George A. Myers is often referred to as Cleveland’s best barber. But his influence extended beyond the chair and the shop. Myers was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1859. He graduated high school but was denied entrance into the city college because of his race. He would learn to become a barber and move to […]
Jane Edna (Harris) Hunter was born in South Carolina in 1882, the daughter of sharecroppers. She trained to become a nurse and eventually moved to Cleveland where she attended the Marshall Law School and passed the Ohio Bar exam. Her Work In 1911, she organized the Working Girls Association, which later would become known as […]
February 14, 1921 the Ohio Theater opened in Cleveland. Today we celebrate its 100 year anniversary! The Mimi Ohio Theater is part of Playhouse Square. The theater was part of the Loews’ theater chain when it opened and it showed movies as well as live performances. In 1929, the theater showed Bela Lugosi in “Dracula”. […]
John Patterson Green was born in North Carolina in 1845 but he and his family moved to Cleveland in 1857. He attended Central High School in downtown Cleveland in the late 1860’s. He studied law and was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1870. John Patterson Green has the distinction of being the first African […]
The State Theater opened on February 5, 1921 – 100 years ago today! It is the first of the Playhouse Square theaters to celebrate their 100 year anniversary. Set for demolition in 1972, we are so lucky to still have this amazing theater here in Cleveland. Originally part of the Loew’s theater chain, it was […]
The other week on a rare “warm” January day I visited the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Now, I know it is the middle of winter and the stunning roses are not in bloom and the herb and vegetable gardens are pretty sparse but it was a change to get outside and still find some beauty amongst […]
I took a tour the other week of the new San Sofia apartments in Tremont. You may think, okay. But the thing that really sets this apartment building apartment apart is the fact that it is built inside an old church and its adjoining school building. Back in August 2018, I did a series of […]
Our walking tours concentrate on downtown but today I head east and explore some of the history in Midtown. Sometimes history is hiding in plain sight. Take for example the building located at 3028 Prospect Ave. Today it is the home of the Rowfant Club. Rowfant Club The Rowfant Club was founded in 1892. They […]
In July of this year, Cleveland Construction began their work on 75 Public Square, converting it from an office building into an 114 unit apartment building. Our walking tours begin near the building, so I have been watching their progress from the outside but being the ever curious fan of Cleveland history, I wanted to […]
Riverside Cemetery was created for the residents on the west side of Cleveland in 1875. Prior to this there were only small cemeteries in the area and the residents wanted to establish a larger cemetery that could accommodate future generations. Titus N. Brainard would sell around 100 acres his land to establish Riverside. It was […]
