St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church: A pillar of Civil Rights and community
Cleveland Masterworks: St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Central neighborhood is the oldest Black congregation in Cleveland. The 1908 church designed by Sydney Badgley's firm, the church is is known as a champion of community and Civil Rights.
Howling Heros: David Knott ensures retired K-9 first responders remain with their human partners
David Knott, founder of the Veterans and First Responders Foundation, is on a mission to give military and police dogs everything they need when they retire from duty—from staying with their handlers to healthcare—with his nonprofit Howling Heroes. The first five dogs were just honored last month.
Eternal fire: Ohio City’s Glass Bubble Project’s furnace has been burning for 25 Years
FreshWater contributor Katie McMenamin recently dropped by the Glass Bubble Project in Ohio City, where she got a lesson in the history of glassblowing, got to assist owner Mike Kaplan in creating a design, and learned what keeps Kaplan going after 25 years of blowing glass, teaching others the art, and sharing his passions.
Making choices, making history: Facing History mural prompts a look inward, a look forward
Facing History & Ourselves, the organization that uses the lessons of the past to create a better future by helping navigate student conversations about race, equity, justice, and citizenship, worked with LAND studio and artist Isaiah Williams to send its message through a mural on the side on their building on the Urban Community School campus.
Cleveland Terminal & Valley Railway Depot: A relic of 19th Century passenger rail travel
Cleveland Masterworks: In the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, the railroad industry was booming, for both freight transport and passenger rail. The abandoned Cleveland Terminal & Valley Railway depot in the Flats is a living relic of those past times.
Young guns: Three under-31 managers take charge at Cleveland digital marketing agency
In October VividFront founder Andrew Spott promoted three of his employees—all under the age of 31—to leadership positions. The 14-year-old company's future success is now in the hands of these three young guns.
St. Casimir Church blazing new paths in green infrastructure on its 130-year-old property
St. Casimir Catholic Church in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood is currently working on the second phase of its green infrastructure plan—installing permeable pavers and other systems to divert rainwater from the storm sewers to help keep Lake Erie clean—thanks to green infrastructure grants from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.
The Weizer Building: A 1928 testament to Cleveland’s Hungarian population in Buckeye
Cleveland Masterworks: Hungarian-born architect Henry Hradilek came to Cleveland in the early 1900s and wasted no time designing industrial buildings, apartments, and homes, including the building that is today's Don’s Lighthouse. His remarkable Beaux Arts design of the Weizer Building in Buckeye will soon be Providence House's new east side location.
Discussing diversity: Engage! Cleveland hosts DEI Conference
Engage! Cleveland recently held its inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference at the Cleveland Museum of Art. A sold-out crowd participated in conversations about diversity and listened to speakers discuss how to foster inclusive workplaces, address systemic barriers, promote equitable opportunities, and create a more just and inclusive society.
New Larchmere Homes project is just one step in CHN's mission to ensure affordable housing for all
CHN Housing Partners has the goal of making home ownership available to everyone in Cleveland. With the recent ribbon cutting of Larchmere Homes in Buckeye Shaker, the organization is one step closer to that objective. But CHN officials say there's more to be done.
Marking a century: Inventor Garrett Morgan honored this week on 100 years of the traffic signal
This week marks the 100th anniversary of Clevelander Garrett Morgan's 1923 invention of the traffic signal—calming the growing automobile traffic and curbing collisions with pedestrians. The Willoughby Historical Society and Garrett's descendants have several events planned.
End of an era: The demolition of TRW's Lyndhurst Headquarters
Cleveland Masterworks: TRW began in Cleveland as a small manufacturing company and evolved into a worldwide leader in the automotive, aviation, and aerospace industries. The 480,000-square-foot headquarters TRW built in 1985 on Frances Payne Bolton's estate in Lyndhurst is now being demolished.
James A. Garfield Day: A look at the NEO native and 20th U.S. President
Last month, the Ohio legislature declared Nov. 19 James A. Garfield Day—honoring the 20th U.S. President and Moreland Hills native. FreshWater contributing editor Grant Segal dives into the president's political history, his assassination, and his Ohio legacies in Moreland Hills and at Lake View Cemetery.
Brown Hoisting & Machinery Co.: From 19th Century industry to 21st Century creative community
Cleveland Masterworks: In the late 1800s, Alexander Brown used his civil engineering degree to develop the Brown Hoist—an automated crane system for unloading ships' cargo that reduced costs and turnaround times. His successful business was housed in the J. Milton Dyer-designed Brownhoist Building in MidTown. Today the building is a gathering space for creatives, small businesses, and collaborators who want to give back to the St. Clair-Superior and MidTown neighborhoods.
COSE names 19 Semifinalists in Cleveland Chain Reaction competition
Greater Cleveland Partnership’s COSE this morning announced the 19 businesses that will advance to the semifinals in season six of Cleveland Chain Reaction. They will now go to JumpStart's bootcamp to prepare their pitches to the judges in December.
Pilgrim Church: An example of innovation by 19th Century architect Sidney Badgley
Cleveland Masterworks: The 1894 Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in Tremont is just one of many churches, buildings, and homes designed by Cleveland architect Sidney Rose Badgley. Tremont History Project will give free tours of Pilgrim this weekend.
Ohio Bell Telephone Building: Once Cleveland’s tallest building and a hub for technology
Cleveland Masterworks: The 1927 Ohio Bell Telephone Building on Huron Road was briefly the tallest building in the city—until the Terminal Tower overshadowed it in 1928. Designed by Hubbell and Bennes, the building was the site for technological leaps in long-distance phone calls in the 1940s and 1970s.
Artistic interpretation: First two murals completed in Murals Across the City campaign
Two local artists—Kelle Schwab and Lisa Quine—just completed the first two murals in Murals Across the City Campaign sponsored by Destination Cleveland and partner Graffiti Heart. Four more murals are to come.
Lights On! Slavic Village hosts open houses in four available Fleet Avenue storefronts
Slavic Village Development, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, and SCORE Cleveland will host Lights On Storefront Open House to showcase four vacant properties on Fleet Avenue that might lure small businesses and retailers to the neighborhood.
Changing the future of women’s healthcare one practice at a time
Dr. Alexa Fiffick recently opened Concierge Medicine of Westlake, part of Ms. Medicine, a network of female-owned medical providers who aim to transform women's healthcare using the concierge model. Fiffick's aim is to bring change to women's healthcare, with a particular focus on menopause.