Posted June 4, 200619 yr Two friends and I went for a run in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood this morning. Clark-Fulton (sometimes known as Clark-Metro because it is home to Metro Hospital on W. 25th Street) lies on the near West Side of Cleveland, south of Ohio City. Its rough boundaries are Denison Avenue to the South, Lorain Avenue to the North, W. 25th to the East and W. 65th to the West. Of all Cleveland's neighborhoods, it was one of the most devastated by highway construction. I-90 and I-71 gash through the northern and southern sections of the neighborhood. Some of what was lost has been depicted in the book "Cleveland Then & Now." Still, Clark-Fulton continues to function as a point of entry for new immigrants to Northeast Ohio -- primarily Latin Americans. Once largely German, then Italian and Czech, it is now Cleveland's largest barrio, as demonstrated by numerous bodegas, markets and Latin night clubs. While blight is prevalent, many classic Cleveland storefront buildings remain intact along the old streetcar routes of W. 25th, Fulton, Clark and Storer avenues. Those charming old structures, along with innumerable Catholic churches and bars, make it the epitome of "The Old Neighborhood" in Cleveland. We didn't make it to W. 25th, so there are no photos of that street in this thread. Our run started near Fulton and Storer. Running up Fulton toward Clark, with St. Rocco's in the distance. Lois' Place bar. Italian businesses -- and some Italians themselves -- remain. The Italian community is anchored by St. Rocco church on Fulton. A priest ushers Sunday morning churchgoers (including returning suburbanites) out onto the sidewalk. The Pearls -- er, Village -- of St. Rocco's, a new infill development that I think is financed by the church. The other Italian staple in the neighborhood is the famous Johnny's Bar, on Fulton. On the side of Johnny's, a sign for a car wash. Joe De's Pizzeria and Restaurant. Pat's Beauty Salon. Ricordo's Italian Garden Party Center on Fulton. La Fiesta Supermercado, a focal point for the neighborhood's newer residents (though it is way OUT of focus here -- sorry). Guiseppe's Barber Shop, on Fulton, loves Puerto Rico. Martial arts, anyone? On Fulton just south of Clark, an old warehouse has been given new life as offices. Behind that and to the east, another beauty. Heading west on Clark from Fulton. Clark has quite a few missing teeth, but some interesting structures remain. St. Mary's cemetary on Clark. Great Lakes Lithograph. Clark near (I believe) W. 44th. Side of the Bank News building. Classic Cleveland storefronts, now sadly boarded up. Sober Coffee: Sober people, sober place, sober fun. How many pizzerias can one neighborhood support? One of the gems of the neighborhood is this building on Clark, adjacent to a firehouse (at left). Does it still function as a gentleman's club? Who knows... Castro Hardware. Oh, and plants too. The What-Ever Shop. Whatever... El Torito Restaurant and Bakery on Clark. Tattoos, and a turret. Clark near W. 48th. Clark and W. 50th. Bay windows above storefront. Macho Machinery Co. -- don't mess with them! Another gem was the Clark Recreation Center, 5706 Clark, with separate entrances for men and women. These old bathhouses used to be all over the city. The rather forboding streetscape at Clark and W. 61st. The old stone bridge was cool -- it bears the date 1906. A cute house on W. 61st with terraced gardens. Grit lovers, here ya go. Old factory fronting on W. 65th, viewed from behind. As an antidote, here's a pretty old schoolhouse (we think). Now home to what appears to be a daycare. Typical housing stock. We turned east down Storer Avenue, to be greeted by Latin Touch Nite Club! Verlie's Sunday Liquor, W. 46th and Storer. No, we didn't stop in. El Tropical Restaurant. Typical view down Storer. Bethany United Church of Christ in the distance. Holy Sacrament Church and school, Fulton near Storer. We're back to where we started. Saving the best for last, we stopped into Mazzone's Bakery on Clark near Fulton. The counter at Mazzone's. The selections. On the way back home, I snapped a shot of the old Jewish Cemetery on Fulton near Monroe. Practically next door is the Monroe Street Cemetery, established in 1836. The gate looks just like Erie Street Cemetery's and I was told it was designed by the same man. Another view.
June 4, 200619 yr Great shots! Some terrific buildings in there. I was wondering what your tone was in pointing out the suburbanite churchgoers.
June 4, 200619 yr ^Matter-of-fact in this case, though I admit I often speak of suburbanites with a note of playful derision.
June 4, 200619 yr You're like me. Finishing up a run with a stop at a bakery! :wink: Great set! If you happen to take a run down to Harvard-Denison, bring your camera too. That's a pretty area that doesn't get much attention paid to it.
June 4, 200619 yr I drove through this area on my way to the Cleveland Meet and found it...well...interesting. A bit rundown yet one can tell it used to be an important area of the city. Hopefully, with the right investment, it comes back (though it needs alot to bring that area back). "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 4, 200619 yr Great stuff B12! And thanks for the suggestion, CC. We're always looking out for our next neighborhood. And yes, CDM, it needs a lot of work. There was a lot of poor planning from the top down that sent this place into a tailspin, though, so it's hard to blame it on the neighborhood without pointing a big tsk tsk finger at the fed and state DOTs, for example. Also, as this thread illustrates, neighborhood often look quite different when you're on the sidewalk versus driving by in a car. That's not to say that Clark-Fulton looks a lot better from the eyes of a pedestrian, but you know what I mean...there are details that you wouldn't otherwise notice! (By the way, that guy in the grey hoodie looks super fast. Is he some sort of professional runner?)
June 4, 200619 yr The "gentleman's club" picture....I wish you would have taken a photo of the fire station attached to the West end of that building (Engine 24), it is one of the city's few remaining single engine houses and one of the city's oldest...quite a landmark! It is unfortunate that the city chose NOT to rehab these old cool stations and chose to instead close them and build the crappy "jiffy lube" type stations that are mostly around now. All in all, that was a pretty cool thread, it's cool to see some of the grittier neighborhoods.
June 4, 200619 yr B12, thanks for the pics. The Bank News is at West 41st and Clark. And when you go under this bridge on Clark, look up at the "ceiling" where you can still see the two strips of wood planking into which electric wire supports for the two streetcar tracks were attached. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 5, 200619 yr A neighborhood I frequently pass thru, but never on foot. I think you a) took a lot of beautiful pictures and b) had a lot of courage to take Storer by foot and take pictures while you're at it. :-D
June 5, 200619 yr The area reminds me a bit of East Williamsburg in Brooklyn (not as dense of course). Somewhat blighted Latino/Italian neighborhood with lots of vinyl siding. bizbiz, I didn't feel particularly courageous running down Storer; I don't think anyone looked twice at us! But thanks for the props. :)
June 9, 200619 yr A neighborhood I frequently pass thru, but never on foot. I think you a) took a lot of beautiful pictures and b) had a lot of courage to take Storer by foot and take pictures while you're at it. :-D Courageous??? The area reminds me a bit of East Williamsburg in Brooklyn (not as dense of course). Somewhat blighted Latino/Italian neighborhood with lots of vinyl siding. bizbiz, I didn't feel particularly courageous running down Storer; I don't think anyone looked twice at us! But thanks for the props. :) It reminds me of Smith & Ninth Street or the Fourth Avenue (pree -2000), Red Hook area's of brooklyn
June 11, 200619 yr does cleveland really need any more ninjas??? heh. nice thread b12. stockyards next time? The area reminds me a bit of East Williamsburg in Brooklyn (not as dense of course). Somewhat blighted Latino/Italian neighborhood with lots of vinyl siding. It reminds me of Smith & Ninth Street or the Fourth Avenue (pree -2000), Red Hook area's of brooklyn a bit like east wburg maybe, in the past much more so no doubt. i would not say smith street because that is an unbroken strip of buildings on both sides all the way along. however, i would totally agree re 4th ave and red hook. i am often in those nabes and they do remind me of home. c-dawg east toledo is a good comparison, except that is more intact. also, the warehouses set c/f apart.
June 12, 200619 yr "Courageous???" Yes. The area in question has seen a spike in crime over the past few years, especially near Storer Avenue. I don't understand the shock and surprise whenever someone dares to suggest that an area might be potentially dangerous. clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
June 17, 200618 yr "Courageous???" Yes. The area in question has seen a spike in crime over the past few years, especially near Storer Avenue. I don't understand the shock and surprise whenever someone dares to suggest that an area might be potentially dangerous. oh...I was unaware that the neighborhood or part of it was deemed dangerous.
June 17, 200618 yr I don't understand the shock and surprise whenever someone dares to suggest that an area might be potentially dangerous. No, but the idea that it is courageous for three grown men to jog there on a Sunday morning is a little absurd.
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