Some photos I took today around the East 55th neighborhood from the Shoreway south to Lexington Ave.

 

The Illuminating Company plant along South Marginal:

 

 

Horizon Science Academy (formerly Ohio Motorists AAA)

 

Home of Big Chuck and Little John:

 

An urban ruin - former Howard Johnson's Hotel, vacant for at least 2 decades

 

 

Dominion East Ohio Gas

 

Industrial grit:

 

 

 

 

Corner stores and taverns:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old firehouse?

 

Diner car:

 

Sterle's Slovenian Country House!

 

 

 

The only remnant of the old Hofbrau Haus:

 

 

Abandoned school:

 

Neighborhood churches:

 

Glass block is a lousy substitute for stained glass:

 

 

 

 

In need of a little help:

 

 

 

Neighborhood retail:

 

 

 

Former Richman Brothers clothing factory:

 

 

 

Goodrich-Gannett Neighborhood Center  www.ggnc.org

 

Yay for historical markers:

 

 

Great set!!  A very unphotographed part of town.  I ate at that Slovenian House before I left--not bad at all.  There's a few other interesting structures a little more south on E55 just past East Tech high school as well.  Thanks for the tour!

Great set!

 

I especially like the Lake Shore Bank.

That HoJo would be a great candidate for a "botique hotel."

That HoJo would be a great candidate for a "botique hotel."

 

This property would be a lot more valuable if the Waterfront Line terminated at E 55th instead of in the Muni Lot.

Wow, awesome set.  What year did the Hofbrau Haus close?

The Richman Brothers Clothing Factory is a MASSIVE complex.  I've always wondered if that could be converted into some type of live/work space for artists.  Great pics!!

Wow .. I so love the working class feel of this area.

 

It will be interesting to see this area once the port moves its operations here.

Wow .. I so love the working class feel of this area.

 

It will be interesting to see this area once the port moves its operations here.

 

I predict mile after mile of aluminum sided warehouses with nice green lawns and big parking lots.  Anyhoo, great set of an interesting part of town.

Wow .. I so love the working class feel of this area.

 

It will be interesting to see this area once the port moves its operations here.

 

I predict mile after mile of aluminum sided warehouses with nice green lawns and big parking lots. Anyhoo, great set of an interesting part of town.

 

I guess that's sort of what I meant. Probably very utilitarian, unfortunately. But it could still be interesting.

Wow, awesome set.  What year did the Hofbrau Haus close?

 

I'm not exactly sure, but I think it was demolished sometime between 2000 and 2004, while I was not living in Cleveland.  It was a gigantic inside - it had multiple dining rooms capable of seating loads of people.

 

http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/u?/postcards,624

The Richman Brothers Clothing Factory is a MASSIVE complex.  I've always wondered if that could be converted into some type of live/work space for artists.  Great pics!!

 

It's been discussed before.  Here's an excerpt from an article in Crain's that mentions that Marous is planning to turn it into 350 market-rate apartments.  Unfortunately, the article is from 2004.

 

In addition, Marous is planning to rehabilitate the former Richman Bros. building on East 55th Street in Cleveland into 300 market-rate rental suites. A later phase calls for for-sale housing costing about $150,000 per single-family home. That $75 million project should start next year, Chip Marous said.

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20040712/SUB/407120718

 

Here's another article from Crain's.  Again, it's from 2003, so take it with a grain of salt.  But hopefully, if the building can withstand a few more years of sitting vacant, maybe the market will come back around....

 

Group out to revive Richman Bros. site

By JAY MILLER

4:30 am, July 28, 2003

 

A development group composed of contractors and nonprofits is sewing together a deal to turn the former Richman Bros. Co. building on East 55th Street between Payne and Superior avenues into a mixed-use development that could cost as much as $60 million.

More at:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20030728/SUB/307280719

Here's a good vintage image of the Richman Brothers Factory - it's hard to get a sense of the size from the street:

 

 

I believe the rear-most section (behind the water tower) has been demolished, as there is a large greenspace to the back of the block.

^^You are correct, from what it looks like in this aerial photo.  Too bad the back part was lost, but there's still plenty to work with!

 

And in a little known fact, some of the best competitive volleyball in Cleveland is played in the nondescript, small building just to the south ("north" in this image) of the Richman Bros. building(s).  You could pass by there a hundred times and never know that the building houses a full gym and clubroom/bar.  It's been used as a gym since the early 1900s.

Everytime I see the channel eight building I think ofHoolihan & Big Chuck.  The shows opening theme just cracked me up!

 

http://bigchuckandliljohn.com/crazylaugh.wav

 

 

 

Since I haven't mentioend it yet - great thread buckeye1!  It motivated me to try to dig up some more old pictures from the area.

 

1. A postcard circa 1911 looking south down E. 55th at St. Clair Avenue.  The Goodrich Gannett building (captured in buckeye1's second-last picture above) can be seen on the right side of the postcard.

http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/u?/postcards,3167

 

2. A picture of the Howard Johnson, presumably in its prime.

http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/u?/postcards,2069

 

3. A postcard of the Old Bank Cafe that was on the corner of E. 55th and St. Clair.  It's definitely not there anymore, and I would guess that it was on the either the Northeast corner (now a Shell station) or the Southeast corner (now a BP station) of the intersection.  It doesn't appear to match the building in the southeast corner of the intersection in picture #1 though, although it's hard to know the exact date of this postcard (it lists 1960 in the picture, but it appears to be much older).  Regardless, I'm mostly posting it because I think it's a pretty cool building.

http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/u?/postcards,3980

Everytime I see the channel eight building I think ofHoolihan & Big Chuck.  The shows opening theme just cracked me up!

 

http://bigchuckandliljohn.com/crazylaugh.wav

 

 

 

 

 

 

remember this?

those skits were so funny.  the certain "ethnic" skits just cracked me up. 

 

ahhh.

 

ahhh...a walk down

 

 

I see a buckeye1 "style" developing in these photo threads. Nice work.

E. 55th was my introduction to Cleveland the first time I visited

Awesome photos! Its good to see something other then the "pretty" parts of town on here for a change.

Oh geez.. I'm gonna waste so much time on the BC/LJ site..

Awesome photos! Its good to see something other then the "pretty" parts of town on here for a change.

 

I'd like to see some more of the nicer parts of Cleveland (other than Shaker Square, MTS ;-) ) and downtown of course.

Awesome photos! Its good to see something other then the "pretty" parts of town on here for a change.

 

I'd like to see some more of the nicer parts of Cleveland (other than Shaker Square, MTS ;-) ) and downtown of course.

 

I would also, but I can't force people to take pictures. 

excellent thread. can i put in a request for e105th st for next time?

 

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it pains me that they tore down the massive hofbrau haus, i have no idea why. anyone know?

 

we still go to sterle's every year or so. its an amazing place too. that's my go-to suggestion for cle style polka, w/ the sawdust on the floor & the slide step.

 

***

 

Everytime I see the channel eight building I think ofHoolihan & Big Chuck.  The shows opening theme just cracked me up!

 

http://bigchuckandliljohn.com/crazylaugh.wav

 

 

 

funny you mention that. my mom sent me big chuck's book for christmas. autographed of course!  :laugh:

 

That Horizon Science Academy building is UGGLY!

^ some aaa's looked like that. it was their signature...such as it is. must have been a 60's craze, school additions and stuff like the old bgsu slide projector building went for that style too. what to call it? round googie crapola?