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Effort to preserve Old Brooklyn’s history continues
by Lynette Fillips (Plain Press September 2025) Over a year and a half ago when I started writing these articles for the Plain Press, I visited the Historical Society of Old Brooklyn’s (HSOB’s) museum, 3430 Memphis Ave., to check some historical information in their files. While there I met a thirty-something year old man…
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Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits granted to two buildings in Old Brooklyn Historic District
IMAGE COURTESY OF STEPHANIE RYBERG-WEBSTER Stephanie Ryberg-Webster, associate professor in the Department of Urban Studies at Cleveland State University’s Levin School of Urban Affairs, is the author of Preserving the Vanishing City: Historic Preservation Amid Urban Decline In Cleveland, Ohio. She was one of three persons speaking about the topic of Preservation Advocacy at a…
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Programs offer leadership training
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (CDCLP) Community Development leaders from the Cleveland area participate in a session on real estate. The CDCLP is looking for leaders interested in joining its 2025 cohort. (Plain Press July 2025) If you are passionate, committed and dedicated to taking an active role in improving…
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Fact checking corrects misinformation about history of Pearl & Memphis corner
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF OLD BROOKLYN German United Evangelical Church of Brighton, Ohio, built in 1853 and replaced in 1904. This little frame church faced Columbus Rd. (today’s Pearl Rd.) at the northwest corner of Mill St. (today’s Memphis Ave.) PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF OLD BROOKLYN St. Luke’s Evangelical…
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More information comes to light this past month concerning the Pearl Memphis project
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF OLD BROOKLYN One of the most prominent structures in the “South Brooklyn Commercial District” is the Pearl Broadview Building on the southeast corner of Pearl Rd. and Broadview Rd. After it was built in 1928, Hagedorn’s Drug was in the storefront at the corner, a jewelry store was…
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HUD cuts will make it harder for City’s CDCs to stay open
by Bruce Checefsky Cleveland City Council introduced measures to overhaul funding for Community Development Corporations (CDCs) in January of this year. Ordinance No. 113-2025 would change how neighborhood development corporations get money by creating a Neighborhood Development Sub-fund. The program will provide grants to expand economic opportunities for low- to moderate-income residents. In Cleveland,…
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A variety of concerns drive opposition to proposed development at Pearl & Memphis
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF OLD BROOKLYN The Independent Order of Odd Fellows building at 3409 “Short” Broadview Rd. was built in 1913 and owned by the Odd Fellows until 1958. Since then, ownership has passed to several different entrepreneurs. At the time that the South Brooklyn Commercial District was established with the…
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Demolition of Pearl-Memphis historic buildings on hold until parking and financing confirmed for proposed development
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF OLD BROOKLYN In 2005 when the application for establishing the South Brooklyn Commercial District with the National Register of Historic Places was submitted, this iconic structure at the northeast corner of Pearl Rd. and Broadview Rd. was a branch office of US Bank. But when it was built…
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Concern expressed over destruction of old burying ground
To the editor: (Plain Press February 2025) My primary concern regarding the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation’s Pearl Memphis Project is the destruction of the old burying ground which likely still has pioneers interred upon the site. The plans, from what I have seen, are calling for the complete removal of that green space…
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New developments could influence the future of the corner of Pearl and Memphis
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OLD BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY Corner of Pearl and Memphis: Buildings in the South Brooklyn Commercial District in one of the photos submitted to the National Register of Historic Places when seeking approval of the historic district application. by Lynette Filips (Plain Press February 2025) The clock is ticking in the…