Filed Under Religion

Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church

Drawn more by economic opportunity than oppression, Arabs from numerous countries in western Asia and northern Africa began arriving in Cleveland in the late 19th Century. And although much of the Arab world is Muslim, these early immigrants tended to be Christian—having learned about the United States from Protestant missionaries. The new residents settled primarily in Tremont (South Side) and the Haymarket district (south of what is now Tower City Center). In 1911, they established a congregation that would later become St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church (the principality of Antioch was created during the First Crusade, 1096–1099, and included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria).
 
Many of these new arrivals–a majority of whom were actually from Lebanon (which was part of Greater Syria at the time)–frequented St. Elias Byzantine Catholic Church on Webster Avenue near Carnegie Avenue between East 9th and 14th Streets. Members of St. George used St. Elias because St. George’s only priest had been transferred to another city. In 1926, however, St. George was reestablished by a group of believers. A new pastor arrived in 1927 and held services at a variety of locales, including the billiards room at Gray's Armory.
 
The congregation purchased the old Lincoln Park Methodist Episcopal Church (built in 1892) on West 14th Street and Starkweather Avenue in 1928. Soon after, fire destroyed nearly all of this building, and church members raised more than $40,000 to rebuild. The rebuilt St. George's was dedicated in 1935. The congregation rebuilt it in the Byzantine style with cupolas on the steeple and an ornate altar screen hand-crafted by Damascus-native Dawood Deeb. Details such as a wide front gable, rounded arches above the window openings, and a relatively short, squared-off tower with a conical roof also suggest a Richardsonian Romanesque style. However, the onion-shaped finials at the top of the bell tower are more indicative of the congregation’s unique cultural and religious heritage.

Images

St. George Antiochian Catholic Church, 1949
St. George Antiochian Catholic Church, 1949 Source: Cleveland Memory, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections Date: 1949
St. George Antiochian Catholic Church Before Fire, 1929
St. George Antiochian Catholic Church Before Fire, 1929 This image from 1929 shows the original church, much of which was destroyed by fire in 1933. Source: Cleveland Memory, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections Date: 1929
Entrance to St. George Antiochian Catholic Church
Entrance to St. George Antiochian Catholic Church Source: Cleveland Memory, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections
Items Donated to Heritage Room, 1965
Items Donated to Heritage Room, 1965 An ancient Koran and other historical items are presented to Edward Esber (center) of St. George Antiochian Church by Mr. and Mrs. Roy Frankhauser for use in the Heritage Room in the educational and cultural center adjoining the church. Source: Cleveland Memory, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections Date: 1965
Honoring the Flag, 1976
Honoring the Flag, 1976 Youngsters — two of whom are dressed in traditional Arab attire — stand on the steps of St. George Antiochian Church with an American flag. Source: Cleveland State University Library Special Collections

Location

2587 W 14th St, Cleveland, OH 44113

Metadata

Michael Rotman, “Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church,” Cleveland Historical, accessed March 29, 2024, https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/94.