(Plain Press December 2023) To the Editor:

     The Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) has been trying to put together a mega revitalization project at the northwest corner of Memphis Ave. and Pearl Rd. on the site of the current Greenline building and the former St. Luke’s United Church of Christ building.  When the word got out that Ward 13 Councilman Kris Harsh had secured $2.5 million of federal revenue recovery money from the City of Cleveland’s allotment of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, articles about the project began to appear in local publications.

LETTER

     In addition to the “straight news” article in the November issue of the Plain Press, on October 11, 2023 Scene ran a “news feature” article penned by Mark Oprea, both online and in hard copy, and on October 24, 2023 The Land ran an online Op-ed penned by Old Brooklyn resident Anna Maria Hamm.  But as is often the case, the latter two articles were written with input from a limited number of people.  The article in Scene heavily quoted Lucas Reeve, OBCDC’s executive director, and the Op-ed in The Land reflected the author’s view of the potential addition to the neighborhood.

     Not surprisingly, there is much more to the estimated $31 million proposed apartment and retail (mostly) new construction project than is contained in those pieces.

     At the center of the controversy is the brick building which housed St. Luke’s United Church of Christ (UCC), 4216 Pearl Rd. The building dates back to 1903-1904 when the oldest part of the church complex was constructed on the west side of Pearl Rd., just north of Memphis Ave.  It is Gothic Vernacular in style and has stained glass windows made from rolled opalescent glass in leaded frames.  This brick church (aka, the church’s “sanctuary”) WILL BE included in OBCDC’s developer’s current plans for remaking the corner.

     (The brick sanctuary was actually the second church the congregation built at that crossroads. Their first church building there, made of wood, was erected in 1853.  The congregation called itself the German United Evangelical Church of Brighton and was an offshoot of a previous German Protestant Church congregation on the corner of Broadview Rd. and W. Schaaf Rd.)

     In 1925, the lack of classroom, office and storage space motivated the congregation to build a $57,000 addition.  It has a dining hall, two kitchens, parlor, primary Sunday school and nursery on the first floor and a stage, meeting hall, library and offices on the upper floor, as well as a basement.  It is called the “educational wing” and because it IS NOT included in OBCDC’s developer’s current plans for the corner, it will be demolished if that plan comes to fruition.

     St. Luke’s ended its life as a UCC congregation after its March 3lst, 2013 worship service.  On that day, Rev. Gerald M. Madasz, pastor of St. Luke’s, led the congregation in their last Easter service. Over the previous several years, Pastor Jerry’s attempts to reach out to the community (including his regular mini-reflection ‘ads’ in the Old Brooklyn News) had failed to attract enough new members to keep the congregation going. 

     In an historical overview insert in the bulletin which was distributed at that service, Pastor Jerry’s wife, Irene Madasz, listed some of the factors which caused the once thriving congregation of over 600 members to dwindle to the just a couple dozen people —

     “…family-centered activities previously focused in churches moved to various community centers. Newer, modern churches were erected in new neighborhoods…”

     “…young adults leave the inner-city; family schedules too busy for church; lack of convenient parking; no air-conditioning; too many steps; old folks dying off; the preacher’s too (insert old, young, strict, liberal, boring, etc.), the music… the Sunday school teachers… “

     “…Whatever the root causes impacting many churches from the 1960s to date, the 21st century found St. Luke’s unable to sustain ministry in an aging building with declining membership/financial support.”

     Upon dissolution, in accordance with the church constitution, the title to the property transferred to the Western Reserve Association of the United Church of Christ (which has its headquarters in downtown Cleveland), but the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation owns the church property, as well as numerous surrounding properties, now.

     There is so much to tell about what has transpired with the building over the past ten years, far more than I could relate in a “Letter to the Editor”.  It is a key part of the South Brooklyn Commercial District listing on the National Register of Historic Places and many members of the Old Brooklyn community are not in favor of – or even fully aware of — OBCDC’s plans to tear down and rebuild most of the corner. 

     I am wondering if you would permit us to tell our story in future issues of the Plain Press.  Whether all of the buildings on the corner continue to stand in adaptive reuse (our preference) or most of them fall under the current plan, we would at least have the satisfaction of knowing that our efforts to save this piece of neighborhood history has been documented. 

     The sign in front of St. Luke’s Church says, “God is still speaking”.  Are we are still listening?  Thank you for considering my request to cover this ongoing story.

Lynette Filips

Old Brooklyn neighborhood