Howard M. Metzenbaum United States Courthouse in 1998; it is the only Group Plan structure to border both Public Square and the Mall. </p><p>The Courthouse belongs to an elite group of 35 buildings commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Department under the Tarsney Act of 1893. That legislation gave permission to the secretary of the treasury to use private architects, selected through competitions, to create federal buildings around the United States. The Cleveland structure was designed by Arnold W. Brunner under the direction of James Knox Taylor, supervising architect of the U.S. Treasury Department. </p><p>As the first Group Plan building, the Courthouse—built at a cost of $3,318,000—became the model upon which most of its Cleveland brethren were later based. The Public Library (1925), which resides next door, bears a particularly close resemblance to the Courthouse. Most of the other Group Plan buildings—the Cuyahoga County Courthouse (1912), City Hall (1916), Public Auditorium (1922) and the Board of Education building (1931)—also emulate the Courthouse’s style, size, scale and overall appearance. </p><p>Brunner took as his architectural inspiration the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The similarity is evidenced particularly by the tall Corinthian columns that adorn all four of the Courthouse’s facades. Like the Place de la Concorde, the Courthouse also is festooned with statuary, including two pieces—"Jurisprudence" and "Commerce"—by Daniel Chester French who also designed the Lincoln Memorial. </p><p>The interior is equally notable. Entering through one of three arched doorways, visitors encounter a lateral corridor 30 feet deep that runs the entire width of the building. The hall’s vaulted ceiling reaches 30 feet in height and all surfaces, including the floor, are done in Italian marble. Cast-bronze, spread-wing eagles standing on globes appear over each pair of elevator doors. Windows are trimmed in bronze. On higher floors of the building, there also are small interior windows. When the building was used as a post office these “postal peeps” served much the same function as internal security cameras do today, allowing supervisors to keep an eye on workers below. </p><p>The third floor’s ceremonial courtrooms have often been at the center of history-making events. In 1918, Eugene V. Debs was put on trial in the East Ceremonial Courtroom for opposing US involvement in World War I. Civil suits relating to the May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State University were held in the building’s upper courtrooms, which also were the site of Cleveland’s famous school desegregation (bussing) case that was decided in 1976 by Judge Frank J. Battisti. </p><p>Visible everywhere inside the building are fine artworks, many of which have Cleveland or Ohio themes: “City of Cleveland Welcomes the Arts” by William Hickok Lowe. “Passing Commerce Pays Tribute to the Port of Cleveland” by Kenyon Cox. “Battle of Lake Erie, Sept. 10, 1813” by Rufus Fairchild Zogbaum. The building also boasts a collection of 63 “Delivering the Mail” murals by artist Francis Millet, who also created the 13 murals in the <a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/show/7945">Cleveland Trust rotunda</a> and died on the <em>Titanic.</em> </p><p>Following a 1998 upgrade, the courthouse was renamed in honor of former U.S. Senator Howard Morton Metzenbaum. A major initiative to restore public spaces and modernize the mechanical systems was initiated in 2002. That same year, a number of functions of the U.S. District Court moved to the new Carl B. Stokes Federal Court House Building west of Public Square. Today, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, General Services Administration, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and Office of the U.S. Trustee reside in the Metzenbaum facility. The upper courtrooms are still used for public hearings and proceedings. </p><p>One of more than 200 legacy properties under the stewardship of the General Services Administration, the Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/802">For more (including 11 images) view the original article</a></strong></em></p>]]></summary>
    <published>2017-06-07T21:34:23+00:00</published>
    <updated>2026-04-17T19:17:39+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/802"/>
    <id>https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/802</id>
    <author>
      <name>Chris Roy</name>
    </author>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[Cuyahoga County Courthouse]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<img src="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/43beba243d36a5c4550ed15eae0d1a02.jpg" alt="Courthouse from Lake View Park" /><br/><p>Cuyahoga County was established in 1807—eleven years after “Cleaveland” became a city and four years after Ohio became a state. For the next century, multiple structures provided judicial services for the county. Initially, court was held in various taverns and inns around town. The first actual courthouse was completed in 1813. It contained jail cells, a living room for the sheriff, and a 2nd floor courtroom. Three other facilities—all located on or near Public Square—were built and deployed throughout the 1800s. </p><p>The current building on Lakeside Avenue near Cleveland City Hall was completed in 1911 at a cost of more than $4 million. Designed by the architectural firm of Lehman & Schmitt, with Charles Morris (an École des Beaux-Arts alumnus) as chief designer, the building is constructed of Milford pink granite from Massachusetts. It is one of seven buildings composing the <a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/56">Group Plan</a>—a landmark 1903 initiative to redefine downtown Cleveland with open park space and grand, dignified buildings. The Group Plan structures are representative of the Beaux-Arts school, which emphasizes symmetry; arched and pedimented windows and doors; largely flat roofs; and myriad statuary. </p><p>The Courthouse is a prominent salute both to the Beaux-Arts tradition and to some of history’s most important figures. Posted at the entrance are bronze statues of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Above the front cornice are representatives of the four kinds of law: Moses (moral law), Byzantine Emperor Justinian (civil law), King Alfred the Great (common law), and Pope Gregory IX (canon law). Various other statuary includes Simon de Montfort (founder of the English House of Commons), English King Edward I (who gave the English people the right to determine taxation), and US Chief Justice John Marshal. </p><p>Directly above the front entry doors are three large arched windows between fluted Ionic columns. These south-facing windows allow copious amounts of daylight into the courtroom—a convenience, an aesthetic bonus and even a metaphor. The frieze of the cornice includes the inscription “Cuyahoga County Courthouse.” The rear (northward) elevation facing Lake Erie is composed similarly but with the inscription “Liberty is Obedience to Law.” </p><p>The interior, created under the direction of noted Cleveland architect Charles Schweinfurth, features a grand three-story central court with vaulted ceilings, marble Ionic columns, and a balustraded (railing supported by spindles or stair sticks) mezzanine. An elegant curving marble staircase rises past a large stained-glass window representing Law & Justice.</p><p>Along with the Mall district, the Cuyahoga County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/791">For more (including 9 images) view the original article</a></strong></em></p>]]></summary>
    <published>2017-05-11T09:46:43+00:00</published>
    <updated>2026-04-17T19:17:37+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/791"/>
    <id>https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/791</id>
    <author>
      <name>Chris Roy</name>
    </author>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[Public Auditorium: The Rise, Fall and Revival of a Pathbreaking Convention Center]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<img src="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/ed95383e049d31e56436fba0f557451b.jpg" alt="Facing the Music" /><br/><p>In the 1920s Cleveland's Public Auditorium was among the largest and most popular meeting venues in the United States. By the end of the 20th century, Cleveland and Public Auditorium were fighting tooth and nail for second-tier convention business. Two decades later Cleveland hosted the 2016 Republican National Convention—leveraging a new convention center connected to a large hotel and a revamped Public Auditorium. </p><p>Public Auditorium was one of seven public buildings constructed as part of the Cleveland Group Plan of 1903. Reflecting the goals of the “City Beautiful” movement (attractive public buildings and open spaces), the Group Plan emphasized Roman Revival and Beaux Arts architecture surrounding a large mall. All of the resultant structures survive to this day, except for the Cuyahoga County Administration Building (the least iconic of the group) which was demolished in 2014. </p><p>Design plans for Public Auditorium were created by city architects Frederic H. Betz and J. Harold McDowell in conjunction with Frank R. Walker of the architectural firm Walker & Weeks. Planning and fundraising commenced in 1916. Construction began in 1920 and the building was completed in 1922. The result was magnificent in scale and aesthetic allure: A 21,780-square-foot registration lobby, a 10,000-seat auditorium with color frescos lining the balconies, a 3,000-seat Music Hall and a 600-seat Little Theater. Small wonder that the auditorium’s heyday was long and fruitful: Republican National Conventions in 1924 and 1936. Concerts ranging from the Cleveland Orchestra and Duke Ellington to the Beatles and David Bowie. </p><p>Unfortunately, Public Hall began to languish by mid century. In 1957, an issue to expand the convention center beneath the Mall was rejected by Cleveland voters. The resolution reappeared in 1958 and again was struck down. In 1959, voters also rejected a 1,000-room Hilton hotel, controversially sited on the south end of the Mall. Not until 1963 did Public Auditorium receive a much-needed subterranean addition. Auditorium business and attendance rebounded but only temporarily. For nearly another half century, Public Auditorium remained static. </p><p>A positive new stage for Public Auditorium emerged in 2011. First the Global Center for Health Innovation was conceived (initially as the Medical Mart) and eventually built on the west side of the mall. Voters also approved a 0.25 percent sales tax increase to fund development of the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland—a massive renovation of the convention space beneath the Mall and the adjoining Public Auditorium. Adding to the allure of the new meeting spaces, the Hilton Cleveland Downtown was finally erected on the former site of the County Administration Building. Voila: 390,000 total feet of meeting space and underground access to a 600-room hotel. With the help of some powerful new neighbors, Public Auditorium saw new life. </p><p><em><strong><a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/625">For more (including 10 images) view the original article</a></strong></em></p>]]></summary>
    <published>2013-11-12T23:15:13+00:00</published>
    <updated>2026-04-17T19:17:40+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/625"/>
    <id>https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/625</id>
    <author>
      <name>John Horan&amp;#32;&amp;amp;&amp;#32;Chris Roy</name>
    </author>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[Cleveland City Hall]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<img src="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/9896e9826c5a65120e337c775f12bc50.jpg" alt="Cleveland City Hall" /><br/><p>On July 3, 1916, Cleveland city councilmen convened for their weekly meeting. But this was no ordinary get-together. Instead, it was the legislators’ inaugural gathering in Cleveland’s glamorous new city hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue—the very first Cleveland building constructed specifically to function as council chambers. Previously, Cleveland's council chambers had shared roofs with retailers and private and commercial offices. The first place local government business was conducted was in a log cabin.</p><p>On April 5, 1802, the first Cleveland Township elections took place at the home of James Kingsbury, one of Cleveland's most important pioneers. After that spring, the Kingsbury home (now the site of the Federal Building at East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue) became the site of township elections and government meetings, and remained so until 1815. In November, 1836, Cleveland finally had a city council, and the newly elected councilmen chose the two upper floors of the Jones Building, located southwest of Public Square, as their city hall.</p><p>In the summer of 1875, Cleveland's city hall headquarters moved to the Case Block: a commercial building on Superior Street where the Cleveland Public Library's main building now stands. For thirty years, Cleveland City Hall shared this building with everything from a ladies clothing store and hotel to artist studios. Not until 1906, when it purchased the Case Block building, was Cleveland able to claim that it had an entire building for its city hall.</p><p>Around the time the Case Block building was purchased, plans to build a new city hall were presented to Mayor Tom Johnson. The design was finalized by 1907 and construction began in 1912. Four years later the $3 million building was completed. It was architected by Clevelander J. Milton Dyer, who also designed the Cleveland Athletic Club, the First Methodist Church at 3000 Euclid Avenue, the Coast Guard Station at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, and myriad residences along Euclid Avenue and in Wade Park (University Circle). </p><p>The new City Hall is one of many structures conforming to Daniel Burnham's 1903 Group Plan. Thus its styling is similar to other Group Plan buildings such as the Cuyahoga County Courthouse (1911), Public Auditorium/Music Hall (1922), the Cleveland Board of Education Building (1931, now the Drury Hotel), and the Cleveland Public Library (1925). What may be most striking is the building’s similarity to its neighbor to the west, the Cuyahoga County Courthouse. Both buildings feature bays on each end, balustraded roof lines, and a central pavilion with three entrance bays. City Hall has been designated a historic landmark by the Cleveland Landmarks Commission.</p><p>On July 4, 1916, Cleveland welcomed its new government building with a citywide celebration. City Hall's bronze doors were opened at noon and Clevelanders flooded in to see the council chambers and mayor's suite. Concerts of orchestra music and singing filled the building with music. The day ended with the largest fireworks display the city had ever seen.</p><p>Since 1916, Cleveland City Hall has undergone several restorations to keep it a functioning location for city affairs. Council Chambers underwent major renovations in 1951 and 1977. However, the façade remains largely unchanged. Today, in addition to the mayor's office, many departments—including City Planning, Finance, Public Health and Public Safety—are housed inside City Hall.</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/405">For more (including 11 images) view the original article</a></strong></em></p>]]></summary>
    <published>2012-01-31T23:23:50+00:00</published>
    <updated>2026-04-17T19:17:38+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/405"/>
    <id>https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/405</id>
    <author>
      <name>Alea Lytle</name>
    </author>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[The Mall: Bringing the &quot;City Beautiful&quot; to Cleveland]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<img src="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/16923317e3bc00737938ef1e6b6614cc.jpg" alt="Early Group Plan Sketch" /><br/><p>When the city approved the Group Plan of 1903, it was believed that the Mall would become the city’s functional and symbolic center. The long stretch of land northeast of Public Square would turn a former slum into a parklike space, and a half-dozen neoclassical government buildings surrounding the Mall would instill a sense of civic pride and duty. These goals fit the aims of the City Beautiful reform movement, whose proponents worried that the attractiveness and dignity of American cities were being compromised by poverty, overpopulation and the perceived deleterious effects of immigration. Daniel Burnham, who played a leading role in designing Cleveland’s Group Plan, was a major figure in the City Beautiful movement. He may best be remembered for designing Chicago’s White City at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. In Cleveland, however, as Walter Leedy wrote, “Instead of a ‘White City’ the Mall turned out to be a ‘White Sepulcher.’”</p><p>The Mall’s transformation into a true city center was quashed in the 1920s by the Van Sweringen brothers’ decision to build their Union Terminal train station on Public Square, a decision that answered a federal government concern about mixing local and national rail traffic on the strategically important tracks along the lakeshore. The 1903 Group Plan specified that the city’s main train station would be built at the north end of the Mall. When that didn’t happen, it became clear that Public Square would remain the city’s center. In retrospect, this was a propitious choice: Public Square was Cleveland’s transportation hub and it was closer to the booming commercial district taking shape along Euclid Avenue. The Mall, meanwhile, became somewhat of an afterthought, used occasionally for concerts and other events but serving mainly as a cut-through for downtown workers.</p><p>A number of plans over the years promised to inject new life into the Mall, including unrealized plans for embellishments in the late 1920s and again in the late 1930s, the short-lived amenities brought by the 1936-37 Great Lakes Exposition, a failed bid in the late 1950s for a "hotel on the Mall," and the addition of the Hanna Fountains in 1964 (but removed in 1987). In the 2010s the Mall received a new carpet of grass atop the ramp-like rise on Mall B necessitated by the most recent expansion of the convention center. New buildings, including a "medical mart" and a convention hotel were added on the Mall's western flank in anticipation of the city's hosting of the 2016 Republican National Convention. Yet the Mall still struggles to serve as a civic space, calling attention to the challenges that face all efforts to create such places.</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/312">For more (including 10 images) view the original article</a></strong></em></p>]]></summary>
    <published>2011-08-01T10:53:38+00:00</published>
    <updated>2026-04-17T19:17:38+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/312"/>
    <id>https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/312</id>
    <author>
      <name>Michael Rotman</name>
    </author>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[The May Company: Ohio&#039;s Largest Store]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<img src="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/5311ab18b650cdbfded0d81e2f761acc.jpg" alt="May Company, 1924" /><br/><p>The new May Company department store opened on Public Square in 1915. Containing over 800,000 square feet of floor space, it was said to be the third largest store in the nation.  Built by world-famous architect and city planner Daniel Burnham (who also designed Cleveland's Group Plan and Mall, as well as the White City at Chicago's 1893 World's Fair), it reflects the architectural values of the City Beautiful movement popularized by Burnham. Its gleaming white terra-cotta facade, clean lines, and symmetrical detailing gives the building a dignified and elegant look. Unlike many of the classically-influenced City Beautiful type buildings, however, its durable steel and concrete frame allowed for the generous inclusion of wide "Chicago style" (tripartite) windows facing Public Square.  But what really excited the public about the new May Company were the luxurious shopping areas that could be found behind its front doors. </p><p>Shoppers could expect to find everything they needed at the May Company. Clothing, housewares, furniture: it was all there, spread across dozens of departments. In addition, the building contained the city's largest soda fountain, an auditorium for cooking and fashion demonstrations, a hair salon (including a "children's barber shop"), a "children's playground" staffed by a storytelling governess where mothers could drop off their children while shopping, and 23 passenger elevators. More than 2,500 employees worked at the store, including a trained nurse at the baby department who advised "mothers as to the proper dressing and care for infants," as well as "nine young women, conversant with ten languages" who made up the "foreign department," where non-English-speaking patrons could find help.  </p><p>The May Company, founded in Denver in 1888, first opened in Cleveland in 1899 after purchasing the E.R. Hull & Dutton Company's store on Ontario Street near Public Square. Burnham's 1915 building underwent expansion in 1931 that saw the addition of two floors, increasing the sales area to more than one million square feet.  In the 1950s, the May Company began an expansion into the suburbs, following the population's movement away from the city. By 1979,  it had nine branches throughout Northern Ohio. Shifting population and spending patterns eventually forced the May Company and other Cleveland department stores to curtail their downtown businesses, leading to their closures in the 1980s and 1990s. The May Company's downtown store ultimately closed in January 1993, and its remaining stores were rebranded Kaufmann's, at the time a May-owned department store with Pittsburgh roots.</p><p>The bulk of the building lay vacant for many years after the store closed. Many of the interior architecture was lost when the building was gutted in anticipation of being turned into a parking garage to support the nearby casino in the former Higbee's department store building. The street level facing Euclid Avenue became home to the Cuyahoga Community College School of Hospitality Management and two restaurants. The remainder more recently underwent renovation to become apartments in 2020.</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/241">For more (including 12 images) view the original article</a></strong></em></p>]]></summary>
    <published>2011-07-01T15:27:25+00:00</published>
    <updated>2026-04-17T19:17:37+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/241"/>
    <id>https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/241</id>
    <author>
      <name>J. Mark Souther</name>
    </author>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[Saint Colman Catholic Church]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<img src="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/saintcolman-clevelandstateuniveristy-clevelandmemory_brookins028-w65thandlorainintersection-nd_4a6232f0c9.jpg" alt="View From Intersection at W. 65th and Lorain Avenue" /><br/><p>St. Colman Catholic Church, located on West 65th Street near Lorain Avenue, was founded in 1880 as a response to the rapidly growing Irish immigrant population on Cleveland's West Side. Father Eugene M. O'Callaghan, former pastor of the predominately Irish St. Patrick's Catholic Church, held the first mass in a rented home off of Gordon Street (W 65th Street).  Later that year, the first church was constructed on Gordon Street and the home was converted into St. Colman School. With over 1,000 worshipers in 1883, the church was expanding in both its size and the role it played within the surrounding community. A new school was built on Gordon Street in 1885, and a convent was constructed for the Sisters of St. Joseph to begin their residency the following year.  By 1904, a larger three-level schoolhouse opened that included a 1,000 seat auditorium in the basement.</p><p>Taking four years to construct, St. Colman Catholic Church opened its doors in 1918. The classically styled structure could accommodate 2,800 people. St. Colman continued to expand, with a convent added in 1921, and both a second school and rectory constructed in 1930. The Church continued to act as the centerpiece of the neighborhood's Irish community until the middle of the century.</p><p>The West Side Irish community remained stable until the end of World War II. Soon after, however, the community dissolved as a result of the general exodus of Cleveland residents away from the urban core. In this changing environment, St. Colman Church evolved to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and less prosperous community. With the 1904 school being closed and demolished in 1974, St. Colman opened one of the West Side's first preschools in its 1930 school building. Additionally, the church expanded its role ministering and providing social services to the outlying neighborhood through the development of a recovery program, literacy projects, an outreach ministry, and HUD-supported housing for senior citizens. </p><p>In an effort to downsize the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, Bishop Richard Lennon announced that St. Colman would merge with St. Stephen in March 2009. This order led to local grassroots efforts by the community to get Lennon to reconsider his decision. Rev. Bob Begin visited Lennon on two occasions to make the case for St. Colman. A flurry of appeal letters were sent to Lennon, arguing that the parish's social services had a tremendous impact on the urban poor, and that the church was financially stable. The works done by both Begin and St. Colman’s parishioners convinced Lennon to keep the church open.</p><p>However, not every church was spared closure. St. Emeric Church closed on June 30, 2010, leaving hundreds without a parish. Enter St. Colman; Rev. Begin collaborated with St. Emeric’s parishioner Eva Szabo, to hold monthly masses at St. Colman. Begin started learning Magyar, a Hungarian language, in order to prepare for St. Emeric’s churchgoers. He told the Plain Dealer, “I’ll learn to speak Hungarian enough to do the prayers.” The masses continued while Szabo and others continued to fight for their parish.</p><p>When Rev. Begin turned 75, he had to retire under church law. St. Colman’s parishioners disagreed, wishing Begin could stay longer. In their efforts, they submitted over 3,000 signatures and letters to Lennon to change his mind about Begin’s retirement. Lennon listened and offered to allow Begin to work for one more year, which Begin accepted. Begin officially retired in 2014, but continued to help and assist the church and those in need.</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/185">For more (including 6 images&#32;&amp;&#32;2 audio files) view the original article</a></strong></em></p>]]></summary>
    <published>2011-03-17T04:42:38+00:00</published>
    <updated>2026-04-17T19:17:37+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/185"/>
    <id>https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/185</id>
    <author>
      <name>Richard Raponi&amp;#32;&amp;amp;&amp;#32;Katherine Gerchak</name>
    </author>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <title type="html"><![CDATA[Group Plan: The New City Center That Wasn&#039;t]]></title>
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<img src="https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/groupplan-cpl-mall_2-nd_mallscene_bdf3208e53.jpg" alt="The Mall, ca. 1930" /><br/><p>The Group Plan of Public Buildings in 1903 was an ambitious city-planning scheme that—as much as any single initiative—shaped downtown Cleveland. The Plan’s six public buildings are the Federal Building (1910, now the Howard Metzenbaum US Courthouse), the Cuyahoga County Courthouse (1911), City Hall (1916), Public Auditorium (1922), the Cleveland Public Library (1926) and the Board of Education Building (1930). A seventh Group Plan structure—the Cuyahoga County Administration Building (1957)—was demolished in 2014 to make way for a Hilton Hotel. </p><p>All six structures are loosely clustered around the key Group Plan component, the Mall, a long, three-segment public park northeast of Public Square. The buildings are of uniform height and style, representing the Roman classicism of the Beaux-Arts school of architecture. The strategy was to create an official gateway, an iconic corridor, leading from a new railroad depot on the lakefront to Public Square. </p><p>Responding to proposals made by the American Institute of Architects and the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, the City of Cleveland formed the Group Plan Commission in 1902. Three architects—Arnold W. Brunner, John M. Carrére and Daniel Burnham—served on the commission, which presented its recommendations to Mayor Tom L. Johnson in 1903. The resulting Group Plan was heavily influenced by several sources: One was the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Another was the Washington, D.C., Mall then under construction. A third was the City Beautiful movement: a response to concerns that the attractiveness and dignity of American cities were being compromised by poverty, over-population and the perceived deleterious effects of immigration. It was believed that “beautification”—personified by ample park space and grand, dignified buildings—would instill civic and moral virtue in city residents and revitalize urban areas that were increasingly perceived by the wealthy as undesirable places to live and work.</p><p>The central aim of the Group Plan was to re-center downtown and provide a model that might inspire harmonious architecture guided by principles other than the dominant commercial mode of urban development.  However, the rail station idea, which was essential to such a re-centering, was scrapped because the U.S. Railroad Administration worried that local rail traffic would impede cross-country traffic on the "Water Level Route" along the lakefront, a matter of heightened importance during mobilization for World War I. The federal government looked with favor on a southern railroad approach to downtown by local and regional trains. The Van Sweringen plan for the Cleveland Union Terminal, which opened in 1930, meshed with this broader consideration and shifted the city's focus shifted from the Mall back to its traditional center on Public Square.</p><p>Despite the Mall's diminished role, it remains nothing less than “beautiful”—a testament to smart planning and placement, and the enduring aesthetic appeal of classical architecture. The Mall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.</p><p><em><strong><a href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/56">For more (including 7 images&#32;&amp;&#32;1 video) view the original article</a></strong></em></p>]]></summary>
    <published>2010-09-22T10:56:04+00:00</published>
    <updated>2026-04-17T19:17:37+00:00</updated>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/56"/>
    <id>https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/56</id>
    <author>
      <name>Richard Raponi&amp;#32;&amp;amp;&amp;#32;Michael Rotman</name>
    </author>
  </entry>
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