The history of Cleveland is fascinating, and the city's residents have done a fantastic job of preserving it and commemorating important events and public figures. Across the city, massive museums stand in homage of bygone eras. These 9 remarkable landmarks are slightly less visible, but are just as important to enhancing our historical awareness and enriching our lives.
1. West Side Market, 1979 West 25th Street, Cleveland
As the oldest indoor/outdoor marketspace in Ohio, the West Side Market is incredibly iconic. The land on which it is built has been used as market space since 1840, but the existing building opened in 1912. The 137-foot clock tower has watched over the city for over a century, making it an easy-to-spot monument, yet it's a sight so integral to our everyday city life that stopping to appreciate how amazing it really is important to do every once in awhile.
2. James A. Garfield National Historic Site, 8095 Mentor Avenue, Mentor
James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, purchased this stunning home in 1876. Nicknamed "Lawnfield," this home was the site of the first successful front porch campaign. His wife, Lucretia, lived in the home until her death in 1918 and in the 1930's, Garfield's children donated the home to the Western Reserve Historical Society so that it could become a museum. Today, it boasts of being the most accurately restored 19th century presidential site.
3. James A. Garfield Monument, 12316 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
The entire campus of Lake View Cemetery is a history lesson waiting to be learned, but this impressive monument towers over all others in the cemetery. The tomb was dedicated on May 30, 1890. Its tower is 180 feet tall with a stunningly ornate dome with a 50-foot diameter that really must be seen in person to truly appreciate.
4. Dr. James Bell House, 1822 East 89th Street, Cleveland
Celebrated architect George J. Hardway designed this unusual home for local dentist Dr. James Bell in 1901. The design was influenced by the Richardsonian Romanesque style, a rebellious architectural type in the Hough neighborhood that was largely comprised of ornate Italianate and Queen Anne Victorian homes. Bell's home originally had 12 rooms, but today it features 21.
5. Old Stone Church, 91 Public Square, Cleveland
Old Stone Church is the kind of structure you expect to find in a fairy tale village, not in Downtown Cleveland. The proud Romanesque Revival building was completed in 1855, though the site of the church has been in use since 1819.
6. Joseph Porrello's former home, 2862 Berskshire Road, Cleveland Heights
This quaint cottage was once home to Joseph "Big Joe" Porrello, an imposing member of the Cleveland Crime Family. His mafia roots go back to the early days of Prohibition, when he helped smuggle corn sugar to bootleggers so that they could produce their sought-after product. He was the most influential corn sugar baron in Cleveland from 1927 up until his death in 1930.
7. Fountain of Eternal Life, 120 Public Square, Cleveland
This spectacular sculpture was dedicated on May 30, 1964. It pays homage to local veterans, appropriately situated in the Veterans' Memorial Plaza portion of Public Square. The sculpture is representative of the spirit of man rising above the flames of war, ascending to an enlightened state of understanding.
8. Franklin Castle, 4308 Franklin Boulevard, Cleveland
Ohio City's overwhelming charm is almost enough to make you overlook this creepy landmark. Almost. Though its legendary haunted history is certainly interesting, but its confirmed history is equally as fascinating. Built in 1865 for German immigrant Hannes Tiedemann, the home was the site of many deaths in the Tiedemann family. When he finally passed in 1908, the house acquired an even darker history. It is rumored to have hosted members of the German Socialist Party, who are said to have carried out a political assassination in the basement, as well as bootleggers and a few highly questionable doctors.
9. The Dunham Tavern Museum, 6709 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
Dunham Tavern, constructed around 1824, is the second home to sit on this plot of land on Euclid Avenue, east of East 55th Street. Rufus and Jane Pratt Dunham constructed both homes, the first of which was a log cabin used while the present structure was under construction. It's one of the oldest buildings in Cleveland, and this charming stagecoach stop stands out from the urban cityscape.
Cleveland has a history that is truly captivating. Fortunately, many architectural behemoths that have witnessed history unfold still stand to tell the stories of bygone eras. How many of these local landmarks have you visited?
For more fascinating Cleveland history, check out these amazing photographs from the 1960's!
Discover Cleveland's fun attractions today! Look over this list.
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