This picture was taken in December 1937, with the snow cover making this aerial view look almost as if it were of a model. Look at how much the then-new Cleveland Union Terminal complex dominated the downtown area. The image comes from:

 

http://top20cleveland.com/

 

Wow - great find!  That river is just fantastic!

But wait, where's the Inner Belt bridge? (just kidding)

 

Very cool picture - picked out not only the Terminal but also the Ameritech bldg, 75 Public Square with its white top, Huntington, Burnham plan buildings, Keith bldg.  Fenn Tower looks so lonely way to the right.  Too bad the West Side Market didn't make the bottom left corner.

Also note that the Richard M. Burton Main Avenue High Level Bridge (Memorial Shoreway) wasn't yet built. It was built in the late 1930s as a WPA project, but it doesn't look like construction (or demolition for that matter) has even begun.

 

Also visible... the pedestrian promenade built over the lakefront tracks for the 1936-37 Great Lakes Exposition (just to the right of Cleveland Municipal Stadium) is still in place.

I need me a time machine... 

Brrrr, chilly.  But I do like the pic, thanks for sharing yur find.

and this week's new screensaver is....!

Wow - great pic.  I would sure love to see more pics like this!

Wow - great pic.  I would sure love to see more pics like this!

 

Check out www.clevelandmemory.com if you haven't already. There are more historical pictures in there than you can look at in a month (and I mean non-stop viewing).

I love this picture, I've seen in the Cleveland section on Wikipedia.  Terminal Tower truely dominated the skyline back then.

Wow - great pic.  I would sure love to see more pics like this!

 

Check out www.clevelandmemory.com if you haven't already. There are more historical pictures in there than you can look at in a month (and I mean non-stop viewing).

 

Wow, that's a heck of a site, so many great pics.  Thanks for the tip KJP.

i went scan crazy this afternoon on an old fold-up accordian style cleveland souvenir postcard packet. i dk the date i cant read the (one cent!) postal stamp & there is no other date info so use your best guess. 1920's? it was published by j. saperstein cleveland, ohio. i got it for a couple bucks at the chelsea flea market in manhattan, it was mailed to someone in williamsburg, brooklyn.

 

my fav is the beachhouse at edgewater --->  hello? somebody bring that back asap!  :whip:

 

i dk how well these will come out i dont use the scanner much -- but here goes:

 

 

 

 

 

^1. boating, garfield park

2. euclid avenue, looking east from square

3. rocky river, lakewood, ohio

 

 

 

^1. public square

2. boating, gordon park

3. the great ship "seeanbee" landing at new C & B line piers, foot 9th street

 

 

 

^1. the cleveland public hall

2. statler hotel

3. lake in rockefeller park

 

 

 

^1. northeast view of public square

2. new county courthouse

3. hotel cleveland

 

 

 

^1. new city hall

2. soldiers and sailors monument, public square

3. entrance to cleveland harbor

 

 

^1. euclid avenue and east 9th street

2. intersection of euclid avenue and huron road

3. C & B line, "the great ship seeanbee," daily between cleveland and buffalo

largest and most costly steamer passenger steamer on inland waters in the world.

actual dimensions - length 500 feet; breadth 98 feet 6 inches; 510 staterooms

and parlors accommodating 1500 passengers

 

 

 

^1. superior arcade

 

 

 

^1. bathing beach, edgewater park

 

 

 

^bonus --- ohio knitting mills --- i picked this up last summer, it's been up on our fridge  :wink2:

 

 

 

ok here's the rest of my solo old postcards. i added the dates they were mailed when possible. i paid between a dime to a dollar for them over the years again mostly at the chelsea market. i am upping the pic sizeon the host to see what happens (i can see i need to learn how to crop them and eww sorry about that hair thing  :laugh:):

 

 

^1. interior of the cleveland public auditorium

2. entrance to hotel hollenden -- 1955

3. cleveland greyhound terminal -- 1951

 

 

 

^1. horticultural gardens stadium and boat docks -- 1947

2. lorain carnegie bridge and union terminal -- 1942

3. bathing beach, edgewater park -- 1947

 

 

 

^1. public square and union terminal tower -- 1934

2. playhouse square, looking east -- 1950

3. lake at wade park, showing severance hall and lakeside hospital -- 1926

 

 

 

^1. interior of st. agnes church, euclid ave and east 81st

2. bird's-eye view of cleveland municipal stadium and downtown -- 1946

3. euclid avenue from public square -- 1928

 

 

 

^1. every day scene on public square -- 1912

2. night scene, luna park

3. public auditorium

 

 

 

^1. ore boat unloading at steel mills on cuyahoga river -- 1942

2. night scene of cleveland's east side from terminal tower -- 1941

3. detroit superior high level bridge and terminal tower -- 1945

 

 

 

^1. sheraton-cleveland hotel

2. the hollenden -- 1926

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! You really need to forward some of these to the Cleveland Memory Project. They've got a ton, but maybe they're missing a few of yours.

Cleveland was and STILL is one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

Except for that "night view of the East Side" and maybe a couple other things, much of what you posted still looks pretty much the same. It's nice to be reminded of what we've managed to save, rather than what we've lost, for a change!

Luna Park is a new one for me (as was Gordon Gardens, Puritas Springs Park and White City)  ... after four years in Cleveland, it's neat to suddenly discover things about its history. Or perchance I'm just one big urban nerd ... speaking of which, does anyone know of any stores locally that sell original Cleveland postcards like the one in this thread? A co-worker gave me a postcard of the Old Courthouse years ago, but I forgot where he got it.

 

Luna Park opened in 1905 and proved to be Euclid Beach's most memorable competitor. Copied from the Coney Island park of the same name, Luna Park was a fantasy of "Oriental" architecture and electric lights. The 35-acre grounds were bounded by Woodland Ave., Woodhill, Mt. Carmel, and E. 110th St. The park was served by several local streetcar lines. The site is hilly, and patrons climbed a steep flight of stairs or later rode an early escalator to reach the gate ...

 

... More at http://home.nyc.rr.com/johnmiller/luna.html.

8shades,

 

Great find. I'm working on a small project on E110 and Woodland. Its fascinating to hear about that area.

^ Yeah, the Cleveland Memory Project is such a great resource! Here's another of a young Bob Hope at Luna Park:

 

 

i don't know why, but when i think of non-existant city attractions (i.e. luna park), why do I automatically assume its projects today?

 

Must be some type of public land connection there.

8shades,

 

Great find. I'm working on a small project on E110 and Woodland. Its fascinating to hear about that area.

 

Wimwar, do you know that was called "The Bloody Corner" during Prohibition? Look up "Cleveland Corn Sugar War" on Google and you'll see what comes up.

 

BTW, sad to see St. Agnes church in there. What a huge loss. And does the Seeanbee look like it's 5,000 feet long, not 500 feet? Pretty typically of promotional postcards to literally stretch the truth to the point of overdoing it.

Okay, anyone who has gone on a walking tour with me has heard me blather on about the Superior Avenue staircase in the Arcade. I'm always saying it's not original, and that it used to be in a Y-shape and I always point out the remnants of it. Finally, after years and years of looking - I have proof! See? I'm NOT crazy*!!!

 

*Okay, I'm crazy but I know what I'm talking about! :-D

you totally photoshopped that...

I'll give you something to photoshop!

 

Yup, I think you went to Buffalo, snapped a picture of this staircase, and photoshopped it in.

 

Nifty.  So classy and delicate.  When was the staircase switched?

 

Do you have any 80s shots showing those hanging banners with stylized depictions of iconic Cleveland scenes and landmarks?  I really dug those and wonder if they were trashed or are sitting in some storage locker somewhere.

Nifty.  So classy and delicate.  When was the staircase switched?

 

Do you have any 80s shots showing those hanging banners with stylized depictions of iconic Cleveland scenes and landmarks?  I really dug those and wonder if they were trashed or are sitting in some storage locker somewhere.

 

Do you mean these?

 

 

Sorry for the hijack, Shawn. :oops:

 

 

 

 

I can't tell on the original - are the lion heads there?

Do you mean these?

 

 

 

Yup, thanks Rob.  Your photo collection never fails to impress.

 

I also like the ferns and other greenery from your shot, Rob.  I just remember the place having such a great golden/green glow from the plants, the brass, the glass and the skylight.

 

I haven't been back in a couple years but I do remember how jarringly sterile it looked just after the hotel renovation but maybe it looks a little more lived-in now?  Anyone have recent photos?

Took these last summer:

 

Here is one of the area where the stairs used to connect -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

musky, your first picture is the wrong staircase. Here is a pic showing the same view from the postcard:

 

StrapHanger, you're not the first person to say that the Arcade looked "sterile" after the renovation but consider this:

 

1. By the 1990s, the owner had resorted to using roofing tar to patch holes and cracks in the skylight. Cleaning the skylight's exterior was cost-prohibitive and thus it was so obscured it was only letting in about 60% of the light available. For the renovation, every single piece of glass was replaced.

 

2. In addition to the glass, the wood and metal trim had never been thoroughly cleaned like they were in the renovation. In fact, most of the expense of the renovation was for labor/cleaning.

 

3. Some of the high-traffic vendors who moved out before the renovation didn't return, thus you have noticeably less foot traffic. That's not so much the case today.

 

4. The Arcade lacked adequate climate control for a facility of its size, and thus it was often unbearably humid in the summer and cold in the winter. The renovation also plugged the holes that allowed birds to take up residence - I can appreciate a well-worn patina while I'm eating lunch, birdsh!t on the other hand...

 

What I'm getting is that while I understand that the before and after are quite a contrast, the after was a desperately needed improvement over years of undermaintenance.

musky, your first picture is the wrong staircase.

 

I blame a Kent State professor who claimed this was the spot.

Is this the same Kent State professor you've mentioned before? They sound like they need a tour.

oh yea, thats whats different, the bird chirping is gone.  when i was kid going there during the holidays i always regarded it as a semi-outdoor place since it was cold in there and therefore once you got into one of the stores you were actually inside.

Is this the same Kent State professor you've mentioned before? They sound like they need a tour.

 

Yes. When we were doing our walking tours of downtown, I was usually behind him doing my best Cliff (Cheers) impersonation: "Actually, that's the .... building. The .... building was burnt down in a fire," or something to that effect.

What I'm getting is that while I understand that the before and after are quite a contrast, the after was a desperately needed improvement over years of undermaintenance.

 

I hear ya MayDay, I too am grateful for the corporate $ that funded the much needed renovation.  I'm actually happy to see that the green leafy plants are back, even if they are lame corporaty palm things instead of the old ferns.

 

But my gratitude to Big Hotel, Inc. is not going to stop me from reminiscing or daydreaming how cool it could have been...

i'm still in doubt, not until you take me back in a time machine.

Back when I was a kid, every now and then I would get a good non bull's eye, focused shot. :oops: This is NOT one of them, but here you go none the less. Lots of foot traffic even as late as the early 1980's.

 

I perfer the old black panes of the atrium but even today the structure looks great.

rob_1412: When was your photo taken?

 

My before scanned original photo is a little sharper than the above and it looks like it may have been taken around the same time. The dinning tables appear to be the same all though there are people occupying them, so it is hard to tell.

 

There are lights on the arches of the atrium. Everything else looks pretty much status quo with the exception of my adolescent skills and the placement of the banners and the American flag.

 

I believe my yellowed old photo was taken between 1982 and 1984?

rob_1412: When was your photo taken?

 

My before scanned original photo is a little sharper than the above and it looks like it may have been taken around the same time. The dinning tables appear to be the same all though there are people occupying them, so it is hard to tell.

 

There are lights on the arches of the atrium. Everything else looks pretty much status quo with the exception of my adolescent skills and the placement of the banners and the American flag.

 

I believe my yellowed old photo was taken between 1982 and 1984?

 

Mine was taken in late 1978 or early 1979, probably on a Saturday, so there weren't many people in the place. There were a lot of shops open at that time, though, and during the week it was quite busy.

 

I have several photos from that era on my web site; if you haven't seen them, check them out here.

Thanks Rob. My guess is your photo is a Saturday or late summer evening shot being the US flag is rolled up for the day. I would guess mine was taken a couple of years later, all though I can't remember.

Wow @ the photos!

interesting -- this is great detective work crew!

does anyone have any old photos of cleveland? preferably aerials and eastside neighborhood shots

 

here's an aerial i found of downtown...not sure of the date

 

 

 

 

 

Public Square without parking lots!

^Nor Key Tower  :-P

 

But I bet Euclid Avenue is jumping!!

That aerial photo dates from between 1949 and 1955. Why those dates? The 17-story Central National Bank on Euclid Avenue was demolished in 1949 for Woolthworth's. In your photo, the bank is already gone.

 

And all of the facilities and overhead catenaries are in place for the electrically powered trains coming in and out of Cleveland Union Terminal -- those were deactivated in 1953 and most electric support facilities were removed a year or two thereafter. In your photo, all of the electric facilities are all still in place.

 

Another cue, when looking for information in one of my books, I found an aerial photo of downtown from 1956. You wouldn't believe how many surface parking lots had already popped up along West 3rd in the Warehouse District by 1956 -- possibly in anticipation of the opening of the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.'s new office tower. Construction for the tower began in 1956 (I can see the hole in the ground for the tower in the picture I have but not in the picture you posted -- the site is cleared in your picture but there's no hole yet). The CEI tower opened in 1958.

 

TMI, I know. But there it is.

I still say, failure to build the subway loop in the 50s to complete the hot new Red Line Rapid really killed downtown over time, esp Playhouse Sq.  I kind of think that even the Warehouse District, though not in the planned footprint of the subway (at least in terms of a station-stop any closer than Terminal Tower, which is pretty darn close) would have, likewise, reaped the benefit of the subway.

 

As for the electric trains at Union Station: I never quite understood why the Vans didn't expand this into the rapid commuter rail they proposed rather than building the totally separate rapid system (with separate power) and electric engines that merely hauled trains from the eastern and western edges of the city merely to keep TT clean... Seems a huge waste and lack of foresight to me which was borne out by the fact this expensive system only lasted about 20 years.  Contrast Philly's huge electrified suburban commuter rail network that's still serving 100K riders per day!.  The Vans could have built that here...

Compared to what we have today (thanks kcgridlock)

 

 

 

Ahhh…it's so sad to look at old aerials. The height of newer buildings is nice but all the parking lots…Dayton is the same way, actually worse.