June 28, 201410 yr How ironic! I just drove by there yesterday and saw that East 66th is closed off for the construction of buildings (and possible utility work?) on the east side of 66th. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 13, 201410 yr The restoration of League Park, once home to the Cleveland Indians, is a home run: editorial By Editorial Board on July 10, 2014 at 11:10 AM, updated July 10, 2014 at 12:30 PM Great moments in baseball history can still be imagined at old League Park on Cleveland's East Side. For baseball fans, it's indeed hallowed ground, although on a different order than the battlefields at Gettysburg and Antietam during the Civil War. League Park is where Babe Ruth blasted his 500th home run. It's where Joe DiMaggio hit in his record 56th straight game. (The streak ended the next day, when Dimaggio and his Yankees beat the Indians at Municipal Stadium.) It's where the Indians won a World Series in 1920. READ MORE AT: http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/07/the_restoration_of_league_park.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 19, 201410 yr This topic had been prematurely moved to Completed Projects. After this Saturday, THEN we can move it to Completed Projects. http://clecityhall.com/2014/08/19/grand-opening-of-league-park/ August 19, 2014 Grand Opening of League Park On Saturday, August 23, 2014, Mayor Frank G. Jackson will join other officials, sports figures, and members of the community as the City of Cleveland announces the opening of historic League Park. The opening ceremony will include the unveiling of the Fannie M. Lewis sculpture, the League Park ribbon cutting, an appearance by the Cleveland Blues Vintage baseball team, a Home Run Derby, and many events and activities for people of all ages. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 23, 201410 yr I wonder how many ballplayers are still alive who played at League Park? The last Indians game was played there in 1946. I wonder if any will attend tomorrow's "opening day" ceremonies? Historic Cleveland ballpark gets new shot at life By MARK GILLISPIE (Associated Press) 6 hours ago CLEVELAND (AP) -- Even in Cleveland, League Park probably doesn't mean much to a casual baseball fan. The former home of the Cleveland Indians sat neglected and largely forgotten for decades in a not-so-well-traveled east side neighborhood. But the persistence and, after her death, the memories of a longtime Cleveland councilwoman kept her dream alive to restore the park where Cy Young threw the first pitch in 1891 and where Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run. And on Saturday, the city and baseball fans will celebrate its reopening. Fannie Lewis died in 2008, but those who knew her well can still hear her hectoring council colleagues and administration officials like an outraged baseball manager to raise dollars for the project. READ MORE AT: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/cleveland-greets-reopening-historic-ballpark-172111625--spt.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 24, 201410 yr I loved that Travis Hafner came and did an impromptu home-run derby, knocking nine pitches out of the park. Nice job, Pronk. League Park reopens to a historic appreciation, beautiful restoration and hopeful future By Tim Warsinskey, The Plain Dealer on August 23, 2014 at 7:10 PM, updated August 23, 2014 at 8:25 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio – Dorothy Greene has seen and experienced the Hough neighborhood at its worst, and at times wondered if it would ever recover. On Saturday, standing in refurbished League Park, her doubts were gone. "This says there's good in Cleveland,'' she said. "They give us a bad name or whatever, and said Hough would never recover, but this is something that says it is recovering, and it will be a good place to live.'' Greene, 73, remembered lying on her living room floor with her children after a bullet pierced her window during the 1966 Hough riots. She recalled seeing League Park and the Hough neighborhood deteriorate further in the decades that followed. READ MORE AT: http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2014/08/league_park_reopens_to_a_histo.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 24, 201410 yr I went to the dedication ceremony yesterday, and it was pretty awesome. There was a good turnout and they really did a great job restoring the park. I hope this can be a positive force for the Hough neighborhood (and also help more young kids get involved with baseball). Here are some pictures:
August 24, 201410 yr Fantastic! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 30, 201410 yr oh they did it -- that is so cool! what kind of merch were they selling at the gift shop? is there a web site?
December 19, 20159 yr Totally missed this! I hate to throw this into the generic East-side developments thread. Perhaps we can rename this thread as "Hough Developments"? I have to believe this church, the first new church on the East Side in 65 years, is a result of the neighborhood clean-up efforts associated with League Park.... Catholic church in Cleveland's Hough gets new worship space for growing congregation (photos) By Roxanne Washington, The Plain Dealer on November 25, 2015 at 11:31 AM, updated November 25, 2015 at 11:33 AM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- St. Agnes-Our Lady of Fatima Church in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood realized several years ago it had a problem that not many other churches face these days. The church's congregation had outgrown its worship area. "We used to have about 150 families, but now we're up to 400," said the Rev. Bob Marva, aka Brother Bob, the church's pastor for 11 years. MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2015/12/new_data_clevelands_art_audien.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 19, 20159 yr ^ This the correct link? http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/11/catholic_church_in_clevelands.html
December 20, 20159 yr My guess is attendance increased since so many urban parishes have closed and people are looking for a new parish. Also it's somewhat popular among young Catholics to join an urban parish even if you live in the suburbs.
December 20, 20159 yr How could attendance have increased? Have people been moving to Hough? Don't forget, in many ways the style of this church is very Black Baptist-ish so even though it's Catholic it's very compatible with the area around it. So that could be part of it. It could also be, as another mentioned, some deliberately moving into an urban parish. But I don't believe that's the entire reason the church is growing in the manner in which it is.
February 27, 20178 yr Cross-posted: FEBRUARY 27, 2017 9:30 Calendar No. 17-019: 1572 E. 66 Street Ward 7 JASCORE 2 LLC., owner, and Robert Zimmer, prospective purchaser, propose to rehab building and parking lot and change the use to a soda fountain, with retail merchandise on the first level and radio studio with a museum/exhibit space on the second level in a C1 Local Retail Business District. The owner appeal for relief from the following sections of the Cleveland Codified Ordinances: 1. Section 337.08(e) which states that a Museum is permitted if located not less than fifteen (15) feet of premises in a Residential District. 2. Section 349.04 which states that fourteen off-street parking spaces are required for the soda fountain, retail area and radio studio in addition three spaces for the museum; twelve spaces are proposed. (Filed January 20, 2017) http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/bza/agenda/2017/crr02-27-2017.pdf
April 4, 20178 yr League Park sparks plans for soda fountain and broadcast museum - and pushback from Councilman TJ Dow: Mark Naymik By Mark Naymik, cleveland.com April 04, 2017 at 9:59 AM, updated April 04, 2017 at 12:15 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland Councilman TJ Dow may be the only elected official in America to be against baseball and ice cream. For months, he has opposed a proposal to build an ice cream parlor featuring a vintage soda fountain, small retail shop and museum in a decaying two-story building directly across from League Park, the historic baseball field at East 66th Street and Lexington Avenue in Hough. The city has invested $6.3 million to renovate the field as a catalyst for neighborhood development. http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2017/04/league_park_sparks_plans_for_s.html
April 4, 20178 yr ^ TJ Dow is worthless. I hope Basher Jones can oust him. I've had the displeasure of meeting Mr. Dow regarding a project in his ward. Useless human being.
April 4, 20178 yr ^He's an example of the strong argument that there are too many Wards in Cleveland. If the city reduced the number of councilmembers and expanded the geographical areas of the wards then a guy like TJ would have some trouble keeping a seat.
April 4, 20178 yr Absolutely ridiculous. His opposition doesn't even make sense. What I believe the truth is is that he isn't afraid of it attracting violence. He's scared of the g word, gentrification. So as a result he's going to stand in the way of every single development that he can't control, to the detriment of his own people. Fire his ass. Vote him out
April 4, 20178 yr Dow is Exhibit A for why we can't get ahead. Cleveland invested millions in League Park renovations, hoping it would draw private business investment to revive the area. But when investment comes knocking, local leadership attacks. Councilman Dow 1) wants the area rezoned to block everything except single-family homes, and 2) equates retail with urban blight. There are already several new Solon-style homes flanking the ballpark, which provides him with a built-in constituency of NIMBYs who insist that East 66th can and should resemble Solon. These folks privatize entire city blocks, then complain about people cutting through their yards, and then have the gall to complain about gentrification. But gentrification is exactly what they want, as long as they get to be the gentry. Dow could not be more wrong in his attitudes about development, urbanity, or the world around him in general. But he's not alone in those attitudes, they're unfortunately quite common, and they are robbing us of every opportunity to turn this thing around.
April 4, 20178 yr Absolutely ridiculous. His opposition doesn't even make sense. It does though, when you consider he's just holding out for the proverbial duffel bag full of money.
April 4, 20178 yr Also, Bob Zimmer has done great work to preserve Black history -- OUR history, through his Baseball Heritage Museum. He has been tireless and selfless in his good mission. Neither he, nor the community, deserves to have some elected imbecile like TJ Dow standing in the way of positive change. It's downright pathetic.
April 4, 20178 yr Sounds like he is following the Fannie Lewis playbook to a "t". Use development to build constituency, Attack anyone and anything in his ward he isn't totally in control of.
April 5, 20178 yr Wasn't one of his arguments in opposition to Innova and the Case dental clinic (in addition to his kickback demands) that he didn't want large developers coming in, that he wanted small, individual, neighborhood investments instead? investments exactly like this one he is opposing now? Development finally spreading into the heart of Hough, but its still not right for Big Mr Dow.
April 5, 20178 yr Folks like Dow and Jackson would rather reign in hell than serve in heaven. Sadly, its all too common in Rust Belt cities where long-supressed people are now in charge. They're so afraid of losing long sought power that they'd rather be captains of sinking ships than officers, from petty to captain, of proud liners. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 27, 20196 yr I wonder if we'll eventually need a Hough Development thread: League Park neighborhood to see new development: What you need to know? Today 9:03 AM By Mark Naymik, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio – League Park, the historic baseball field at East 66th Street and Lexington Avenue in the Hough neighborhood, is getting a new neighbor. Renovation on the decaying building across the street from the ballpark is expected to start in May. Bob Zimmer, who sells real estate and is president of the Baseball Heritage Museum at League Park, has been working for years on plans to renovate the corner building to help spark more development around the ball park. https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/03/league-park-neighborhood-to-see-new-development-what-you-need-to-know.html
March 27, 20196 yr That article is just another reminder how awful TJ Dow, their last councilman, was.
November 25, 20195 yr My mother grew up on Linwood Ave, across the street from League Park. When there was a ballgame, they would park cars on the front lawn.
December 16, 20195 yr Just a little bit of history... the bat used in the 500th home run by Babe Ruth hit at League Park sold for $1 million yesterday. Story: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/babe-ruth-s-500th-home-run-bat-fetches-more-1-n1102471 History: https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/august-11-1929-babe-ruth-hits-500th-career-home-run Edited December 16, 20195 yr by MuRrAy HiLL
November 23, 20204 yr Ok then "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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