Thanks. There's some pictures of Euclid Ave I haven't seen before nice finds.

 

But I think the only dead section of Euclid right now is just east of East 9th.

 

Yes, and that section has so much potential

 

 

 

Wow, this last one from ClevelandOhio's last set is really interesting- I think it's the oldest aerial I've ever seen.  Must be sometime from the late teens or very early twenties.

 

 

 

Wow, this last one from ClevelandOhio's last set is really interesting- I think it's the oldest aerial I've ever seen. Must be sometime from the late teens or very early twenties.

I think you can see the Allerton Hotel (Parkview Apts.) which was built in 1926 on East 13th north of Euclid.

^Hmmm, really tough to tell. I'm not sure I do see the Allerton- I think its site actually looks vacant, but I could be wrong.  I notice that there's no Huntington Bldg, though, which I believe was built in the mid 1920s.  There may be some Huntington Bldg construction going on- there's something at that corner of Euclid and 9th.

^Hmmm, really tough to tell. I'm not sure I do see the Allerton- I think its site actually looks vacant, but I could be wrong. I notice that there's no Huntington Bldg, though, which I believe was built in the mid 1920s. There may be some Huntington Bldg construction going on- there's something at that corner of Euclid and 9th.

I am having a hard time orienting myself with this photo. Where would it be being taken from - obviously a plane or something - but is it from the direction of the terminal tower?

its east ninth looking south. So like if you were looking from the lake down east 9th

You are looking straight down E. 9th from somewhere above the Lake or Lakeside Ave. The street in the foreground is Superior (you can see the Leader Building on the right). Obviously, the round dome in the center is the Cleveland Trust rotunda. I don't think you can see the Allerton, but you can definitely see the Bingley on the left (it's the fifteen story building with the two top floors in white). The "C" shaped building in the lower right is the old WKYC building on Rockewell and E. 6th that is being renovated for that law office whose name I forget).

its east ninth looking south. So like if you were looking from the lake down east 9th

Ok - I see it now.

 

Thanks.

OK I mistook the C-shaped building with the lighter upper floors for the Allerton at a quick look but that would be E. 12th not 13th- now I'm at work and can't load the vintage image and compare skylines. 

 

Is the Superior Building (1922) at the northwest corner of 9th and Superior in the photo?

^I don't think the Superior Building is in there.  There is a (relatively) tall building on the corner lot right next to the site of the future Superior Bldg, but I think that's a hotel (a predecessor of today's Hampton Inn).

Dont forget to scroll

 

Oh, My! It looks as if the photographer meticulously pieced it from glass-plate negatives before printing.

 

After going over that a couple of times, I have to go lie down, now.

^Seriously. That thing is amazing!

love it, the courthouse in underconstruction but nearly finished so that is 1910-12 ish. Or are those towers something else? Now where ws this taken from? It's quite a high elevation. Roof of the Rockefeller building perhaps?

 

Now where ws this taken from? It's quite a high elevation. Roof of the Rockefeller building perhaps?

 

 

That would be my guess.  The pics look like they were taken a few blocks west of Public Square and just north of Superior, and the 16-story Rockefeller Building was built in 1905, so that makes sense.

 

As a side note, I believe the Rockefeller Building was the tallest building in Cleveland from 1905 until 1922, when The Keith Building and The Superior Building were built.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cleveland_1877.jpg

 

Love this map on wiki from 1877, Click on the link above to get to the full size hi-res version.

 

Look how the american flags are hanging over the street.

Look how the american flags are hanging over the street.

I didn't even notice that!

 

I see that that picture is hosted on wiki, do you know where it came from?

 

EDIT: yes I am geeking out on Cleveland history instead of working.

Look how the american flags are hanging over the street.

I didn't even notice that!

 

I see that that picture is hosted on wiki, do you know where it came from?

 

EDIT: yes I am geeking out on Cleveland history instead of working.

 

I have no clue where it came from.

 

Too bad we can no longer hang flags up like that...well in that spot at least. It would be an interesting idea though.

love it, the courthouse in underconstruction but nearly finished so that is 1910-12 ish. Or are those towers something else? Now where ws this taken from? It's quite a high elevation. Roof of the Rockefeller building perhaps?

 

I would have guessed a little earlier than 1910-1912, because I didn't see any automobiles (Model T Fords were around by then, and they were mass-produced and showing up almost everywhere), although I might have missed them. You guys know Cleveland history better than I do.

 

Look how the american flags are hanging over the street.

 

I doubt if that was an everyday practice, and the May Co. is draped with bunting. Some patriotic occasion?

 

1910-1912  was a guessitmate on my part, based on the fact that the courthouse opened in 1912 and the outside structure looked mostly complete.

All gone for the Q and Progressive field. And for other reasons...

 

Aerial from 1920

 

Later

 

Another of the warehouse district.

This is a wonderful thread, Cleveland is a special place.

 

Love this:

All gone for the Q and Progressive field. And for other reasons...

 

Any idea what the rectangular building in the middle is?

Thats the old market

Central market

Municipal stadium looks great in the central market pic

^Still shiny and new!

 

I'm happy Gateway was built where it is because of the condition of that area as of the early 1990s, but man would it be nice to have that old neighborhood back in its 1930 state.  I'm sure much of it was already gone, but I think there were a lot of demos there in the early 1980s in anticipation of a domed stadium that was initially proposed for the gateway site.

look at big the construction site is for the terminal tower complex. I was feeling bad awhile ago for all the buildings we lost, but then I thought...hey look at the warehouse district, its not like those buildings would still be there anyway, at least we got a beautiful iconic skyscraper out of it instead of more parking lots.

Excavating the sub-grade eastern railroad approaches for Terminal Tower, as I remember reading, involved removing more dirt than any project in history up to that time, with the exception of digging the Panama Canal. There's an excellent book titled "The Nickel Plate Story," by John Rehor, that tells a lot about the construction of Terminal Tower and about other related depots and Van Sweringen properties in and around Cleveland. The first edition is highly collectible (I bought it when it came out), but I think it's gone into reprint at least once. You probably could run down a copy through ABE Books or Alibris. It's a big book, with a lot of history of the Nickel Plate and the railroads the Van Sweringens acquired in building their empire beyond the Cleveland area.

Dont forget to scroll

 

 

The year was 1909...

Aerial from 1920

 

 

This picture is from later than 1920. Demolition for the Terminal Group (aside from Hotel Cleveland) didn't start until 1922. This picture is probably from 1925-1927. The Union Terminal Tower was structurally complete by 1928.

 

The 1920s were a very smoky time but very busy in terms of downtown construction. Look at how much more soot Hotel Cleveland (built 1918) has on it, even though its exterior is made of the same material as Terminal Tower's. Most of the downtown buildings in the 1920s were built with similar exteriors. So look at all the other buildings with "clean" facades as soot had yet to darken them. You can see Euclid Avenue was the focus of much construction in the 1920s.

Excavating the sub-grade eastern railroad approaches for Terminal Tower, as I remember reading, involved removing more dirt than any project in history up to that time, with the exception of digging the Panama Canal. There's an excellent book titled "The Nickel Plate Story," by John Rehor, that tells a lot about the construction of Terminal Tower and about other related depots and Van Sweringen properties in and around Cleveland. The first edition is highly collectible (I bought it when it came out), but I think it's gone into reprint at least once. You probably could run down a copy through ABE Books or Alibris. It's a big book, with a lot of history of the Nickel Plate and the railroads the Van Sweringens acquired in building their empire beyond the Cleveland area.

 

Buy Herbert H. Harwood Jr.'s "Invisible Giants: The Empires of Cleveland's Van Sweringen Brothers." This is a must for anyone interested in Cleveland history, business history, railroads, transit and cities.

Aerial from 1920

 

 

This picture is from later than 1920. Demolition for the Terminal Group (aside from Hotel Cleveland) didn't start until 1922. This picture is probably from 1925-1927. The Union Terminal Tower was structurally complete by 1928.

 

The 1920s were a very smoky time but very busy in terms of downtown construction. Look at how much more soot Hotel Cleveland (built 1918) has on it, even though its exterior is made of the same material as Terminal Tower's. Most of the downtown buildings in the 1920s were built with similar exteriors. So look at all the other buildings with "clean" facades as soot had yet to darken them. You can see Euclid Avenue was the focus of much construction in the 1920s.

 

Your right. I didn't even pay attention when I typed 1920. Maybe i meant the 1920's. Idk

Dont forget to scroll

 

 

Was the Hotel Cleveland built up during the construction of the terminal tower?  I don't see it in this picture.  (or am I blind?)

^The Hotel Cleveland was built in 1918, before the rest of the complex.  The Van Sweringens acquired it, and at one point considered replacing it, before connecting it to the rest of the Union Terminal complex.

^The Hotel Cleveland was built in 1918, before the rest of the complex. The Van Sweringens acquired it, and at one point considered replacing it, before connecting it to the rest of the Union Terminal complex.

 

I'm pretty sure the Vans built the hotel.

Ok.

^The Hotel Cleveland was built in 1918, before the rest of the complex.  The Van Sweringens acquired it, and at one point considered replacing it, before connecting it to the rest of the Union Terminal complex.

 

I'm pretty sure the Vans built the hotel.

 

Reference on page 22: http://books.google.com/books?id=XoAUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=cleveland+public+square+hotel+history&source=bl&ots=kj60IoAq4V&sig=GSrlwP1UBOcooyST0wBuCPhcPys&hl=en&ei=liS1TK35DcOAlAfX4oyKCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false

From the encylopedia of cleveland history

http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=SRCH

 

STOUFFER RENAISSANCE CLEVELAND HOTEL (formerly Stouffer's Inn on the Square) is the most recent hotel to occupy the historic PUBLIC SQUARE  site at the intersection of Superior Ave. at the Square. Phinney Mowrey built a popular tavern there in 1812; Donald MacIntosh bought it in 1820 and operated it as the Cleveland Hotel until it was destroyed by fire in 1840. Rebuilt, it became the Forest City House, and for 6 decades the hostelry was a social, commercial, and historical center of Cleveland. By 1915 the landmark structure was a shabby reminder that much downtown activity had moved further uptown. In an attempt to revitalize the Public Square area, investors closed the old hotel and built a new 1,000-room Hotel Cleveland at a cost of $4.5 million. The VAN SWERINGEN† brothers acquired it as part of their Terminal Complex in the 1920s, and after considering its replacement, reinforced the structure instead and dug a tunnel underneath the building to accommodate their rapid transit project. Although the fortunes of the hotel sagged during the Depression, along with those of the Van Sweringens, the Hotel Cleveland remained under the control of the Cleveland Terminal Bldg. Co. through the late 1940s, when its ownership left the city. In 1958 the hotel was acquired by the Sheraton chain, which renamed it the Sheraton-Cleveland and installed a new $5.2 million ballroom as part of its renovation. However, the hotel faltered during the 1960s as the advantages of its central location were offset by traffic problems. An investor group, STS (Save-the-Square, Inc.), rescued it from receivership in 1976, paying off the creditors and restoring its former elegance. Managed by Stouffer Corp., the refurbished hotel reopened in 1978 as Stouffer's Inn on the Square. In 1989 it was renamed the Stouffer-Tower City Plaza. Renaissance International, a subsidiary of New World Enterprises, purchased the hotel in 1993 after a brief period of ownership by Nestle International. It then became the Stouffer Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. In early 1996, the hotel was scheduled to drop the Stouffer affiliation and become the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.

^ interesting. given it was there for 60+ years prior are there any good pics of the forest city house predecessor? maybe there are somewhere inside the renaissance?

Does anyone have pictures of the area arounf Gateway before the Q and the Jake was built? Also, does anyone recall if their was a Woolworth's or Kresge's on Broadway? Thanks

Does anyone have pictures of the area arounf Gateway before the Q and the Jake was built? Also, does anyone recall if their was a Woolworth's or Kresge's on Broadway? Thanks

 

You might want to try the Cleveland Memory Project.  Hell, half the forumers here weren't even born or were toddlers when the Central Market was still up.  These whippersnappers dont know nothin' (yes, nothin') about the Central Market!

Does anyone have pictures of the area arounf Gateway before the Q and the Jake was built? Also, does anyone recall if their was a Woolworth's or Kresge's on Broadway? Thanks

 

All gone for the Q and Progressive field. And for other reasons...

 

Well, if you want to go down to that there, they embedded prints of pictures from before the sports complex construction in some of the public artwork around there.  Look in the benches/planter thingies down East 6th St., between the Q and the parking garage.

Awesome thread about one of my favorite subjects, Cleveland History!

 

I've looking for good vintage Cleveland photos and attempting to take the exact same shot, and blend them together into something interesting.  Sort of a "portal into the past" sort of effect.  I've discovered that it's much harder than it looks!  Here are some of my first attempts - I'll be the first to admit that my technique still needs work but I thought I'd share a couple anyways:

 

E. 75th and Euclid Ave., facing north.

 

E. 55th and Euclid Ave., facing east.

 

I think I'll be spending a LOT of time on this site.  :mrgreen:

 

 

 

 

WELCOME!

Awesome thread about one of my favorite subjects, Cleveland History!

 

I've looking for good vintage Cleveland photos and attempting to take the exact same shot, and blend them together into something interesting. Sort of a "portal into the past" sort of effect. I've discovered that it's much harder than it looks! Here are some of my first attempts - I'll be the first to admit that my technique still needs work but I thought I'd share a couple anyways:

 

E. 75th and Euclid Ave., facing north.

 

E. 55th and Euclid Ave., facing east.

 

I think I'll be spending a LOT of time on this site.   :mrgreen:

 

 

 

 

 

That is a really cool idea and tough to get the exact angle/scale but good start