PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF OLD BROOKLYN

The H. Krather Building, built in 1895, is one of several historic buildings in the South Brooklyn Historic Commercial District, near the corner of Pearl and Memphis.

by Lynette Filips

   (Plain Press December 2024) This month we continue to look at the history of the northwest corner of Pearl Rd. and Memphis Ave. which the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) is seeking to “revitalize” with a $31 million new construction project. It is the most historic section of Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2005. A picture of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, one of the numerous commercial and institutional buildings on Pearl Rd., Broadview Rd. and Memphis Ave. included in the Historic District designation, accompanies the online listing of the South Brooklyn Commercial District.

   While OBCDC pursues funding for a plan to tear down the major portion of the corner to erect a five-story (formerly four) building with commercial space on the first floor, residential space on the upper floors, and a brewery or restaurant in the church proper portion of the former St. Luke’s, another group of people in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood is still hoping to Save Our Historic District.

   This twelfth in a series of articles will shed additional light on the history of downtown Old Brooklyn in the hope that someone in authority will realize that adaptive reuse of the existing buildings is superior to tearing down most of them and replacing the demo-ed area with new construction.

   Adaptive reuse would accomplish the same goals of adding new residential space, updated commercial space and new socialization space to downtown Old Brooklyn, but it would do so by using the existing historic structures. It is the method which has been employed in downtown Cleveland to put new residential, hotel, retail and restaurant space in buildings which formerly housed department stores, banks and other businesses.

   This month I will continue discussing Old Brooklyn’s designation on the National Register of Historic Places by starting to individually explore the 30 buildings within the confines of the South Brooklyn Commercial District.

   Beginning on the west side of Pearl Rd., south of the road down to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, south of a park dedicated to two teachers who were murdered in Parma approximately 100 years ago, south of 2 small modern commercial buildings, south of Henninger Rd. and south of a former gas station, we come to the first “contributing” building in the historic district — 

   A large 3-story red brick building which was constructed in 1895 with a Queen Anne style design and storefronts located at 4146 – 4138 Pearl Rd. (south to the corner of Krather Rd.), it is called the Krather Building or the Krather Block. It is named after the real estate developer from Parma who had it constructed — Henry Krather. 

   Perhaps the Krather Building’s most famous tenant was the former Henninger & Decker Hardware Store at the Krather Rd. end of the building.  Shortly after the building’s completion, William Henninger and August Decker partnered to open the store which endured (under changed ownership) for 50 — 60 years.

   (William Henninger was a descendant of Phillip Henninger who built the stone house at Broadview Rd. and Old Rockside Rd., regarded to be the oldest house in Parma.)

   In addition to the usual sales of nuts, bolts and screws, furnace sales and repair, sheet metal work, tinsmith work and gutters, Henninger & Decker employees also handled some of the heating needs of the greenhouses on and around Schaaf Rd.

   Originally there was a dance hall on the third floor of the Krather Building and my understanding is that apartments were on the second floor.  In later years a gym, rather than the dance hall, was on the third floor.  A 2-story brick addition was added to the Krather Building in 1911.

   Travelrama Travel Agency was another long-term business in the Krather Building. It was located at 4138 Pearl Rd at the north end of the building.  It wasn’t an original business but was it still there into the early 1980s, at least. Edith Rosch, one of Henry Krather’s descendants, owned the travel business (as well as the building at the time the application for the area to become an Historic District was submitted.)

   Until approximately 10 years ago, the Krather Building was under-used and under- appreciated.  It was for sale for what seemed like a very long time. Then someone with an interest in rehabbing purchased it.

Now Horizon School & Day Care — Old Brooklyn Center, 4142 Pearl Rd., is the building’s major tenant.

   The Krather Building’s little storefront at 4138 Pearl Rd. has also had two new tenants since the rehab — first, Old Brooklyn Cheese Company and currently, Old Brooklyn Nutrition. The latter sells things like juices, smoothies, teas, protein bars and açaí bowls.

   Across Krather Rd. from the Krather Building is the second “contributing” building to the historic district — the Institute of Divine Metaphysical Research at 4150 Pearl Rd. I do not know what the two-story brick building was meant to be when it was constructed in 1922, but the 2005 application for the historic district says that Cleveland Bible Research, Inc. owns the building. I do know that it was a rough bar, the Heidelberg Lounge, in the 1970s. 

   The United States Postal Service’s Pearlbrook Station is the third “contributing” building in the historic district.  Located at 4160 Pearl Rd, it is a 2-story brick and stone structure which was built in 1935. The style is Art Deco and a WPA mural inside called “Ore Docks and Steel Mills” was painted by Richard Zoellner.

   The fourth building within the historic district, Irie Jamaican Restaurant, 4162 Pearl Rd., is a “non-contributing” structure. Nonetheless, it has an interesting history. The 1-story brick-facade-on concrete-block building is owned by Royal Castle and was originally a Royal Castle “Fit for a King” burger joint. It was probably quite a popular place when the Broadvue Theatre was next door.  The building had been vacant for quite a while when Irie moved in, but before that another popular carry-out food spot, China Wok, was in the space.

   The fifth building in the historic district lineup is also “non-contributing” — the Family Dollar store at 4170 Pearl Rd. (at the corner of “Short” Broadview Rd.) It was erected in the mid-1990s after the mid-1920s Broadvue Theatre complex was torn down. The Broadvue was a massive structure which was faced with glazed terra cotta tiles. Family Dollar is a 1-story block building with a parking lot in front of it. It was not what the community expected would be built after the Theatre was demolished.

   Across “Short” Broadview Rd. at 4180 Pearl Rd.  is building #6 in the historic district. It is another “contributing” structure because it is the former Marshall Drug Company store, built in 1926. (Another source says 1922.) The 1-story building is Beaux Arts style and faced in white terra cotta tiles. It has a mezzanine level inside, supposedly where the pharmacist could do his work.  After Marshall’s closed, local pharmacist Fernau Bader had his drug store there.

   Before a drug store was built on that corner the land hosted a frame building which was the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Hall. As the Lodge prospered, the members built a much larger brick building behind the one which faced Pearl Rd.  Recent news indicated that a private developer bought it and intends to convert it into apartments.

   At the time the application for historic district status was submitted in 2005, a company called Wireless City was in the former Marshall Drug building. Today the electronics company there is called Metro by T-Mobile.

   There are still 24 structures to discuss in the South Brooklyn Commercial District and so next month I will continue to “head south” on Pearl Rd. The previous articles in this series can be read online at http://www.plainpress.blog and via hard copies at the Historical Society of Old Brooklyn Museum, 3430 Memphis Ave. It is usually open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m., but call (216)337-8200 to be sure before stopping by.