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.
Monday, December 14, 2009
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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