Cleveland has witnessed the rise and fall of trends, industries, and lifestyles. Its history spans many notable decades, but the 1960s stand out as a particularly fascinating moment in history. Everyone knows the worldwide events that took place during this tumultuous decade, but do you know what was happening right here in Cleveland? The truth will amaze you!
1. A musical moment in 1960.
Gerald Hughes had much prejudice to overcome in the 1960s. Ohio was the first state to repeal anti-miscegenation laws that banned interracial marriage, and he and his sweetheart Annabelle Conrad took advantage of that and married in 1954. He served the Lee Heights Community Church as a song leader, choir director, and Sunday School teacher, and eventually he found work as a teacher and principal in Cleveland area schools.
2. NASA's Glenn Research Center in September of 1960.
Bruce Lundin began working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1943, beginning his work in the secret field of jet engines. His passion for researching space could not be concealed, though, and he advocated for NACA to begin coordinating all space-related research. When NASA was established in 1958, he indulged his passion at the Lewis Research Center (known today as the Glenn Research Center). He retired in 1977 after a long career building a foundation for aeronautic achievement.
3. The Jazz Temple in 1963.
In the early 1960s was a short-lived jazz club/coffeehouse in University Circle. It was the brainchild of young jazz enthusiast Winston E. Willis (pictured left), who had no idea that his idea would become the ultimate beatnik club and the "Jazz Mecca" of the world. However, in August of 1963, two sticks of dynamite were placed in a kitchen vent, and The Jazz Temple was closed shortly thereafter. It hosted entertainers such as Dizzy Gillespie (pictured right), Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, and George Carlin, and even entertained Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
4. Peerless Motor Company Plant No. 1 in 1965.
Peerless Motors was one of the many automobile manufacturers in Cleveland's early auto industry. However, the Great Depression made the luxury car business tough, and, after the repeal of Prohibition, Peerless revamped its factory at 9400 Quincy Avenue to brew under the Brewing Corp. of America in 1933. In 1954, it changed its named to the Carling Brewing Co., and it continued operation until 1971.
5. Rockefeller Park in October of 1965.
Charles Schweinfurth was a celebrated architect in early Cleveland. He arrived in 1883 and designed many of the buildings on Millionaires' Row as well as four bridges Martin Luther King Boulevard (formerly Liberty Boulevard) between 1897 and 1900. This bridge, constructed in 1899, was as impressive in 1965 as it was when it was brand new.
6. The Cleveland Transit System in 1966.
The Cleveland Rapids have undergone significant expansion since the beginning. While the light rail began operating in the Roaring Twenties, the rapid transit opened its doors in the mid-50s. In 1966, the Red line was under construction, which would not be completed for another two years.
7. NASA's Noise Research Program in 1967.
Back in the day, noise from aircraft engines was incredibly disruptive. It created problems for animals and humans alike, and NASA conducted testing at the Lewis Research Center to test new ways to minimize aircraft noise.
8. The Rapids in 1968.
In February of 1968, passengers on this Cleveland Transit System car were appropriately bundled up. One lone passenger smiles for the camera.
9. A Cleveland computer in 1969.
Animated signs were not uncommon in the 1960s, but perhaps what was more uncommon was to see the brain that powered the signs. This Prodac 50 computer was one such brain, powering the sign atop the Westinghouse Building.
10. A 1969 analysis of the Glenville Shootout.
From July 23 to 24, 1968, the Cleveland Police Department was engaged in a four hour shootout with the Black Nationalists of New Libya. Following the shootout, rioting continued through the 27th. Mayor Carl Stokes called in the Ohio Army National Guard to put an end to the rioting, which ultimately resulted in $2.6 million dollars worth of losses.
Though many of these photos are monochromatic, they cannot mask the colorful history of Cleveland. For more, check out these photos and this video from the 1970's.
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