The
City Sights Network
The Near
East Side
At the turn of the century, the incessant flow of factory workers was
needed for
Cleveland
’s industries to grow and the city to develop as immigrants were looking
for a better life. Inevitably, the last
three decades of the nineteenth century were marked by social unrest as
the immigrant population grew and the city’s ethnic neighborhoods,
charitable organizations and infrastructures became too overcrowded to
welcome them. Charitable institutions became the area of focus of the
upper classes, which, if they were deeply involved in helping the needy,
started looking for a retreat from the hustle-bustle of the city.
As a result,
Cleveland
spread eastward, new public buildings were erected and new neighborhoods
built.
When one says East side, one means east of
Public Square
. Playhouse Square is the historical gateway to the eastern neighborhoods,
an area rich in historic and architectural curiosities. The shopping arcade
on
East 3rd Street
in between
Superior Avenue
and
Euclid Avenue
was opened in 1890. Think that in those times, the streets were not only
busy and noisy. They were also dirty, smelly and dangerous. Consequently,
the possibility of shopping in an indoor haven was an idea very much in
demand. Look up and enjoy the sun that filters though the skylight roof.
It might not have been built if it were not for a
Detroit
company which took up the challenge. At the basis of the roof, there are
golden gargoyles, which originally served as lighting fixtures. There is a
now well-known recipe that was started in this arcade. A man by the name
of Vernon Stouffer used to have a lunch counter in this building. His
company is now one of the biggest frozen food providers on the market
and has his headquarters in the city of
Solon
,
Ohio
.
Across the street from the arcade on
Euclid Avenue
, the Cleveland
Public Library is another one of
Cleveland
’s architectural jewels. Its corner stone was laid in 1923 and the whole
structure completed in 1925. It was designed in the Greek and Roman
classic style, with columns and sculptures. The recurrent pattern made by
burning lamps on the façade represents the enlightenment there is in
knowledge and learning. A face sculpture of Athena, the goodness of
wisdom, surmounting the front entrance leads one inside this very well
provided library.
The
Public Auditorium also opened in 1925. The Board
of Education reached completion in 1930.
You will notice that these buildings have a similar architectural style.
Like the Public library, they were part of a bigger design called the Group
Plan. The purpose of this plan was to design a civic center
in order to house governmental and cultural institutions and deter the
focus from
Public Square
. First, the city’s Federal
building was completed in 1910, followed by the County
Court House and the City
Hall respectively in 1911 and 1916. Designed and built to
become staples of the city, these buildings remain all the more noticeable
as their architecture is reminiscent of the ancient times of western
civilization, which deliberately gives the institutions they house an air
of sturdiness and solemnity. The Group plan buildings were showcased in
the Great Lakes Exposition in 1936 and 1937, attracting 7 million
visitors.
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