Plain Press

  • Old Brooklyn residents’ research sheds new light on the history of a cherished corner slated for redevelopment

    by Lynette Filips    (Plain Press April 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…

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  • Pearl Memphis intersection has long history

    PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN November 18, 2023, Pearl Road at Memphis Avenue: This former St. Luke’s United Church of Christ sits on the site of a proposed new development in the Old Brooklyn Historic District. The building was one of the key factors in the Historic District receiving its designation on the National Register of…

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  • Trailblazing from Cleveland’s past to a green future

    by Erik Ault      Every city is a work in progress. Cleveland has known many economic bumps and headwinds which can demoralize citizens and divert political focus. Many projects languish after years of frustration and hopelessness. But Tim Donovan and Tom Yablonsky saw the decline of industry along the Cuyahoga River valley as the opening…

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  • Roundtable discussion with Mayor Justin Bibb sheds some light on City’s development agenda

    (April 2023, Plain Press) Mayor Justin Bibb and WOVU 95.9 FM radio station hosted a Community Media Roundtable on February 15th. The roundtable served as an opportunity for community news outlets to dialogue with Mayor Bibb on topics of concern in the neighborhoods they serve.      Managing Editor Chuck Hoven represented the Plain Press at…

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  • New owner of the Variety Theater shares her vision for its future

    PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN Saturday, September 10, 2022; Variety Theater, W. 118th & Lorain Avenue: Westown Executive Director Rose Zitello says the Variety Theater has new ownership. The new owner, Kelly Flamos, former co-owner of Mahall’s in Lakewood, is working on the restoration of the entire building with hopes of opening the theater as a…

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  • Tremont residents should examine how to maintain a diverse neighborhood

    Tremont residents should examine how to maintain a diverse neighborhood by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, October 2022)  Tremont residents should be encouraged to participate in Ideastream’s Justin Glanville My Changing Neighborhood discussions where there is an examination of how to maintain a diverse neighborhood when gentrification is occurring.    The Tremont neighborhood could use some…

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  • Reader urges MetroHealth to restore community faith in the Transformation Plan and the EcoVillage District process

    To the editor: (Plain Press, June 2022)                            Thank you to the Plain Press for publishing Lynette Filips’ excellent letter in favor of saving the Farnsworth house and St. Nicholas Church.      I am a long-time resident and volunteer on a MetroHealth Patient Family Advisory committee. I echo the despair of my fellow Old Brooklyn neighbors regarding the proposed demolition of St.…

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  • MetroHealth Park plans reviewed at community meetings

    MetroHealth Park plans reviewed at community meetings by Chuck Hoven Plain Press, May 2022        The temporary 3-acre park proposed by MetroHealth Medical Center for an area just across Scranton Road from its new Glick Center was the subject of a community meeting held at the Family Ministry Center on Fulton Road on April 6th. The meeting…

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  • Resident urges Planning Commission to keep the Farnsworth House and Byelorussian Church as part of the MetroHealth Park

    Resident urges Planning Commission to keep the Farnsworth House and Byelorussian Church as part of the MetroHealth Park To the editor: Open letter to the Planning Commission: Plain Press, May 2022        I am writing to you in response to news I heard about MetroHealth’s plans to demolish three buildings between W. 25th St. and Scranton Rd.…

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