Posted March 23, 200817 yr Hey everyone. I had some photos from a project a few years ago and thought I'd post them. These are from the Oak Park/Loew Park neighborhood in Old Brooklyn (Cleveland). This area is located between State and Broadview Roads, just a few streets north of I-480. Oak Park Blvd is very pristine, and is lined with large trees and well-maintained homes built in and around the 1920s. Oak Park is directly north of Loew Park, a 30-something acre park well-integrated into the neighborhood with an old school, several baseball fields that host many leagues, a pool, tennis courts, a playground, and picnic pavilions. Ralph Avenue is directly south of Loew Park, with more uniform-looking homes built in the 1940s. These photos are from the portion between West 25th and 32nd Streets. Oak Park Boulevard Homes on Oak Park Lots of Craftsman Bungalows are on Oak Park More Oak Park Homes William Cullen Bryant School...CMSD wants to demolition it, but the community opposes Loew Park A corner of Loew Park in the fall Homes on Ralph Avenue Since I like taking photos of signs... WCB School facade Winding Pathway Oak Park Boulevard, in front of the school One of the streets that abut the park...West 32nd Street, I think One of four or five baseball diamonds Playground near West 25th Street Dog in greenspace Ralph Avenue More Ralph Even more Ralph Like Oak Park, Ralph has some pretty massive trees that sort of form a canopy over the street More green Nice house on Ralph Another couple of Ralph houses House on West 32nd Street The other side of West 32nd Ralph Avenue in the fall William Cullen Bryant School
March 23, 200817 yr great work. we don't often see 'regular' neighborhoods like this on uo. very leafy and nice.
March 23, 200817 yr Wow .. thank you so much for those pics. I went to William Cullen Bryant as a kid and Loew Pool, too .. not much has changed, which is great. :)
March 23, 200817 yr Thats a very nice neighborhood, very "supercute" as MrNYC would say! Is this mostly a single family home neighborhood?
March 23, 200817 yr Definitely. Can't remember if there are any apartment complexes or anything like that. But definitely mostly single family homes.
March 23, 200817 yr Evil suburban Parma lurks on the other side of those high-tension power lines. :) I used to wander through that area all the time. I used to call it Parma-lite to my friends who lived there, much to their dismay. :D
March 23, 200817 yr Definitely. Can't remember if there are any apartment complexes or anything like that. But definitely mostly single family homes. But there are also streets consisting of mostly doubles, aren't there?
March 23, 200817 yr Evil suburban Parma lurks on the other side of those high-tension power lines. :) I used to wander through that area all the time. I used to call it Parma-lite to my friends who lived there, much to their dismay. :D Not all of Parma is evil. I really like the old part of Parma around West 54th Street between Brookpark and Snow Roads. It's very much like Oak Park, and a lot of the neighborhood came up at the same time. Thanks for the photo comments, everyone!
March 24, 200817 yr Great post - brought back plenty of memories, as I spent probably 6 days a week at Loew as a kid - all three of my older siblings & myself played softball there and my dad coached. I continued to play in the league even after my folks moved out to North Royalton, probably until I was 16 or so. Great stuff.
March 24, 200817 yr Very comfortable suburban neighborhood. Seems well-kept. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
March 24, 200817 yr Very comfortable suburban neighborhood. Seems well-kept. CDM, that's a Cleveland neighborhood.
March 24, 200817 yr I love it when old school houses still have their windows. I think one of your greatest mistakes was covering them up...how can a child learn in a cold, dark box.
March 24, 200817 yr I don't see the leash for this dog...somebody call the POlice. That's funny. I found this photo of another sign involving a dog. It's in the same neighborhood on someone's garage.
March 24, 200817 yr Nice photos. I hope the CMSD keeps the WCB. Very comfortable suburban neighborhood. Seems well-kept. CDM, that's a Cleveland neighborhood. It may be in the city of Cleveland, but its population density and sub-divided land uses are very suburban. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 24, 200817 yr Very comfortable suburban neighborhood. Seems well-kept. CDM, that's a Cleveland neighborhood. I know, but it's still a suburban neighborhood. Nothing wrong with that. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
March 25, 200817 yr Looks cozy & pleasant. I'm slightly familiar with the area just north of there, around Pearl/W25th just south of I-71. Next time I go back when the weather is nice, I hope to take my camera and walk around Riverside Cemetary some more. It's old and very beautiful.
March 25, 200817 yr I know, but it's still a suburban neighborhood. Nothing wrong with that. I don't consider this suburban because: 1. the neighborhood is in the street grid format 2. each major street is lined with storefront retail that can be reached on foot from the residential portions of the neighborhood. When I think of suburban, I think of big box retailers, cul-de-sacs, subdivisions, etc.
March 25, 200817 yr Well, suburban development can range from "new urbanist" to "traditional streetcar suburban" to "sprawly ass Medina." So when I say suburban, I mean single-family housing with larger lots and perhaps a larger dependency on autos (though as you said, I'm sure it's walkable enough to go to the store; but then again, numerous American suburbs you can do that in). For example: 1. the neighborhood is in the street grid format 2. each major street is lined with storefront retail that can be reached on foot from the residential portions of the neighborhood. Bexley and Worthington fits those criteria and those places are both "suburbs" yet they are streetcar suburban. Cleveland Heights is also suburban yet it's still done right. Blah blah blah, you get the point. Just because it's a suburban neighborhood doesn't imply sprawl; I think that's the problem with a lot of people these days (particularly urban people) is that suburb = Target and cul-de-sacs. Some of the finest "urban" areas of the country are suburban (Forest Hills, Queens; Santa Monica; Mariemont; etc). "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
March 25, 200817 yr ^generally speaking, I'd say that most people on this site would think of cul-de-sacs, power centers, and McMansions when the character of "suburbs" is discussed.
March 25, 200817 yr What a great post. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I grew up right there on Ralph Ave in one of the brick bungalows pictured and spent my youth running around Loew fields. I now live in downtown Chicago and have very fond memories of that neighborhood. By the way, the best ice cream shop in the entire city resides at the corner of State and Buechner in Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe.
March 25, 200817 yr Welcome aboard, ChicagoBuckeye! I think that's the problem with a lot of people these days (particularly urban people) is that suburb = Target and cul-de-sacs. I've run into some Old Brooklyn residents who debate the urban-suburban thing. I contended that Lakewood was more urban than Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood. They said that was impossible since Old Brooklyn was in Cleveland, and I lived in a suburb of Cleveland. That's all fine, dandy and true, but you look at the population density, the mix of uses (even residential-only side-streets have apartment buildings mid-block), diversity of population, etc. etc. It didn't win any converts. Back on subject.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 25, 200817 yr ^generally speaking, I'd say that most people on this site would think of cul-de-sacs, power centers, and McMansions when the character of "suburbs" is discussed. Well, most people on this site are mostly surrounded by suburbs that are filled with cul-de-sacs and Targets and they probably grew up in them so that's their view. I didn't grow up in a suburb and fortunately am from an area with "urban" suburbs and sadly "suburban trash" as well. I'm more liberal with the term, I suppose. Welcome aboard, ChicagoBuckeye! I think that's the problem with a lot of people these days (particularly urban people) is that suburb = Target and cul-de-sacs. I've run into some Old Brooklyn residents who debate the urban-suburban thing. I contended that Lakewood was more urban than Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood. They said that was impossible since Old Brooklyn was in Cleveland, and I lived in a suburb of Cleveland. That's all fine, dandy and true, but you look at the population density, the mix of uses (even residential-only side-streets have apartment buildings mid-block), diversity of population, etc. etc. It didn't win any converts. Back on subject.... Which is exactly why I say that there can be good urban suburbs like Lakewood or Covington or Weehawken or whatever. But anyway, BACK ON TOPIC! :D "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 13, 200817 yr By the way, the best ice cream shop in the entire city resides at the corner of State and Buechner in Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe. How very true, it's well worth the trip. Also, they have a stand at Huntington Beach. By far the best ice cream around.
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