Cleveland’s “New” Public Square – The View From The “Top”

Cleveland’s Public Square is being rededicated today. I visited the site yesterday to get a look at the revamped space. The square now seems much larger with the removal of one street that cut across the space. While there is still a street space in the center (which appears to be for temporary use, not for constant traffic), the space feels far more expansive. Grassy hills have been added and the view of the Terminal Tower and surrounding area has never been better.  Here are two photos from my personal collection.  (I apologize for any distortion from the wide angled panoramas.) 

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Cleveland Rocks New Year’s Eve on Public Square

Don’t forget the Cleveland Rocks New Year’s Eve on Public Square celebration on December 31, 2013 at 8PM – it’s a new tradition! I’ve been told it’s an event like nothing Cleveland has ever seen before. There will be more than 15 food trucks from around the Northeast Ohio area, and guests will have the opportunity to indulge in food from their favorite eateries, while hearing live performances throughout the evening from local DJs/Artist, including popular EDM group, Krewella. The event will also feature live ice sculpting, a beer garden, firework display, and countdown to midnight from Cleveland’s own, Drew Carey.

Take a look at the video – and make your plans to attend!








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Christmas on Public Square, Cleveland Ohio

I haven’t had a chance as yet to get to Public Square in downtown Cleveland to see this season's Christmas lights. The weather turned very snowy in the last few weeks here in the snow belt, but I hope to see this year's display soon. In the meantime, here is one of my animated photos from a previous year.  Enjoy the holiday season!

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Cleveland Ohio Public Square c1910 Postcard Panorama

Here’s a scan of an old fold-out panorama postcard, circa early 1910s, of Cleveland’s Public Square that my mother unearthed while looking through some old family photos from the late 1800s-early 1900s. The postcard was slightly battered and worn, but it provides an interesting view of the city from a century ago. (Click on the image for a large view.)

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A Downtown Cleveland Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Wish

Here are a few photos taken in downtown Cleveland last week. The photos feature the Christmas tree and holiday lights on Public Square, the Arcade, and Tower City. Have a Merry Christmas, and a happy holiday season and New Year!

(click on any image to open a larger view)

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Marine Week Cleveland Ohio June 2012

Cleveland Ohio hosted Marine Week from June 11-17. 2012. With “chamber of commerce” weather conditions, many people flocked to the downtown area to take in the events. Here are several photos taken by my husband at Public Square and of the displays at Voinovich Park near the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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Downtown Cleveland Christmas Holiday Lights

Here’s a video of the Christmas and holiday displays in downtown Cleveland’s Public Square, in Tower City at Terminal Tower and at The Arcade. I hope everyone has a happy holiday season!




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Retrospective: Cleveland Public Square Implosion (Video)

Here’s a video from Cleveland’s WEWS Channel 5 of the October 3, 1982 implosion of the Cuyahoga and Williamson buildings on Public Square. The buildings were demolished to make way for the Standard Oil (AKA "Sohio") Building, later named the BP Tower, now known as 200 Public Square.




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A Tour of Cleveland in Vintage Postcards

Here is a short video tour of the city of Cleveland, using vintage postcards from the 1930s-1950s. There are quite a few places of interest represented: the Terminal Tower, Public Square, Euclid Avenue, University Circle, some beautiful public parks, and a few of the city’s most notable bridges, monuments, and structures such as Public Auditorium and the Cuyahoga County Courthouse. It’s easy to see why the city attracted so many people to come live and work here.

A Tour of Cleveland in Vintage Postcards


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Cleveland’s Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

Stained Glass Inside the Monument

Beginning in June, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which sits on Cleveland’s Public Square, will be undergoing a renovation. According to Neil K. Evans, president of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission, restoration will take place on the glass, brass and marble inside the historic structure. The cost of this project is estimated at $2 million. Personally, I’m glad that this prominent monument will be getting a much-needed cleanup.

The monument is Cleveland’s Civil War memorial, and was designed by Levi T. Scofield. It was dedicated on July 4, 1894. Here’s more detail on the monument, from The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:


“The initial drive to build a local monument began on 30 Oct. 1879, when a group of Civil War veterans met at Case Hall in Cleveland to advocate such a project. Actual planning and funding of the monument were handled by a 3-man commission appointed under an act of the state legislature, passed on 16 Apr. 1888. The monument consists of an elevated base containing a tablet room. The base is surmounted by a column capped with a 15' high Statue of Liberty, bringing the total height of the structure to 125'. Surrounding the exterior of the base are 4 groupings of bronze sculpture (cast approx. one-third larger than life) depicting various battle scenes. These groupings represent the 4 main armed services: Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, and Navy. The tablet room contains lists of Cuyahoga County residents who served in the Civil War, as well as 4 bronze reliefs representing the "Emancipation of the Slave," "Beginning of the War in Ohio," members of the various soldiers' relief organizations, and "The End of the War--The Peacemakers at City Point." The total cost of the monument was $280,000, all but $10,000 of which was raised through public taxes. Scofield donated all of his architectural services to the project. “

Please visit the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument website for more information about this monument.

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The Old Stone Church

The Old Stone Church on Public Square

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The recent collapse of a major water line at Cleveland’s Public Square made me have a fleeting thought if the Old Stone Church escaped damage, as it was very close by. (Thankfully, it was safe.) The church is one of those Cleveland buildings that everyone knows about, but we often take for granted.

First of all, its original, more formal name is not the Old Stone Church; it’s really the First Presbyterian Church, which was incorporated in 1827. It is considered the oldest structure on Public Square. But, the building we see today is not the first church of that congregation built on that site, and it has an interesting background.

According to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:

‘The oldest structure on Public Square it is one of Cleveland's few early churches remaining in its original location. The sandstone church building, which became known as "Old Stone," was the second within the Cleveland limits, built at Ontario St. and Public Square between 1831-33.

This Georgian Revival-style building was razed and the cornerstone laid for a larger Romanesque Revival church in 1853 (completed in 1855), designed by the local firm of Heard & Porter, assisted by Wareham J. Warner, masterbuilder. The building, with a 228' steeple, was severely damaged by fire in 1857. The exterior walls survived, but the steeple did not; the interior was entirely rebuilt the next year. A spire added to the east tower in 1868 was removed following a second fire in 1884. Charles F. Schweinfurth designed the rebuilt interior in the Romanesque Revival style, with an arched ceiling, stained glass windows by Louis Tiffany and John LaFarge, and frescoes by Julius Schweinfurth.”

But, as the church’s web site says, “The history of Old Stone is much more than that of a building.” It goes on to add:

“The impact that this church and its members have had on the Greater Cleveland community is immense and widespread. In the area of education, Old Stone members are credited with organizing the first free public school and beginning the first English classes for immigrants. Both Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University owe their origins to the generosity of Old Stone members. Likewise, the medical community has strong ties to Old Stone. Cleveland's first doctor (David Long) and America's first neurosurgeon (Harvey Cushing) were among its members. The first lectures of Western Reserve Medical School were held at Old Stone in 1843 and the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing is named for its patron, an Old Stone member. Both University Hospitals and the Visiting Nurse Association can trace their beginnings to programs at Old Stone.

Ten Old Stone members have headed Cleveland's government, among them the first mayor and first city manager, and members have served in all levels of city, state and federal government, including at least one governor and a United States Secretary of State. Old Stone members founded many of Cleveland's prominent businesses; e.g. Sherwin-Williams, Higbee's, the Winton Automobile Co., Stouffer Foods, Society Bank, and Meldrum and Fewsmith. The Old Arcade was built by an Old Stone member and another member was the first president of the Union Club. Many church members have chosen to put their time and treasure into social service. Seeking as Flora Stone Mather put it, "to be the dispensing hand of a Father's bounty," they created settlement houses like Goodrich-Gannett and the Rainey Institute, and organized such pioneer social institutions as the YMCA, the first orphan's home, and the first women's shelter.”

The current steeple on the building was raised in 1998. It replaced one removed in 1896. It was also part of a $2.4 million renovation project, which included conservation of the La Farge window.

If you’d like to know more about this interesting Cleveland landmark, visit the Old Stone Church’s web site, here.

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