August 4, 20186 yr Corner on the right hand side of picture is current day 800 E Superior. Good find, havent see this one before.
August 4, 20186 yr Wonderful urban scene. Very East Coastish. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 4, 20186 yr Yes that sure looks like the Superior Bldg. but then what is that taller building just behind it? I've seen a lot of photos from 1960 on back and I can't remember seeing a building taller than the Superior Bldg. in that location. Curious.
August 4, 20186 yr The tall building at far left is the Citizens Building, 850 Euclid Ave., now called the City Club Building. Behind it is the Ohio Bell Building, now the AT&T Huron Road Building, 750 Huron Road. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 5, 20186 yr Yep. I got twisted around. I thought I was looking west on Superior toward E9th. Now I see that the photo is actually looking south on E9th toward Euclid. I like to think I have a pretty good handle on my city but I blew that one. Not to mention the caption also says that. Sheesh.
August 5, 20186 yr Yep. I got twisted around. I thought I was looking west on Superior toward E9th. Now I see that the photo is actually looking south on E9th toward Euclid. I like to think I have a pretty good handle on my city but I blew that one. Not to mention the caption also says that. Sheesh. It's hard to orient yourself when all of the buildings in the foreground are gone.
August 5, 20186 yr Came across this today.... Wow were things different then ??? Every single building is gone. IT says taken from St. Clair but I think this is actually Superior? Not every building.....unless that's not the AT&T tower in the background.
August 6, 20186 yr Let's throw a Lakewood pic in here... Looking north along the east side of Warren Rd. at the Fazio's Supermaket. Originally a Fisher Foods Supermarket, the building was remodeled for a United States Post Office (1987). Source: @Cleve_Memory "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 6, 20186 yr @SharkyFin5 #Cleveland, 1905/2018 - The Hotel Euclid at the intersection of Euclid Ave., East 14th St. and Huron Rd. Seen here a couple of decades before the Playhouse Square district was even established. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 6, 20186 yr CTS Unveils New Trains for Hopkins Airport Rapid. Source: @Cleveland_PL in Dec. 1967 Clevelander. @GCRTA @goingplacesCLE "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 7, 20186 yr Was a mob-run brothel, loanshark HQ, hangout for the last few decades of its existence, until the 1980s. Was run by Sam Lucarelli who was convicted and sentenced to prison for racketeering following a 1985 FBI raid. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 7, 20186 yr Was this on the same side of prospect as the Rowfant club? It was right next to it. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 7, 20186 yr Was this on the same side of prospect as the Rowfant club? It was right next to it. A bastion of education partnered with a bastion of copulation.
August 8, 20186 yr And loansharking, gambling, and mob meetings. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 10, 20186 yr does anyone have one of these? My uncle has my grandfather's old one. I'm not sure what parts are still included.
August 10, 20186 yr ^are you serious? I was just joking. That's great though. You should try to get it restored. I wonder how long this co. was in business, and where was it located? I found the picture on the Lake Co. Historical Center facebook page, with no other info. http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
August 10, 20186 yr ^are you serious? I was just joking. That's great though. You should try to get it restored. I wonder how long this co. was in business, and where was it located? I found the picture on the Lake Co. Historical Center facebook page, with no other info. Lol my grandpa was a Cleveland fireman from 1945-1976(?) He used to always search abandoned warehouses after fires and if there was no ownership of the items, they were free to take them. He has this and a VERY old Indian motorcycle, I think both are absent motors, though. My favorite item is a mug from Leisy Brewery
August 11, 20186 yr Central National Bank, 308 Euclid Ave. #Cleveland Source: @Cleveland_PL in Dec. 1927 Clevelander. https://t.co/rxqay7C9DP "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 13, 20186 yr Not a very flattering photo. What an incredibly dirty street, even though it's brick. And this was 58 years before the tactical neutron bomb, so we can't blame that for the dearth of humanity. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 14, 20186 yr Look at those apartment buildings on Walnut! Scenes are from 1948... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 14, 20186 yr Ruined my afternoon. Looks like a ready made residential neighborhood built up to one of the edges on Downtown to me. So glad we eliminated it for CSU parking and other worthless motives. What a joke.
August 14, 20186 yr It's so easy to imagine this scene as a currently thriving neighborhood. Our great grand-parents (depending on how old you are I suppose) squandered our future on freeway exits and parking lots.
August 14, 20186 yr I was interested in whatever Rappaport Studios (still not sure) but I found this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-Slide-Rappaport-Studios-in-Cleveland-OH-Ohio-1940s/401562701743
August 14, 20186 yr It's so easy to imagine this scene as a currently thriving neighborhood. Our great grand-parents (depending on how old you are I suppose) squandered our future on freeway exits and parking lots. We could rebuild like that if we wanted to. Not overnight obviously. But if our great-great grandparents can do it, we can too.
August 14, 20186 yr I was interested in whatever Rappaport Studios (still not sure) but I found this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-Slide-Rappaport-Studios-in-Cleveland-OH-Ohio-1940s/401562701743 I did a little more digging. It looks like it's proprietor, Sherman Rappaport, produced displays for conventions and exhibits. https://books.google.com/books?id=PyEEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA53&ots=KwPWfMevfS&dq=%22sherman%20rappaport%22%20cleveland%20studios&pg=PA53#v=onepage&q=%22sherman%20rappaport%22%20cleveland%20studios&f=false
August 14, 20186 yr I was interested in whatever Rappaport Studios (still not sure) but I found this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-Slide-Rappaport-Studios-in-Cleveland-OH-Ohio-1940s/401562701743 I did a little more digging. It looks like it's proprietor, Sherman Rappaport, produced displays for conventions and exhibits. https://books.google.com/books?id=PyEEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA53&ots=KwPWfMevfS&dq=%22sherman%20rappaport%22%20cleveland%20studios&pg=PA53#v=onepage&q=%22sherman%20rappaport%22%20cleveland%20studios&f=false Huh. I could picture them being a big player in the mad-men era of advertising in CLE. A friend told me once the ad guys used to test run their ideas across their colleagues at the Hermit Club, which consequently is a stones throw away from Rappaport.
August 14, 20186 yr Detroit-Superior bridge, before Interstates..... 1927: 1930: 1934: 1938: 1952: "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 15, 20186 yr Really a cool set of photos today from the PD and the CMP. https://www.cleveland.com/expo/life-and-culture/erry-2018/08/8373a8ddc56069/50-captivating-photos-of-1980s.html#incart_2box
August 15, 20186 yr Ah yes, Cleveland in the 1980s... The only thing more gritty and seedier that I remember about Cleveland was the 1970s! It's why I'm amazed at what Cleveland is becoming nowadays, which is a livable city mostly on the west side). Unfortunately young people today get very impatient and easily disappointed about setbacks and slow progress. If they could imagine East Cleveland level of corruption, incompetence, violence, hopelessness and blight, that was Cleveland of the 1970s and into the 80s. Yes, it was that bad. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 15, 20186 yr Ah yes, Cleveland in the 1980s... The only thing more gritty and seedier that I remember about Cleveland was the 1970s! It's why I'm amazed at what Cleveland is becoming nowadays, which is a livable city mostly on the west side). Unfortunately young people today get very impatient and easily disappointed about setbacks and slow progress. If they could imagine East Cleveland level of corruption, incompetence, violence, hopelessness and blight, that was Cleveland of the 1970s and into the 80s. Yes, it was that bad. I remember some of that grittiness even into the 90s. In some weird ways, I miss some of it.
August 15, 20186 yr Those are amazing pictures. Sometimes we get frustrated with how long big projects take to get off the ground or things that just don’t seem to be in the cards yet like building on the WHD parking lots... but when you really stop to think about the number of projects and transformation that HAVE been accomplished just in the last ten years- it’s incredible.
August 15, 20186 yr Perhaps downtown was seedier/grittier on some level, but the city had, what, 200,000 more people and a downtown daytime labor force of 200,000? 300,000? That must have been something. Plus a dozen Fortune 500s at the beginning of the decade and 15-20 mills still in operation. The Flats heyday. Voinivich. Bernie Kozar. Inner ring suburbs as strong as ever save for East Cleveland (did Warrensville Hts collapse by then?). Not sure things are better today. Prettier undoubtedly, but man the city must've still been a major player then.
August 15, 20186 yr Let's not kid ourselves, the grittiness is still here. To my friends from Dallas, Charlotte, and Boston, Cleveland is a grit Mecca. I think that adds charm to our city in many ways, and I'm proud of it. But it also carries with it major negative connotations and as TBideon[/member] says, it sure would be nice to be a player again.
August 15, 20186 yr ^^Not mention a ton more retail, and much more transit service and ridership back then.
August 15, 20186 yr Perhaps downtown was seedier/grittier on some level, but the city had, what, 200,000 more people and a downtown daytime labor force of 200,000? 300,000? That must have been something. Plus a dozen Fortune 500s at the beginning of the decade and 15-20 mills still in operation. The Flats heyday. Voinivich. Bernie Kozar. Inner ring suburbs as strong as ever save for East Cleveland (did Warrensville Hts collapse by then?). Not sure things are better today. Prettier undoubtedly, but man the city must've still been a major player then. Cleveland's population at the start of the 1980s was 573,000 and downtown's population wasn't that big. It had maybe 150,000 workers back then. We'd already lost the headquarters of Diamond Shamrock to Dallas and more were leaving the city for the suburbs because of shakedowns by city leaders and organized crime figures. There were only two more steel mill blast furnaces vs today and yes, the part of the West Side works was still standing where Steelyard Commons is today. But most of its still standing. The biggest loss in steel and other industrial jobs was due to automation, not by loss of production capacity. And the air and water are a lot cleaner today thanks to environmental laws. Downtown had three downtown department stores and two daily newspapers in the early 1980s, shrinking to two stores and one newspaper by the end of the 1980s. The city had 200-300 murders per year vs just over 100 today. The police may be lazy today but back then they were working as a security guards and informants for mobsters. You couldn't get the city to submit any federal grant applications unless you bribed them first. RTA carried 121 million riders in 1980 and 68 million in 1989. Water mains regularly broke. Garbage wouldn't get picked up, leaving piles of stinking refuse littering some streets. Bridges over the river and railroad tracks were being closed and condemned. The Flats were overrun with rats the size of dogs. The Cleveland schools were good (on the west side) in the 1970s but forced busing across town starting in the late 70s enhanced the exodus from the city. By the early 1980s, it got so bad that the superintendent of Cleveland schools committed suicide in 1985 inside Aviation High School, blaming the city for his loss of dignity. The city had just defaulted on its financial obligations -- the first time a major city fell into default outside of the Great Depression. So let's not pretend that Cleveland in the 1970s and 80s had any romanticism to it. As an older friend of mine who came to Cleveland for the first time in the 1970s said, "It was like coming to Rome right after it fell, and you could clearly see that you had just missed seeing something great." "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 15, 20186 yr Despite the loss of population, jobs, downtown department stores, etc. I'll take present day Cleveland over the 1980's version. Here is a photo I took of FWB I believe is from 1985:
August 15, 20186 yr Wait KJP[/member] ... 200-300 murders? Woah It peaked in 1972 with 333 murders. Read this political revisiting of the city during lunch...... http://teachingcleveland.org/cleveland-in-the-1970s-mike-roberts/ I forgot about the massive debacle that was the city's proposed jetport. While Dallas and Atlanta were taking the opportunity to build massive new airports to challenge Chicago for the reign of the nation's airport hub, Cleveland never even completed its feasibility study of the jetport due to political infighting. Around that time, a friend of mine who lives in Chicago today said his father packed up his company and left Cleveland for Chicago. He got tired of the city's inability to carry out even the most basic of tasks. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 15, 20186 yr Wait KJP[/member] ... 200-300 murders? Woah I'm not sure people understand just how much urban crime has fallen over the past few decades (and how absurd Trump's "tough on crime" campaign was, in that context). It's fallen a lot less in Cleveland than in NYC, but it's still fallen quite a bit (even when adjusting for population loss).
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