EUCLID BEACH PARK ELP 3/25/2011
The main gate as see today.
The Thriller, The Dippy Whip, The Flying Turn, Over the Fall, Laughing Sal, The Fun House. There are too many to name but if you were a baby boomer growing up in the 1950’s or 60’s these meant just one thing, Euclid Beach Park.
Euclid Beach Park graced Cleveland’s North Shore for the better part of 75 years. Opening its gate in 1895, the park was meant to rival the like of New York’s Coney Island. The park was originally managed by William Ryan Sr. and featured gambling, a beer hall and freak shows. It was more of a circus that an amusement park. In 1897, Euclid Beach got a new director, Lee Holtzman who ran the park pretty much the same way. But 1901, it was sold to the Humphrey family and that’s when things really started to happen. They took the park from being a side show to being one of the premier family parks in the country.
Dudley S. Humphrey and six family members ran a concession stand at Euclid Beach for many years but were unhappy with the way Ryan ran the park. After taking over management in 1901, they expanded the beach facilities with a lakeside swing and a bath house. Other new facilities and attractions were quickly added. Their advertizing slogan became “One fare, free gate and no beer.
The Humphreys came to Cleveland without a dime to their name and after year of trying several types of businesses, they hit upon a pop-corn business which they operated at the park for several years before buying an interest in it. After taking controlling interest, the family decided to build a family friendly park.
They established Euclid beach on the idea of fair dealing and clean entertainment. No alcoholic beverages were permitted, gambling was not allowed, there was no questionable entrainment and they would not stand for any “ballyhoo”. The Humphreys thought that proper dress would promote a family atmosphere and the only people in allowed into the park wearing shorts were children. They even extended the no alcohol policy to anyone who had been drinking at any of the local saloons in the neighborhood outside the park. They promised patron that they “would never be exposed to undesirable people”. With these policies in place, no one believed that the Humphrey’s would be successful but the park became immediately popular. Euclid Beach Park was on its way.
Additions and improvements happened quickly in the coming years. In 1902 the Humphreys worked out an agreement with a streetcar company to offer reduced rate for passengers coming to the park. Two year later, a roller rink was added and three year after that the Elysium was built. This was an indoor ice skating rink that was quite unique for its time. At the same time new rides sprung up with each new season. In it day the park was best known for its carousels and roller coasters.
The first of many carousels built at Euclid beach was built in 1905. It was replaced in 1910 with a larger carousel that boasted fifty eight horses and two chariots. After the closing of Euclid Beach in 1969, this classic carousel was acquired and operated by Palace Playland in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. In 1997 it was purchased and returned to Cleveland by an organization called Euclid Beach Now. It is currently in storage awaiting restoration. The Great American Race was a carousel like ride but besides moving up and down, the horse, arranged in parallel groups of four, moved back and forth as in a horse race. The ride was sold to Cedar Point in 1965 and operated to this day as Cedar Downs. As a kid growing up at the time it was one of the most exciting rides at the park. But, in terms of pure thrills, nothing topped the assortment of roller coaster at Euclid Beach.
Over the years of the parks existence, Euclid Beach operated at least seven roller coasters, all unique in their own way. It was the Cedar Point of its time. The first was the Switchback Railway. It was closed in 1904 and replaced by the Aero Dips which survived until 1965. Another classic coast was the Racing Coaster. It was unique in that it featured twin trains that ran side by side and raced each other to the great delight of the riders. This was the first roller coaster at the park to survive until the park closed.
Another survivor was The Thriller. Debuting in 1924, it was the most popular of the parks coaster. Although dwarfed by today’s super coasters, The Thriller was one of the tallest coasters of the day. The first drop was seventy two feet at forty degrees. It had a top speed of thirty miles an hour and at least one death is attributed to the ride. The Thriller was followed closely by what was the most advanced design coaster of its day, The Flying Turns.
At the time of its construction in 1930, there was nothing like The Flying Turns. If fact, there is nothing like it in existence today. Try to picture a roller coaster without tracks. But that’s exactly what The Fly Turns was. Designed by John Bartlett, a World War One Aviator, the coaster was trackless wooden chute that had twists and turn very similar to a bobsled course. The three car trains were designed to resemble monoplanes. Eventually six of these coasters were built around the country, including one at famed Coney Island. But the one at Euclid Beach was the tallest of them all. The Flying Turns is even immortalized the Beach Boys song “Amusement Park USA” from the album “Summer Days” released in 1965.
As the park grew, so did the use of the automobile. Street car traffic to the park gave way to auto traffic and with that the need for parking lots. The year was 1921 and one of the most iconic of the parks symbols was built, the Euclid Beach Arch. There is no way to estimate the number of cars that drove through that sandstone arch from 1921 through 1969 but it still exists and can be seen as you drive down Lake Road on the east side of Cleveland. It now serves as the entrance way for the apartment complex that now sits on the site. The arch had been declared a Cleveland landmark and is now protected from demolition.
Any account of Euclid Beach Park would be remiss if it didn’t mention the Surprise House. The Surprise House was an ominous looking over 62 feet wide and 100 feet long. Opening in 1935, it has two stories of all kinds of surprises and fun for those brave enough to enter. There were floors that moved up and down and slid side to side. Blasts of air from unseen holes, loud knocking and little surprises around every corner were punctuated by the screams of the patrons. The entire design was a maze the kept you moving forward down darken hallway guaranteed to raise your heart rate and the hair on the back of your neck. However, as scary as the inside was, you got your first taste of what awaited inside before even waking through the door. Greeting you were probably the most iconic of Euclid Beach relics, Laughing Sal and Laughing Sam.
These nightmarish figures graced either side of the entrance of the Surprise House, shaking and laughing ominously. Sam was damaged during a fire and was removed but never replaced. Sal can still be seen haunting various locations. I last saw her in the lobby of a Marc’s store about two years ago. And, she was still frightening the kids just like she did standing outside the Surprise House all those years.
But at the same time the park was flourishing, there was a darker side. The Euclid Beach Park Riot was one of a series of racial discrimination protests against the park and occurred on August 23, 1946. The park had a long history of discrimination suits against it date back to1899. The park employed a special police force to “expel” any unwelcome guests, including blacks. On August 23, the Committee of Racial Equality (CORE) went to the park but were evicted by park police. The protests climaxed on September 12 when six member of Core were escorted for the dance hall. Two black off duty Cleveland policemen tried to intervene on the group’s behalf and a fight broke out. One of the officers was shot in the leg with his own revolver. The incident prompted City Counsel to institute laws for the licensing of amusement parks and for revocation of the license in the case of racial discrimination. The park closed a week early that summer and in 1947 the dance hall opened as a private club.
Euclid Beach has certainly had its ups and downs over it seventy four year history. Because of changing times that included the advent of television, the popularity of malls, racial tensions and other factors, the park lost favor with the public and closed for good on September 28, 1969. Most of the structure left standing after the closing succumbed to a series of fires and by 1986 most of the park was gone. In 1978 The Humphrey company opened a small, but short lived park in Streetsboro, Ohio called Shady Lake.
At the new park were some of the old, familiar rides and attractions. Among them were The Flying Turns, all of the kiddie land rides, the Penny Arcade games and the Sleepy Hollow Railroad. On the adjoining property the Humphrey Company continued to produce the famous popcorn, popcorn ball and candies. You can still purchase these at local markets.
Fragment of the old park are scattered far and wide but still exist. A few I have mentioned. But other remnants remain. On the old property, part of which has been declared a state park, the anchor posts for The Thriller can still be see. You can still walk the path that lead to The Flying Turns. Also still intact, although now filled with grass and dirt, is the circular pool that’s on the breach itself. The pool also served as a ride in which patrons sat in suspended swings and taken for a ride around the pool. The bridge for the Turnpike Cars still serves as the driveway to the apartment buildings on the west end of the property.
One part of the park that gets around more that most is an eight passenger rocket ship that was part of one of the rides. It has lovingly been restored to its former magnificence. The aluminum skin has been polished, the original seat replaced with red leather and it can be seem in many paraded and car shows in the area. That’s right, car shows. The rocket is now a hot rod! The usual reaction to anyone seeing it who remember Euclid beach is “Oh my God.” It is a real treat.
More bits and pieces of the park are in private collection and a number of books are available on the subject. There is also an excellent video production entitle “Euclid Beach is Closed for the season” thats guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of any long time Clevelander.
Point is that Euclid Beach is not really dead. It still has fans all over the country. And as long as there are those who remember a warm summer day, the smell of popcorn and cotton candy on the wind and the screams from the roller coasters, the spirit of Euclid Beach will live on.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Friday, February 26, 2010
Book Chapter 5
MILLIONAIRE’S ROW ELP 10/14/1009
People have said that a city without it’s old buildings is like an old man without the memories of his past. And so it is with Cleveland. Many of the cities old architectural treasure have fallen to the wrecking ball in the name of industrialization or urban development. But still a few of these landmarks still exist. Such is the case of Millionaire’s Row.
Some know it as Euclid Avenue. Other know it as US Route 20. But in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s it was known as “the Showplace of America”, designated as a must see for travelers’ from all over the world according to Baedeker’s Travel Guides. It was home to America’s rich and famous. Such a concentration of wealth was unequaled anywhere. In fact, the elm lined avenue had a valuation that far exceeded that of Fifth Avenue in New York at the turn of the century.
Families living along “Millionaires Row” represented the best and the brightest minds of Cleveland industry. They included the likes of John D. Rockefeller, Charles Brush and George Worthington. Others included John Hay, the personal secretary of Abraham Lincoln and then Secretary of State William McKinley, and Jeptha Wade, founder of Western Union Telegraph. One of Euclid Avenue’s most infamous resident was a con artist named Cassie Chadwick who claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie.
The mansions of Euclid Ave. represented the booming Cleveland economy and its growth and prominence among industrialized cities. No less than fifteen of these monuments to the upper crust of Cleveland society were designed by prominent Cleveland architect, Charles Schweinfurth. Unfortunately, only a few of these magnificent house survive to the present day. Of the forty built, only eight remain standing. Most have fallen to neglect, disrepair and the urbanization of the area. Noted Cleveland industrialists, Charles F. Brush and John D. Rockefeller, ordered their houses to be razed after their deaths. It was report that that they preferred the destruction of their home to the deterioration they felt was inevitable. On the other hand, where many have fallen, a few have survived and can still be visited. Some are faithfully restored, some are barely visible behind added store fronts and other superfluous additions. Oh, and yes, some are reputed to be haunted.
One of these, and probably the most storied, is the Mather Mansion. Located at 2605 Euclid Avenue, the forty five room Tudor Gothic Revival mansion was the home of Samuel Mather.
Mather was one of the founding partners of Picklands, Mather & Company. The company became one of the four major iron ore producers in the United States He was know to be one of Cleveland richest citizens and a noted philanthropist.
At a cost of more than one million dollars, it was the most expensive house built in Cleveland at the time. And it was among the last to be built on “Millionaire’s Row”. It was completed in 1910. The Mather Mansion became the first to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is also listed as an Ohio Historical site and a Cleveland landmark . The mansion is currently owned by Cleveland State University who has played a large part in it’s restoration. It now serves as the home of the schools Division of University Placement.
Another survivor and one of the most visible, is the Stager-Beckwith Mansion that now serves as the Meyers University Club. The mansions architectural style is described as Italianate/Second French Empire, taking four years to build. It was the brainchild of Colonel Anson Stager who was the general superintendent of the Western Union Telegraphy Co. The original price to build it in 1862 was only $60,000. After the Civil War it was sold to dry goods merchant named T. Sterling Beckwith. Beckwith, in turn, sold the mansion to the University Club in 1913 to be used as a private club. A three story annex was added by the club that contained the ballroom on the first floor. Later a sports club was added on the west side of the building totally consuming the property, including the carriage house. Eventually the University Club was sold to Meyers University and restoration begun at a cost of $11 million.
Another survivor is the home of John Henry Devereaux. Deverauax served as vice president and president of several railroads including the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad, the Lakeshore Railroad and the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad among others. The home he built is now occupied and has been faithfully restored by the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity at Cleveland State. However, this is no “Animal House”, the home’s elegance has been maintained. The mansion is located at 3226 Euclid Avenue. Since it’s construction in the 1880’s, the house has changed hands more than twenty times. It even has the aforementioned store front added to the main entrance, however, it still has all of the original wood work. The fraternity that restored the old home has deep roots as does the home. Delta Sigma Phi had its beginning in 1929 when Cleveland State was know as Fenn College.
By far, the most interesting surviving house is Drury Mansion. The mansion was the home of Francis Drury, a Cleveland industrialist the made his fortune in cast iron stoves. But after a series of misfortunes, the house was placed into the hands of the Ohio Adult Parole Authority to be used as a half way house. The Mansion was constructed in 1912 as a fifty-two room mansion. Its opulence was unrivaled at the time. But from the beginning the house was a strange and ominous place with a wide center staircase and twisting corridors that ended in strangely placed room. Elegantly carved woodwork was every where. It is also reputed to have a secret tunnel on the lower floor that at one time lead beneath Euclid Avenue to the Drury Theater, built across the street from the mansion in 1914. Eventually the mansion fell into disrepair and became a boarding house and then a home for unwed mothers. The parole board then took over in 1972. Since that time criminals and officials alike have been terrified by ghostly happenings within the walls of the strange old house.
Doors that won’t stay closed, groaning sounds and windows that open by themselves have been reported. Footsteps in empty halls have also been reported by officials and inmates alike. One night in 1972, two police officers were assigned to guard the mansion. No one is sure what frighten them but they spent that night, bolt upright, back to back, shotguns at the ready. Another time in 1978 one of the members of the staff came face to face with an apparition on the main staircase. She was wearing a long skirt and clothing of the style worn by women at the turn of the century. No one knows who she is for sure. Some have said she was a member of the Drury household. Others say she is a restless spirit of the years when the house was in decline. The Drury Mansion is still located at 8625 Euclid Avenue and is owned by the Cleveland Clinic.
As Cleveland’s industry and commercial interests began to push eastward along Euclid Avenue, the prominent families that create those interests moved eastward also, to University Circle. By the 1920’s “Millionaire’s Row”, the Showplace of America , was in decline. Some of the mansions were turned into boarding houses, hastening their deterioration. By 1960 the avenue that once rivaled any street in the world was a two mile slum of commercial buildings and low income housing .
Today, eight houses have survived the wrecking ball. Most recently to fall to its wrath was the Lyman Treadway Mansion which was part of the Cleveland Museum of Health from about 1930 until it’s demolition in 2002 to make room for the new Health Museum. A list of the surviving mansions, either intact or in part, can be found at the Ohio Traveler website.
Millionaire’s Row, once know as “the most beautiful street in America”, is but a memory of Cleveland glory days. Gone are the days when the names Rockefeller, Mather, Wade, and Gund made fortunes and headlines in this city. Their magnificent home have all but vanished behind the urban sprawl or swallowed by the industrial wasteland created by the very fortunes that made them possible. But the remaining few that do survive are a testament to what the city once was. You could take a down Euclid Avenue and see what is left but it is not recommended. After all, it isn’t exactly the neighborhood of Cleveland’s rich and famous anymore.
Drury Mansion (circa 1941)
People have said that a city without it’s old buildings is like an old man without the memories of his past. And so it is with Cleveland. Many of the cities old architectural treasure have fallen to the wrecking ball in the name of industrialization or urban development. But still a few of these landmarks still exist. Such is the case of Millionaire’s Row.
Some know it as Euclid Avenue. Other know it as US Route 20. But in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s it was known as “the Showplace of America”, designated as a must see for travelers’ from all over the world according to Baedeker’s Travel Guides. It was home to America’s rich and famous. Such a concentration of wealth was unequaled anywhere. In fact, the elm lined avenue had a valuation that far exceeded that of Fifth Avenue in New York at the turn of the century.
Families living along “Millionaires Row” represented the best and the brightest minds of Cleveland industry. They included the likes of John D. Rockefeller, Charles Brush and George Worthington. Others included John Hay, the personal secretary of Abraham Lincoln and then Secretary of State William McKinley, and Jeptha Wade, founder of Western Union Telegraph. One of Euclid Avenue’s most infamous resident was a con artist named Cassie Chadwick who claimed to be the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie.
The mansions of Euclid Ave. represented the booming Cleveland economy and its growth and prominence among industrialized cities. No less than fifteen of these monuments to the upper crust of Cleveland society were designed by prominent Cleveland architect, Charles Schweinfurth. Unfortunately, only a few of these magnificent house survive to the present day. Of the forty built, only eight remain standing. Most have fallen to neglect, disrepair and the urbanization of the area. Noted Cleveland industrialists, Charles F. Brush and John D. Rockefeller, ordered their houses to be razed after their deaths. It was report that that they preferred the destruction of their home to the deterioration they felt was inevitable. On the other hand, where many have fallen, a few have survived and can still be visited. Some are faithfully restored, some are barely visible behind added store fronts and other superfluous additions. Oh, and yes, some are reputed to be haunted.
One of these, and probably the most storied, is the Mather Mansion. Located at 2605 Euclid Avenue, the forty five room Tudor Gothic Revival mansion was the home of Samuel Mather.
Mather was one of the founding partners of Picklands, Mather & Company. The company became one of the four major iron ore producers in the United States He was know to be one of Cleveland richest citizens and a noted philanthropist.
At a cost of more than one million dollars, it was the most expensive house built in Cleveland at the time. And it was among the last to be built on “Millionaire’s Row”. It was completed in 1910. The Mather Mansion became the first to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is also listed as an Ohio Historical site and a Cleveland landmark . The mansion is currently owned by Cleveland State University who has played a large part in it’s restoration. It now serves as the home of the schools Division of University Placement.
Another survivor and one of the most visible, is the Stager-Beckwith Mansion that now serves as the Meyers University Club. The mansions architectural style is described as Italianate/Second French Empire, taking four years to build. It was the brainchild of Colonel Anson Stager who was the general superintendent of the Western Union Telegraphy Co. The original price to build it in 1862 was only $60,000. After the Civil War it was sold to dry goods merchant named T. Sterling Beckwith. Beckwith, in turn, sold the mansion to the University Club in 1913 to be used as a private club. A three story annex was added by the club that contained the ballroom on the first floor. Later a sports club was added on the west side of the building totally consuming the property, including the carriage house. Eventually the University Club was sold to Meyers University and restoration begun at a cost of $11 million.
Another survivor is the home of John Henry Devereaux. Deverauax served as vice president and president of several railroads including the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad, the Lakeshore Railroad and the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad among others. The home he built is now occupied and has been faithfully restored by the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity at Cleveland State. However, this is no “Animal House”, the home’s elegance has been maintained. The mansion is located at 3226 Euclid Avenue. Since it’s construction in the 1880’s, the house has changed hands more than twenty times. It even has the aforementioned store front added to the main entrance, however, it still has all of the original wood work. The fraternity that restored the old home has deep roots as does the home. Delta Sigma Phi had its beginning in 1929 when Cleveland State was know as Fenn College.
By far, the most interesting surviving house is Drury Mansion. The mansion was the home of Francis Drury, a Cleveland industrialist the made his fortune in cast iron stoves. But after a series of misfortunes, the house was placed into the hands of the Ohio Adult Parole Authority to be used as a half way house. The Mansion was constructed in 1912 as a fifty-two room mansion. Its opulence was unrivaled at the time. But from the beginning the house was a strange and ominous place with a wide center staircase and twisting corridors that ended in strangely placed room. Elegantly carved woodwork was every where. It is also reputed to have a secret tunnel on the lower floor that at one time lead beneath Euclid Avenue to the Drury Theater, built across the street from the mansion in 1914. Eventually the mansion fell into disrepair and became a boarding house and then a home for unwed mothers. The parole board then took over in 1972. Since that time criminals and officials alike have been terrified by ghostly happenings within the walls of the strange old house.
Doors that won’t stay closed, groaning sounds and windows that open by themselves have been reported. Footsteps in empty halls have also been reported by officials and inmates alike. One night in 1972, two police officers were assigned to guard the mansion. No one is sure what frighten them but they spent that night, bolt upright, back to back, shotguns at the ready. Another time in 1978 one of the members of the staff came face to face with an apparition on the main staircase. She was wearing a long skirt and clothing of the style worn by women at the turn of the century. No one knows who she is for sure. Some have said she was a member of the Drury household. Others say she is a restless spirit of the years when the house was in decline. The Drury Mansion is still located at 8625 Euclid Avenue and is owned by the Cleveland Clinic.
As Cleveland’s industry and commercial interests began to push eastward along Euclid Avenue, the prominent families that create those interests moved eastward also, to University Circle. By the 1920’s “Millionaire’s Row”, the Showplace of America , was in decline. Some of the mansions were turned into boarding houses, hastening their deterioration. By 1960 the avenue that once rivaled any street in the world was a two mile slum of commercial buildings and low income housing .
Today, eight houses have survived the wrecking ball. Most recently to fall to its wrath was the Lyman Treadway Mansion which was part of the Cleveland Museum of Health from about 1930 until it’s demolition in 2002 to make room for the new Health Museum. A list of the surviving mansions, either intact or in part, can be found at the Ohio Traveler website.
Millionaire’s Row, once know as “the most beautiful street in America”, is but a memory of Cleveland glory days. Gone are the days when the names Rockefeller, Mather, Wade, and Gund made fortunes and headlines in this city. Their magnificent home have all but vanished behind the urban sprawl or swallowed by the industrial wasteland created by the very fortunes that made them possible. But the remaining few that do survive are a testament to what the city once was. You could take a down Euclid Avenue and see what is left but it is not recommended. After all, it isn’t exactly the neighborhood of Cleveland’s rich and famous anymore.
Drury Mansion (circa 1941)
Monday, December 14, 2009
Book Chapter 4
ART HISTORY 101
Tregoning & Company is one of the foremost names in Cleveland’s fine arts community. This outstanding gallery specializes in art appraisal and restoration. Tregonings’s services are used by a wide variety of clients, from a virtual list of Cleveland’s who’s who to the less well known as well as the Cleveland Museum of Art.
In business since 1982 and tucked away at 1300 West 78th Street, in Lakewood, you wouldn’t even know it was there unless you were looking for it. However, Tregoning maintains and operates one of the finest galleries of privately owned art on either the east or west side of Cleveland, specializing in works by both European and American artists from the 17th century old masters thru the late 20th centuries.
In addition to appraisals and restorations, Tregoning & Company offers expert services in historical frame design and archival frame installation of all types of fragile works of art. Their expertise extends to sculpture, textiles, ceramics and decorative objects as well as art on paper and canvas.
There facilities are classic yet elegant. The building itself is more than one hundred years old and is of classic red brick construction. At the original entrance to the building is a much trodden, weathered sandstone step, giving a clue to the buildings true age. Stepping into lobby, one is greeted by finished hard wood floors and wooden rafters overhead, bolted together with iron plates typical of construction in that era. For all intensive purposes it likes an old time factory, a beautifully restored factory. And, you would one hundred percent correct. At one time it was a factory. One deeply entrenched in Cleveland’s history, a history much different than the purpose for which it now serves. The building that now houses one of the most amazing collections of art in the city was once home of the Baker Electric Car Company.
At the turn of the twentieth century there were over a 1,000 small automobile manufacturer’s in the United States. At one time or another, several automobile manufacturers have called Cleveland home. Among these was White, also famous for sewing machines and trucks, Winton, Peerless, and F.B Stearns. All of these companies produced traditional gasoline powered transportation. One manufacturer choose to stray from the beaten path and produce a most unusual, some said one of the most revolutionary automobiles of their time. These were the electric vehicles produced by Walter C. Baker and the company that bore his name.
Baker, who lived in Lakewood for forty six years, was an engineer and inventor born in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. When he was just three years old his parents relocated to Cleveland. His father, George W. Baker, an industrialist in his own right, helped to found the White Sewing Machine and Cleveland Machine Screw, companies that also have deep roots in Cleveland history.
Walter graduated from the Case School of Applied Science in 1891. Baker had already founded the American Ball Bearing Company when he, along with his partner and friend, F. Phillip Dean, built their first electric car in 1897. In the year that followed, the pair laid the foundation of what was to become the Baker Electric Car Company.
The autos produced by Baker were innovative for several reasons. Not only was the twelve volt, battery powered electric propulsion system state of the art for its day, they were unique for their left hand, tiller steering system.
Within a year of opening its doors for business, Baker’s production topped four hundred units, each selling for about $850.00. It is reported that one of the first was sold to Thomas Edison, his very first car. The Baker Company boosted that their car was so simple to drive that “even a woman could operate it.” The statement sounds terribly sexist today but in those days most cars with gasoline engines had to be started with a crank which often kicked back when the engine started, sometimes breaking the arm of the person trying to start it.
In 1904, the production line up consisted of two models, the Runabout and the Stanhope. Both were two seaters. Power was supplied by a centrally located twelve volt electric motor with a three speed transmission. In 1907 a line of electric trucks was added to the product mix.
In 1900, electric car production accounted for thirty six per cent of the nations total automobile output. The Baker Company produced most of them. And by 1907 Baker was producing seventeen different models ranging from the old Stanhope, the smallest, to the Extension Front Brougham, priced at over $4,000. Pretty pricey for 1907. Capacity of the truck was increased to five tons. Baker went so far as to produce a race car called the Torpedo. Designed to be a land speed racer, it was the first car to have seat belts. Reports differ, but the Torpedo was reputed to be capable of speeds from seventy nine to one hundred twenty miles per hour.
In 1913, sales leadership in the marketplace was taken over by Detroit Electric and in 1914 Baker merged with Rauch & Long, another Cleveland auto manufacturer. The company changed it name to Baker, Ruasch & Long.
Electric cars also have there place in literature. Well, at least in comic books. In one issue, Donald Duck’s grandmother is depicted driving what appears to be driving either a Baker or a Rauch & Long.
Eventually, electric cars lost out to their gasoline counterparts. It seems that electric automobile were better suited to city street rather than the harsh, bumpy county roads that made up most of the nations highway system in the early part of the twentieth century. In addition, They were not all that powerful and the batteries were heavy and of very limited life. Range for a single charge was about eighty miles. Charging facilities, unlike gasoline stations, were expensive to build and not readily available outside of metropolitan areas.
The last Baker was produced in 1916. In 1919 Walter Baker joined the Peerless Motor Company. Baker’s car company evolved into the Baker Materials Handling Company which closed it’s doors in1989. Thus the Baker Electric Car Company passed into history.
Today Baker’s are highly prized by collectors. Comedian, Jay Leno has a collection that contains at least one Baker. Locally, the Crawford Auto/Aviation Museum on University Circle has a fine example of a 1904 Newport Runabout.
The irony in all of this is that in this age of ever increasing prices for gas and oil, interest in electric powered vehicle has been rekindled. Modern advances in both automotive and battery technology have made electric autos feasible as well as practical again. What goes around comes around as they say. What was once the past may become the future thanks to pioneers like Walter C. Baker and his dream.
From automobile factory to art gallery. Quite a change. Yet each in its own way, an art form.
Baker built it, Tregoning & Company has preserved it. The Baker Electric Car Factory, another piece of Cleveland’s, and Lakewood’s unknown history.
Tregoning & Company is one of the foremost names in Cleveland’s fine arts community. This outstanding gallery specializes in art appraisal and restoration. Tregonings’s services are used by a wide variety of clients, from a virtual list of Cleveland’s who’s who to the less well known as well as the Cleveland Museum of Art.
In business since 1982 and tucked away at 1300 West 78th Street, in Lakewood, you wouldn’t even know it was there unless you were looking for it. However, Tregoning maintains and operates one of the finest galleries of privately owned art on either the east or west side of Cleveland, specializing in works by both European and American artists from the 17th century old masters thru the late 20th centuries.
In addition to appraisals and restorations, Tregoning & Company offers expert services in historical frame design and archival frame installation of all types of fragile works of art. Their expertise extends to sculpture, textiles, ceramics and decorative objects as well as art on paper and canvas.
There facilities are classic yet elegant. The building itself is more than one hundred years old and is of classic red brick construction. At the original entrance to the building is a much trodden, weathered sandstone step, giving a clue to the buildings true age. Stepping into lobby, one is greeted by finished hard wood floors and wooden rafters overhead, bolted together with iron plates typical of construction in that era. For all intensive purposes it likes an old time factory, a beautifully restored factory. And, you would one hundred percent correct. At one time it was a factory. One deeply entrenched in Cleveland’s history, a history much different than the purpose for which it now serves. The building that now houses one of the most amazing collections of art in the city was once home of the Baker Electric Car Company.
At the turn of the twentieth century there were over a 1,000 small automobile manufacturer’s in the United States. At one time or another, several automobile manufacturers have called Cleveland home. Among these was White, also famous for sewing machines and trucks, Winton, Peerless, and F.B Stearns. All of these companies produced traditional gasoline powered transportation. One manufacturer choose to stray from the beaten path and produce a most unusual, some said one of the most revolutionary automobiles of their time. These were the electric vehicles produced by Walter C. Baker and the company that bore his name.
Baker, who lived in Lakewood for forty six years, was an engineer and inventor born in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. When he was just three years old his parents relocated to Cleveland. His father, George W. Baker, an industrialist in his own right, helped to found the White Sewing Machine and Cleveland Machine Screw, companies that also have deep roots in Cleveland history.
Walter graduated from the Case School of Applied Science in 1891. Baker had already founded the American Ball Bearing Company when he, along with his partner and friend, F. Phillip Dean, built their first electric car in 1897. In the year that followed, the pair laid the foundation of what was to become the Baker Electric Car Company.
The autos produced by Baker were innovative for several reasons. Not only was the twelve volt, battery powered electric propulsion system state of the art for its day, they were unique for their left hand, tiller steering system.
Within a year of opening its doors for business, Baker’s production topped four hundred units, each selling for about $850.00. It is reported that one of the first was sold to Thomas Edison, his very first car. The Baker Company boosted that their car was so simple to drive that “even a woman could operate it.” The statement sounds terribly sexist today but in those days most cars with gasoline engines had to be started with a crank which often kicked back when the engine started, sometimes breaking the arm of the person trying to start it.
In 1904, the production line up consisted of two models, the Runabout and the Stanhope. Both were two seaters. Power was supplied by a centrally located twelve volt electric motor with a three speed transmission. In 1907 a line of electric trucks was added to the product mix.
In 1900, electric car production accounted for thirty six per cent of the nations total automobile output. The Baker Company produced most of them. And by 1907 Baker was producing seventeen different models ranging from the old Stanhope, the smallest, to the Extension Front Brougham, priced at over $4,000. Pretty pricey for 1907. Capacity of the truck was increased to five tons. Baker went so far as to produce a race car called the Torpedo. Designed to be a land speed racer, it was the first car to have seat belts. Reports differ, but the Torpedo was reputed to be capable of speeds from seventy nine to one hundred twenty miles per hour.
In 1913, sales leadership in the marketplace was taken over by Detroit Electric and in 1914 Baker merged with Rauch & Long, another Cleveland auto manufacturer. The company changed it name to Baker, Ruasch & Long.
Electric cars also have there place in literature. Well, at least in comic books. In one issue, Donald Duck’s grandmother is depicted driving what appears to be driving either a Baker or a Rauch & Long.
Eventually, electric cars lost out to their gasoline counterparts. It seems that electric automobile were better suited to city street rather than the harsh, bumpy county roads that made up most of the nations highway system in the early part of the twentieth century. In addition, They were not all that powerful and the batteries were heavy and of very limited life. Range for a single charge was about eighty miles. Charging facilities, unlike gasoline stations, were expensive to build and not readily available outside of metropolitan areas.
The last Baker was produced in 1916. In 1919 Walter Baker joined the Peerless Motor Company. Baker’s car company evolved into the Baker Materials Handling Company which closed it’s doors in1989. Thus the Baker Electric Car Company passed into history.
Today Baker’s are highly prized by collectors. Comedian, Jay Leno has a collection that contains at least one Baker. Locally, the Crawford Auto/Aviation Museum on University Circle has a fine example of a 1904 Newport Runabout.
The irony in all of this is that in this age of ever increasing prices for gas and oil, interest in electric powered vehicle has been rekindled. Modern advances in both automotive and battery technology have made electric autos feasible as well as practical again. What goes around comes around as they say. What was once the past may become the future thanks to pioneers like Walter C. Baker and his dream.
From automobile factory to art gallery. Quite a change. Yet each in its own way, an art form.
Baker built it, Tregoning & Company has preserved it. The Baker Electric Car Factory, another piece of Cleveland’s, and Lakewood’s unknown history.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Book Chapter 3- There Use To Be A Ballpark
THERE USED TO BE A BALLPARK
Ah yes, the first signs of spring. The Indians are in spring training in their brand new stadium in Goodyear, Arizona. Before you know it, opening day at Progressive Field will be upon us. But in another time, in another place, the cry “Play Ball” was heard. The National Anthem echoed in the air. There was the crack of a bat and the cheers of thousands of baseball fans. But now the walls are silent, the field overgrown, the grounds unkept. Most of the red brick edifice that once saw some of the most historic baseball ever played is in ruin. Before Progressive Field, before Municipal Stadium, there was League Park.
League Park opened in May of 1891. Nine thousand fans sat on wooden bleachers to watch the legendary Cy Young pitch for the Cleveland Spiders of the National League, the forerunners of the Indians. It was a more elegant time and baseball was a more elegant game.
The park was the brainchild of Frank DeHaas Robinson, a pioneer in the street railway lines and owner of the Spiders. Robinson built League park on his Payne Avenue streetcar line on the corner of E. 66th Street and Lexington Avenue to increase ridership on his Cleveland City Cable Railway and, in turn, baseball game attendance.
Designed by Osborn Engineering, the Park was to be built as a neighborhood park in much the same style as Philadelphia’s Shibe Park or Brooklyn’s Ebbet’s Field. The stadium is uniquely shaped due to the need to fit the ball field into a city street grid. The diamond, situated in the northwest corner of the block, was turned slightly counterclockwise. The right field line was only 290 feet but batters had the extra challenge of clearing a 60 foot fence to hit a home run. By comparison, the Green Monster at Fenway Park is only 37 feet! In left field the fence was only five feet high but the left field line was a full 375 feet. The deepest part of the field was 460 feet to the scoreboard.
The Spiders played at League Park until the end of disastrous a1899 season. That year the Spiders won only 20 games out of a 154 game season. The very next year the Spiders’ were replaced by the “Naps”, an American League Team. In turn, the Naps were replaced by the Cleveland Indians.
On April 29, 1901, the Tribe played their first game in League Park against the Milwaukee Brewers, beating them 4-3. By the time the 1910 season rolled around, attendance had increased so much that the park was enlarged and rebuilt with a concrete grandstand to accommodate 21,000 fans. A second level was also added and box seats became available for the first time.
In 1916 the name of the park was changed to Dunn Field, after Sonny Jim Dunn who was owner of the Cleveland Indians at the time. After ownership changed hands again in 1927 the name reverted to League Park.
1920 saw the World Series come to Cleveland and League Park pitting the Cleveland Indians against the Brooklyn Robins, later know as the Dodgers. The 1920 Series is arguable one of the best ever played and certainly the best played by the Indians. Not only did the Tribe win the series but League Park was the site of the first grand slam home run in World Series history. In that same series, Indians second baseman Bill Wambsgass made the only unassisted triple play in a World Series, ever!
Unfortunately, the success of the Tribe in the 1920 series was overshadowed by the death of shortstop Ray Chapman. The date was August 16, 1920 and life was being good to “Chappie”, as his teammates called him. The Indians were playing the Yankees at the Polo Grounds in New York. Carl Mays, the Yankee’s pitcher, was known for having a nasty disposition and throwing “high and tight.” Chappie was crowding the plate when Mays delivered a raising side arm pitch hitting Chapman in the temple, fracturing his skull. In spite of efforts to save him, Chappie died the next morning from his injuries. It remains to this day the only death during a game in major league history. Baseball history abounds at League Park.
Another notable event from baseball history occurring at League Park was the 500th home run of Babe Ruth in August of 1929. Interestingly , the “Sultan of Swat” credits Indians left fielder, Joseph Jackson, otherwise know as “Shoeless Joe” with his hitting success. Ruth was quoted as saying “I copied Jackson’s Style because I thought he was the greatest hitter I had ever seen, the greatest natural hitter I ever saw. He’s the guy who made me a hitter.” In 1999, the “Sporting News” ranked Shoeless Joe 35th on their list of the 100 greatest baseball players.
Baseball history abounds at League Park. In 1936, one of the greatest names in Cleveland sports began his long and illustrious career. That was the year that Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller began his 18 year career with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians were the only team he played for and he was part of the “Big Four in the Indians pitching rotation in 1950. In his career he amassed 266 victories, 2,581 strikeouts and led the American League seven times in strikeouts. For Feller baseball was not only a game but a philosophy. “Everyday is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind you and start over. That’s the way life is, a new game everyday, and that’s the way baseball is.”
Other events that assured League Park’s place in the baseball stadium hall of fame were Joe Dimaggio’s 56th and last hit of his record breaking hitting streak, the first season with over one million in fan attendance (1946) and Ted Williams only inside the park homer, also in 1946.
The Indians were not the only Cleveland professional ball team to play at League Park. The Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro League started play at the site under the name of the Cleveland Tate Stars. The Buckeyes were organized by Ernest Wright and Wilbur Hayes. Wright was a nightclub owner from Erie, Pennsylvania and Hayes, a local sports promoter. In 1945, the Buckeyes compiled a record of 53-16 to win the Negro League Championship. That was backed up in 1947 with a pennant win in the Negro American League. Success on the field did not necessarily mean success of the team. The Buckeyes lost money and eventually disbanded in 1950.
For all its fame and glory, the beginning of the end came sometime in 1931 when a new stadium was built on the shores of Lake Erie, Cleveland Municipal Stadium. At first the Indians played at the new stadium only on Sundays and holidays. By 1946, games were split between the stadiums. Then in 1947 the Indians moved to the Cleveland Stadium full time under the ownership of Bill Veeck.
Lights were never installed at League Park making night games impossible. The last game played there was on September 21, 1946 against the Detroit Tigers. So it came that after fifty-five years, professional baseball ceased to be played at League Park. The city bought the property in 1951.
The venerable old ballpark served as the practice field for the Cleveland Browns from 1945 until the late 1960’s. By this time the neglected and decaying stands were torn down to make room for a playground. The bright spot is that in 1979 League Park was declared a Cleveland landmark and earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Unlike its contemporaries, Shibe Park and Ebbets Field, both of which are still intact, very little remains of League Park. But you can still visit. A public park now occupies what used to be the baseball field and only a small section of the brick facade along the first base side that remains standing. The old ticket office still stands proudly on the corner of East 66th Street and Lexington. The last remaining grandstand was deemed unsafe and taken down in 2002.
On the romantic side, the grass is still green, the ticket office intact and if you listen closely, the echoes of the shouts and cheers of thousands of frenzied fans may be heard in the breeze and the aroma of hotdogs and popcorn may still linger in the air.
I think a song written by Joe Raposo and recorded by Frank Sinatra says it all:
And there used to be a ballpark
where the field was warm and green.
And the people played their crazy game
games with joy I’d never seen.
And the air was such a wonder
from the hot dogs and the beer.
Yes, there used to be a ballpark
right here.
Pay this old veteran a visit. Want more information, visit the website at theleaguepark.org. In the meantime, as you sit in the comfort of Progressive Field, give a thought to those who went before. To a place called League Park.
Ah yes, the first signs of spring. The Indians are in spring training in their brand new stadium in Goodyear, Arizona. Before you know it, opening day at Progressive Field will be upon us. But in another time, in another place, the cry “Play Ball” was heard. The National Anthem echoed in the air. There was the crack of a bat and the cheers of thousands of baseball fans. But now the walls are silent, the field overgrown, the grounds unkept. Most of the red brick edifice that once saw some of the most historic baseball ever played is in ruin. Before Progressive Field, before Municipal Stadium, there was League Park.
League Park opened in May of 1891. Nine thousand fans sat on wooden bleachers to watch the legendary Cy Young pitch for the Cleveland Spiders of the National League, the forerunners of the Indians. It was a more elegant time and baseball was a more elegant game.
The park was the brainchild of Frank DeHaas Robinson, a pioneer in the street railway lines and owner of the Spiders. Robinson built League park on his Payne Avenue streetcar line on the corner of E. 66th Street and Lexington Avenue to increase ridership on his Cleveland City Cable Railway and, in turn, baseball game attendance.
Designed by Osborn Engineering, the Park was to be built as a neighborhood park in much the same style as Philadelphia’s Shibe Park or Brooklyn’s Ebbet’s Field. The stadium is uniquely shaped due to the need to fit the ball field into a city street grid. The diamond, situated in the northwest corner of the block, was turned slightly counterclockwise. The right field line was only 290 feet but batters had the extra challenge of clearing a 60 foot fence to hit a home run. By comparison, the Green Monster at Fenway Park is only 37 feet! In left field the fence was only five feet high but the left field line was a full 375 feet. The deepest part of the field was 460 feet to the scoreboard.
The Spiders played at League Park until the end of disastrous a1899 season. That year the Spiders won only 20 games out of a 154 game season. The very next year the Spiders’ were replaced by the “Naps”, an American League Team. In turn, the Naps were replaced by the Cleveland Indians.
On April 29, 1901, the Tribe played their first game in League Park against the Milwaukee Brewers, beating them 4-3. By the time the 1910 season rolled around, attendance had increased so much that the park was enlarged and rebuilt with a concrete grandstand to accommodate 21,000 fans. A second level was also added and box seats became available for the first time.
In 1916 the name of the park was changed to Dunn Field, after Sonny Jim Dunn who was owner of the Cleveland Indians at the time. After ownership changed hands again in 1927 the name reverted to League Park.
1920 saw the World Series come to Cleveland and League Park pitting the Cleveland Indians against the Brooklyn Robins, later know as the Dodgers. The 1920 Series is arguable one of the best ever played and certainly the best played by the Indians. Not only did the Tribe win the series but League Park was the site of the first grand slam home run in World Series history. In that same series, Indians second baseman Bill Wambsgass made the only unassisted triple play in a World Series, ever!
Unfortunately, the success of the Tribe in the 1920 series was overshadowed by the death of shortstop Ray Chapman. The date was August 16, 1920 and life was being good to “Chappie”, as his teammates called him. The Indians were playing the Yankees at the Polo Grounds in New York. Carl Mays, the Yankee’s pitcher, was known for having a nasty disposition and throwing “high and tight.” Chappie was crowding the plate when Mays delivered a raising side arm pitch hitting Chapman in the temple, fracturing his skull. In spite of efforts to save him, Chappie died the next morning from his injuries. It remains to this day the only death during a game in major league history. Baseball history abounds at League Park.
Another notable event from baseball history occurring at League Park was the 500th home run of Babe Ruth in August of 1929. Interestingly , the “Sultan of Swat” credits Indians left fielder, Joseph Jackson, otherwise know as “Shoeless Joe” with his hitting success. Ruth was quoted as saying “I copied Jackson’s Style because I thought he was the greatest hitter I had ever seen, the greatest natural hitter I ever saw. He’s the guy who made me a hitter.” In 1999, the “Sporting News” ranked Shoeless Joe 35th on their list of the 100 greatest baseball players.
Baseball history abounds at League Park. In 1936, one of the greatest names in Cleveland sports began his long and illustrious career. That was the year that Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller began his 18 year career with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians were the only team he played for and he was part of the “Big Four in the Indians pitching rotation in 1950. In his career he amassed 266 victories, 2,581 strikeouts and led the American League seven times in strikeouts. For Feller baseball was not only a game but a philosophy. “Everyday is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind you and start over. That’s the way life is, a new game everyday, and that’s the way baseball is.”
Other events that assured League Park’s place in the baseball stadium hall of fame were Joe Dimaggio’s 56th and last hit of his record breaking hitting streak, the first season with over one million in fan attendance (1946) and Ted Williams only inside the park homer, also in 1946.
The Indians were not the only Cleveland professional ball team to play at League Park. The Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro League started play at the site under the name of the Cleveland Tate Stars. The Buckeyes were organized by Ernest Wright and Wilbur Hayes. Wright was a nightclub owner from Erie, Pennsylvania and Hayes, a local sports promoter. In 1945, the Buckeyes compiled a record of 53-16 to win the Negro League Championship. That was backed up in 1947 with a pennant win in the Negro American League. Success on the field did not necessarily mean success of the team. The Buckeyes lost money and eventually disbanded in 1950.
For all its fame and glory, the beginning of the end came sometime in 1931 when a new stadium was built on the shores of Lake Erie, Cleveland Municipal Stadium. At first the Indians played at the new stadium only on Sundays and holidays. By 1946, games were split between the stadiums. Then in 1947 the Indians moved to the Cleveland Stadium full time under the ownership of Bill Veeck.
Lights were never installed at League Park making night games impossible. The last game played there was on September 21, 1946 against the Detroit Tigers. So it came that after fifty-five years, professional baseball ceased to be played at League Park. The city bought the property in 1951.
The venerable old ballpark served as the practice field for the Cleveland Browns from 1945 until the late 1960’s. By this time the neglected and decaying stands were torn down to make room for a playground. The bright spot is that in 1979 League Park was declared a Cleveland landmark and earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Unlike its contemporaries, Shibe Park and Ebbets Field, both of which are still intact, very little remains of League Park. But you can still visit. A public park now occupies what used to be the baseball field and only a small section of the brick facade along the first base side that remains standing. The old ticket office still stands proudly on the corner of East 66th Street and Lexington. The last remaining grandstand was deemed unsafe and taken down in 2002.
On the romantic side, the grass is still green, the ticket office intact and if you listen closely, the echoes of the shouts and cheers of thousands of frenzied fans may be heard in the breeze and the aroma of hotdogs and popcorn may still linger in the air.
I think a song written by Joe Raposo and recorded by Frank Sinatra says it all:
And there used to be a ballpark
where the field was warm and green.
And the people played their crazy game
games with joy I’d never seen.
And the air was such a wonder
from the hot dogs and the beer.
Yes, there used to be a ballpark
right here.
Pay this old veteran a visit. Want more information, visit the website at theleaguepark.org. In the meantime, as you sit in the comfort of Progressive Field, give a thought to those who went before. To a place called League Park.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Book Chapter 2- The Flat Iron Cafe
Resurrection of The Flat Iron Cafe
Saturday November 17 stands as a day of resurrection, so to speak. The grand reopening of the upstairs bar and restaurant area of the old Flat Iron Café was reopened after it was nearly destroyed by fire. Spirits and voices were raised in celebration of the event, like welcoming an old friend back from the dead. It could just as easily been a wake.
On Labor Day weekend this year, fire broke out in the restaurant’s main office. Investigation proved that the fire was electrical in nature and was confined to the second floor. Quick work by the Cleveland Fire Department saved the landmark from total destruction. Current owner Dan Brennan, vowed to rebuild and reopen as soon as possible and made good on his promise, reopening the first floor in just ten days, the upstairs just last Saturday night. The old café has proved to be as tough as its Irish heritage.
The place was paced wall to wall with the faithful. With glasses raised, the event kicked off the singing of the Star Spangled Banner and the Irish national anthem. Music was provided by Paul, Peggy and Richie of Brigid’s Cross. The music continued with the band playing traditional Irish pub tunes alonf with a good helping American rock and folk with an Irish accent. Then to assembled multitude was treated to a rendition of “The Oldest Swinger in Town” by Dick “the Rooster” Goonan, a great old guy that just happens to be Peggy’s father and as almost as much of a landmark in the community as the Flat Iron. The Guinness flowed, the music played, people sang at the top of their voices and as the night went on the toasts to the Flat Iron got louder and more frequent. I challenge you to find anyone who was there that didn’t have the best time of their life. No one left unhappy.
By the way, how many of you have seen a beer fountain? I suggest you catch the next performance of Bridig’s Cross and if you’re lucky, really lucky, you may get the chance. It’s quite spectacular, ‘nough said.
Of all the after work spots in the Warehouse District or the Flats, one stands out, the Flat Iron Cafe. This popular watering hole is an icon on the east bank of the Cuyahoga, famous for good food, good drinks, good music and, of course, good company. But, it also has a place in Cleveland history that few are aware of.
Established in 1910 and billed today as “The Oldest Irish pub in Cleveland” the Flat Iron is nestled in the shadow of the Detroit Superior Bridge on a part of the Cuyahoga known as Irishtown Bend. The bend is named for the Irish immigrants that settled in Cleveland on the river. These settlers fled their native land to make new lives for their families far away from the grip of the “Great Potato Famine” also known as “The Great Hunger.” From 1845 through 1850 they sailed from Ireland to America in what came to be known as “Coffin Ships,” emigrating to stay alive. Carved from a single piece of gray granite, a monument across the way from the Flat Iron commemorates the event:
To those who died.
To those who came and enriched our Cleveland Shores.
They worked in the factories and steel mills. They worked to overcome the poverty and repression that faced them everyday and tried to make better lives for their children than they ever had. The hard work paid off and can be seen in the strong Irish community of Cleveland today.
Remnants of Irish culture from that early neighborhood can still be seen. Among these, the most prominent is St. Malachi’s Church where many of today’s modern Irish worship weekly and as part of their St. Patrick celebration. The simple but elegant church is perched on the hill atop flat just above the Flat Iron. If you look closely, you can still find shamrocks in the ironwork of window gratings.
The Flat Iron is a true remnant of early Irish culture. It was a place where the people from the neighborhood could go for a little fun after a hard day’s work.
No one can say for sure how the Flat Iron got its name, but there are two popular schools of thought. The most common story is that the building is shaped like a flat iron when viewed from above. The other is that it resembles the Flat Iron Building in New York City.
Still as popular as ever with Cleveland’s after work crowd, the Flat Iron began life as a four-story hotel. The name of this hotel was also “The Flat Iron.” Public records reveal that the land on which it stands was surveyed before construction sometime in the mid 1800’s. In the late 1800’s the top two floors of the hotel were destroyed by a fire. After the fire, the first floor served as a blacksmith shop and the second as lodging for longshoremen and sailors plying the Great Lakes. Today, it remains a two-story structure.
According to John Wasner, the Flat Iron’s unofficial historian, when the building was turned into a café in 1910, the upper floor was still used as lodging by the sailors and, occasionally, by the families of the various owners over the years. The original owner was Pat Joyce. His decedents opened the Pat Joyce Pubs popular in Cleveland from the 1960’s through the 1980’s.
A number of Irish families have operated the Flat Iron over the years. Among these was Billy Chambers. Another was Jerry Coleman, who was also a tug boat captain on the Cuyahoga River. But one past owner in particular is credited with the menu that has made the Flat Iron famous and is still served today.
Izzy Cohen owned and operated the Flat Iron for more than twenty years. He was an irascible Jewish man who had a way with the preparation of corn beef. Many believe it was for this reason he was held in such high regard among his Irish patrons. In his day it was meat loaf and mashed potatoes on Monday, corned beef and cabbage on Wednesday, and Lake Erie yellow perch on Friday. Service in that day and age was cafeteria style. You got your tray, stood in line and Izzy himself would serve you a portion of whatever was on the menu that day according to your size.
In 1956 Izzy sold the Flat Iron to Larry Mills simply because he was “getting up in years” and wanted to get out of the old grind. However, the sale was conditioned on the fact that Izzy would stay on to prepare his famous corned beef on Wednesday and his fish recipe on Friday.
From the 1950’s through the 1970’s the café remained very popular with a diverse crowd. Everyone from longshoremen to pipefitters to steel workers and other tradesmen rubbed elbows with businessmen and other professionals who came from downtown for lunch, dinner or perhaps a shot and a beer. You never knew who you would be sitting next to and the tables were arranged end to end.
The 1980’s saw the revival of the Flats and with it came an influx of pleasure boaters and young, upwardly mobile types looking for nightlife. Local restaurant and nightclub owners responded. So, in the fall of 1988, the current owners of the Flat Iron closed down for renovation and remodeling.
The street level floor was cleaned up and the original 1910 bar was refinished and moved back to its original position from across the room. This was no small project as the bar is thirty feet long. Over the bar hangs a portrait of beloved bartender Bill Barrett, a fixture at the Flat Iron for forty-six years. After the renovation was completed, the new Flat Iron looked every bit the Irish Pub it was meant to be.
Enough of the old was mixed with the new to keep the charm and personality of the old café intact. The atmosphere is warm and friendly. The goal was to keep the café recognizable to the old customer while attracting the new. Gone was Izzy’s cafeteria style seating, replaced by raised dining area with table service. The original brick, more than a hundred fifty years old, of the building is mixed with warm woods to give a welcoming feel to the place. Large photos of the Flats in days gone, vintage Guinness posters and Irish proverbs festoon the wall. But, unless you read Gaelic, I challenge you to guess what the proverbs say. Take a seat at a traditional bar stool or a table by one of the large windows and watch the iron oar boats lumber by on the river. Enjoy a good meal. The menu was expanded, but Izzy’s old favorites remain and are still served throughout the week.
In addition to the excellent cuisine, spirits of the usual and the not so usual kind flow at the Flat Iron. Some customers say they have experienced some strange “goings on” at the pub. Yep, what self respecting Irish pub would be complete without having its own resident ghost? It hasn’t been proven whether the creature exists or not. After a visit, you’ll have to make up your own mind about it. Some people say they have photos of the beastie.
Today, the Flat Iron still serves its traditional fare, still has its spirits, natural or unnatural and hosts traditional Irish entertainment on Friday nights featuring the likes of Brigid’s Cross, Donal O’Shuaghnessy and Loch Erie. Also available are banquet facilities and a shuttle bus to transport groups around the downtown area and to and from major events around the city.
It’s been said that “The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Flat Iron Cafe is living proof of that. The café is not only a valuable part of Cleveland’s history, it is sure to be part of Cleveland’s future. She’s a tough old bird and hard to kill.
So come on down to the old Flat Iron located at 1114 Center Street. You can’t miss it, it’s right across the street from the swing bridge on the east bank of the Cuyahoga. Also, pay a visit to their website at http://www.flatironcafe.com to get the latest scoop on what happening.
Come for the food, come for the drink, or come for the history. But please do come.
Saturday November 17 stands as a day of resurrection, so to speak. The grand reopening of the upstairs bar and restaurant area of the old Flat Iron Café was reopened after it was nearly destroyed by fire. Spirits and voices were raised in celebration of the event, like welcoming an old friend back from the dead. It could just as easily been a wake.
On Labor Day weekend this year, fire broke out in the restaurant’s main office. Investigation proved that the fire was electrical in nature and was confined to the second floor. Quick work by the Cleveland Fire Department saved the landmark from total destruction. Current owner Dan Brennan, vowed to rebuild and reopen as soon as possible and made good on his promise, reopening the first floor in just ten days, the upstairs just last Saturday night. The old café has proved to be as tough as its Irish heritage.
The place was paced wall to wall with the faithful. With glasses raised, the event kicked off the singing of the Star Spangled Banner and the Irish national anthem. Music was provided by Paul, Peggy and Richie of Brigid’s Cross. The music continued with the band playing traditional Irish pub tunes alonf with a good helping American rock and folk with an Irish accent. Then to assembled multitude was treated to a rendition of “The Oldest Swinger in Town” by Dick “the Rooster” Goonan, a great old guy that just happens to be Peggy’s father and as almost as much of a landmark in the community as the Flat Iron. The Guinness flowed, the music played, people sang at the top of their voices and as the night went on the toasts to the Flat Iron got louder and more frequent. I challenge you to find anyone who was there that didn’t have the best time of their life. No one left unhappy.
By the way, how many of you have seen a beer fountain? I suggest you catch the next performance of Bridig’s Cross and if you’re lucky, really lucky, you may get the chance. It’s quite spectacular, ‘nough said.
Of all the after work spots in the Warehouse District or the Flats, one stands out, the Flat Iron Cafe. This popular watering hole is an icon on the east bank of the Cuyahoga, famous for good food, good drinks, good music and, of course, good company. But, it also has a place in Cleveland history that few are aware of.
Established in 1910 and billed today as “The Oldest Irish pub in Cleveland” the Flat Iron is nestled in the shadow of the Detroit Superior Bridge on a part of the Cuyahoga known as Irishtown Bend. The bend is named for the Irish immigrants that settled in Cleveland on the river. These settlers fled their native land to make new lives for their families far away from the grip of the “Great Potato Famine” also known as “The Great Hunger.” From 1845 through 1850 they sailed from Ireland to America in what came to be known as “Coffin Ships,” emigrating to stay alive. Carved from a single piece of gray granite, a monument across the way from the Flat Iron commemorates the event:
To those who died.
To those who came and enriched our Cleveland Shores.
They worked in the factories and steel mills. They worked to overcome the poverty and repression that faced them everyday and tried to make better lives for their children than they ever had. The hard work paid off and can be seen in the strong Irish community of Cleveland today.
Remnants of Irish culture from that early neighborhood can still be seen. Among these, the most prominent is St. Malachi’s Church where many of today’s modern Irish worship weekly and as part of their St. Patrick celebration. The simple but elegant church is perched on the hill atop flat just above the Flat Iron. If you look closely, you can still find shamrocks in the ironwork of window gratings.
The Flat Iron is a true remnant of early Irish culture. It was a place where the people from the neighborhood could go for a little fun after a hard day’s work.
No one can say for sure how the Flat Iron got its name, but there are two popular schools of thought. The most common story is that the building is shaped like a flat iron when viewed from above. The other is that it resembles the Flat Iron Building in New York City.
Still as popular as ever with Cleveland’s after work crowd, the Flat Iron began life as a four-story hotel. The name of this hotel was also “The Flat Iron.” Public records reveal that the land on which it stands was surveyed before construction sometime in the mid 1800’s. In the late 1800’s the top two floors of the hotel were destroyed by a fire. After the fire, the first floor served as a blacksmith shop and the second as lodging for longshoremen and sailors plying the Great Lakes. Today, it remains a two-story structure.
According to John Wasner, the Flat Iron’s unofficial historian, when the building was turned into a café in 1910, the upper floor was still used as lodging by the sailors and, occasionally, by the families of the various owners over the years. The original owner was Pat Joyce. His decedents opened the Pat Joyce Pubs popular in Cleveland from the 1960’s through the 1980’s.
A number of Irish families have operated the Flat Iron over the years. Among these was Billy Chambers. Another was Jerry Coleman, who was also a tug boat captain on the Cuyahoga River. But one past owner in particular is credited with the menu that has made the Flat Iron famous and is still served today.
Izzy Cohen owned and operated the Flat Iron for more than twenty years. He was an irascible Jewish man who had a way with the preparation of corn beef. Many believe it was for this reason he was held in such high regard among his Irish patrons. In his day it was meat loaf and mashed potatoes on Monday, corned beef and cabbage on Wednesday, and Lake Erie yellow perch on Friday. Service in that day and age was cafeteria style. You got your tray, stood in line and Izzy himself would serve you a portion of whatever was on the menu that day according to your size.
In 1956 Izzy sold the Flat Iron to Larry Mills simply because he was “getting up in years” and wanted to get out of the old grind. However, the sale was conditioned on the fact that Izzy would stay on to prepare his famous corned beef on Wednesday and his fish recipe on Friday.
From the 1950’s through the 1970’s the café remained very popular with a diverse crowd. Everyone from longshoremen to pipefitters to steel workers and other tradesmen rubbed elbows with businessmen and other professionals who came from downtown for lunch, dinner or perhaps a shot and a beer. You never knew who you would be sitting next to and the tables were arranged end to end.
The 1980’s saw the revival of the Flats and with it came an influx of pleasure boaters and young, upwardly mobile types looking for nightlife. Local restaurant and nightclub owners responded. So, in the fall of 1988, the current owners of the Flat Iron closed down for renovation and remodeling.
The street level floor was cleaned up and the original 1910 bar was refinished and moved back to its original position from across the room. This was no small project as the bar is thirty feet long. Over the bar hangs a portrait of beloved bartender Bill Barrett, a fixture at the Flat Iron for forty-six years. After the renovation was completed, the new Flat Iron looked every bit the Irish Pub it was meant to be.
Enough of the old was mixed with the new to keep the charm and personality of the old café intact. The atmosphere is warm and friendly. The goal was to keep the café recognizable to the old customer while attracting the new. Gone was Izzy’s cafeteria style seating, replaced by raised dining area with table service. The original brick, more than a hundred fifty years old, of the building is mixed with warm woods to give a welcoming feel to the place. Large photos of the Flats in days gone, vintage Guinness posters and Irish proverbs festoon the wall. But, unless you read Gaelic, I challenge you to guess what the proverbs say. Take a seat at a traditional bar stool or a table by one of the large windows and watch the iron oar boats lumber by on the river. Enjoy a good meal. The menu was expanded, but Izzy’s old favorites remain and are still served throughout the week.
In addition to the excellent cuisine, spirits of the usual and the not so usual kind flow at the Flat Iron. Some customers say they have experienced some strange “goings on” at the pub. Yep, what self respecting Irish pub would be complete without having its own resident ghost? It hasn’t been proven whether the creature exists or not. After a visit, you’ll have to make up your own mind about it. Some people say they have photos of the beastie.
Today, the Flat Iron still serves its traditional fare, still has its spirits, natural or unnatural and hosts traditional Irish entertainment on Friday nights featuring the likes of Brigid’s Cross, Donal O’Shuaghnessy and Loch Erie. Also available are banquet facilities and a shuttle bus to transport groups around the downtown area and to and from major events around the city.
It’s been said that “The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Flat Iron Cafe is living proof of that. The café is not only a valuable part of Cleveland’s history, it is sure to be part of Cleveland’s future. She’s a tough old bird and hard to kill.
So come on down to the old Flat Iron located at 1114 Center Street. You can’t miss it, it’s right across the street from the swing bridge on the east bank of the Cuyahoga. Also, pay a visit to their website at http://www.flatironcafe.com to get the latest scoop on what happening.
Come for the food, come for the drink, or come for the history. But please do come.
Book Chapter 1- A Walk Into The Past
A Walk Into the Past
The Detroit-Superior Bridge, now known as the Veteran Memorial Bridge, is an icon of Cleveland’s history. We see it everyday. Some of us drive on it one our way to work every morning. We take for granted, nothing out of the ordinary. But nothing could further from the truth. Built as a replacement to the old Superior Viaduct, the Detroit-Superior Bridge was, at the time of it’s completion in 1918, the largest double-decker bridge in the world, one deck, at street level for automobile traffic and a lower level for subway or streetcar traffic. At a length of 3,112 feet, it was supported by twelve arches varying height from 58 to174 feet. At the highest point in its arch, the bridge stands 110 ten feet above the Cuyahoga River. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
On Sunday, June 29, the office of the Cuyahoga County Engineer opened the “subway” deck of the bridge to the public for waking tours. A few times each summer, for the past couple of years, the Cuyahoga County Engineer opens the subway deck to raise awareness of Cleveland’s recent past and because of the publics curiosity about the subway deck. And, it’s all without charge!
Subways in Cleveland? You bet! Under the “traffic” or upper deck of the bridge is a second deck that carried streetcar traffic through tunnels beneath West 25th street and Detroit Avenue to just west of Public Square. According to the county engineer, the lower deck opened on Christmas Day 1917. Four tracks ran down the center of Superior Avenue. Pedestrian entrances were located at each end of the bridge as well as through the Forest City Savings and Trust Building, now Piccolo Mundo Restrant. Streetcar service was discontinued in January of 1954. Access to the lower deck was paved over. It was left unused and forgotten. That is, until recently.
Parking near St. Malachi’s Church, your tour begins as you walk though the one of the bridges pedestrian access doors onto the massive expense of the second and seldom seen second level of Cleveland most famous bridge.
Stretching out from east to west for as far as you can see is the cave-like subway deck. Everything is there to see. The original trolley tracks and paving brick of the original platform lie beneath your feet. The pedestrian ramp, long since paved over, is there with its ornate railings lying broken and rusted along side of it. The ceramic white brick that covers the walls is still visible as are the brass light fixture, although their light has long been dimmed by time and neglect. With a little imagination, you can very easily picture hundreds of Clevelanders bustling around the platform on their way to work in the morning or making their way home to waiting families in the evening. The ghosts of the past a definitely here.
Continuing my walk into the past, deeper into the bridges interior, site after amazing site become visible. If one takes the time to look, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Locker rooms where the trolley crew prepared for work take on a fascination. Even the public restrooms have a certain appeal, from a historic point of view. Keep in mine that everything is the way it was left in 1954 when the deck was closed.
Before continuing your walk you should really stop by the trolley museum and view the photographs of the bridge in its hay day. Also, be sure to take in the video presentation of the six mile trolley ride down Detroit Avenue in the early decades of the twentieth century. It will give you a real appreciation for what you have seen and what you are about to see.
Leaving the platform area, walking west, you enter the actual structure of the bridge. Walking through the massive arches of the bridge, you are following exactly the same path your trolley car would have taken as you headed into downtown for a day of work or shopping. Along the way, you are treated to views of the city unlike you have ever seen before.
To the north, Lake Erie sparkles, sapphire blue under the morning sun. Yes, I said blue. I told you it’s a view of the city you’ve never seem before. Most of us think of it as a dirty green. Contrasted against the sky and clouds, with a light breeze blowing through your hair, you can imagine what it was like to be on a trolley and be treated to such a view every morning.
Looking south, down the Cuyahoga River, is quite another view. Visible are the remnants of the industry that made Cleveland the manufacturing giant it was in the last century. The steel mills and refineries are quite now. But, if you were on a trolley headed east, they might have been your final destination on your way to work.
While these view a truly spectacular, don’t miss the most interesting view, the one straight down.
When you reach the highest point on the bridge, you are standing in the steel arch that is familiar to all of us. If you have a fear of heights, this is the place to conquer it. You are 110 feet above the Cuyahoga. The trolley track and brick are gone. Below your feel is steel grating thru which that you can see straight through to the Flats below. It’s a totally different point of view because you are looking straight down on to the top of other Cleveland landmarks such as the Swing Bridge, Settlers Landing and Irish Town Bend. There is ply wood planking down the center of the grating for the not so brave of heart. But, to get the true experience, sallow your guts and step out onto the grating. Every fiber of your body tells you “Don’t go out there!” but give it a try. It will be worth it.
Sound like sometime you might like to do? Well, you have one more chance this summer. The subway deck of the Detroit-Superior Bridge will again be open for touring Labor Day Weekend. The usual hours are 9AM to 3PM. For more information call the office of the Cuyahoga County Engineer. Do yourself a really big favor. Take the tour. Take a walk into Cleveland’s past.
The Detroit-Superior Bridge, now known as the Veteran Memorial Bridge, is an icon of Cleveland’s history. We see it everyday. Some of us drive on it one our way to work every morning. We take for granted, nothing out of the ordinary. But nothing could further from the truth. Built as a replacement to the old Superior Viaduct, the Detroit-Superior Bridge was, at the time of it’s completion in 1918, the largest double-decker bridge in the world, one deck, at street level for automobile traffic and a lower level for subway or streetcar traffic. At a length of 3,112 feet, it was supported by twelve arches varying height from 58 to174 feet. At the highest point in its arch, the bridge stands 110 ten feet above the Cuyahoga River. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
On Sunday, June 29, the office of the Cuyahoga County Engineer opened the “subway” deck of the bridge to the public for waking tours. A few times each summer, for the past couple of years, the Cuyahoga County Engineer opens the subway deck to raise awareness of Cleveland’s recent past and because of the publics curiosity about the subway deck. And, it’s all without charge!
Subways in Cleveland? You bet! Under the “traffic” or upper deck of the bridge is a second deck that carried streetcar traffic through tunnels beneath West 25th street and Detroit Avenue to just west of Public Square. According to the county engineer, the lower deck opened on Christmas Day 1917. Four tracks ran down the center of Superior Avenue. Pedestrian entrances were located at each end of the bridge as well as through the Forest City Savings and Trust Building, now Piccolo Mundo Restrant. Streetcar service was discontinued in January of 1954. Access to the lower deck was paved over. It was left unused and forgotten. That is, until recently.
Parking near St. Malachi’s Church, your tour begins as you walk though the one of the bridges pedestrian access doors onto the massive expense of the second and seldom seen second level of Cleveland most famous bridge.
Stretching out from east to west for as far as you can see is the cave-like subway deck. Everything is there to see. The original trolley tracks and paving brick of the original platform lie beneath your feet. The pedestrian ramp, long since paved over, is there with its ornate railings lying broken and rusted along side of it. The ceramic white brick that covers the walls is still visible as are the brass light fixture, although their light has long been dimmed by time and neglect. With a little imagination, you can very easily picture hundreds of Clevelanders bustling around the platform on their way to work in the morning or making their way home to waiting families in the evening. The ghosts of the past a definitely here.
Continuing my walk into the past, deeper into the bridges interior, site after amazing site become visible. If one takes the time to look, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Locker rooms where the trolley crew prepared for work take on a fascination. Even the public restrooms have a certain appeal, from a historic point of view. Keep in mine that everything is the way it was left in 1954 when the deck was closed.
Before continuing your walk you should really stop by the trolley museum and view the photographs of the bridge in its hay day. Also, be sure to take in the video presentation of the six mile trolley ride down Detroit Avenue in the early decades of the twentieth century. It will give you a real appreciation for what you have seen and what you are about to see.
Leaving the platform area, walking west, you enter the actual structure of the bridge. Walking through the massive arches of the bridge, you are following exactly the same path your trolley car would have taken as you headed into downtown for a day of work or shopping. Along the way, you are treated to views of the city unlike you have ever seen before.
To the north, Lake Erie sparkles, sapphire blue under the morning sun. Yes, I said blue. I told you it’s a view of the city you’ve never seem before. Most of us think of it as a dirty green. Contrasted against the sky and clouds, with a light breeze blowing through your hair, you can imagine what it was like to be on a trolley and be treated to such a view every morning.
Looking south, down the Cuyahoga River, is quite another view. Visible are the remnants of the industry that made Cleveland the manufacturing giant it was in the last century. The steel mills and refineries are quite now. But, if you were on a trolley headed east, they might have been your final destination on your way to work.
While these view a truly spectacular, don’t miss the most interesting view, the one straight down.
When you reach the highest point on the bridge, you are standing in the steel arch that is familiar to all of us. If you have a fear of heights, this is the place to conquer it. You are 110 feet above the Cuyahoga. The trolley track and brick are gone. Below your feel is steel grating thru which that you can see straight through to the Flats below. It’s a totally different point of view because you are looking straight down on to the top of other Cleveland landmarks such as the Swing Bridge, Settlers Landing and Irish Town Bend. There is ply wood planking down the center of the grating for the not so brave of heart. But, to get the true experience, sallow your guts and step out onto the grating. Every fiber of your body tells you “Don’t go out there!” but give it a try. It will be worth it.
Sound like sometime you might like to do? Well, you have one more chance this summer. The subway deck of the Detroit-Superior Bridge will again be open for touring Labor Day Weekend. The usual hours are 9AM to 3PM. For more information call the office of the Cuyahoga County Engineer. Do yourself a really big favor. Take the tour. Take a walk into Cleveland’s past.
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