We begin a series this month on the “Grand Avenues” of Ohio – those streets where the wealth of a community was prominently displayed in the erection of magnificent residences, churches and institutional buildings.  From urban centers to county seat towns, these streets face similar challenges in facing development and retaining a sense of history.

This month, we look at Euclid Avenue in Cleveland in a two-part series.

One of the only Ohio streets to have its own Wikipedia entry, Euclid Avenue was the center of Cleveland's social life during the late nineteenth century.  Connecting Downtown with important civic institutions to the east, Euclid Avenue was lined with mansions showcasing extraordinary wealth.  As detailed in Wikipedia, this included billionaire John D. Rockefeller, politician Marcus Hanna, and John Hay, President Lincoln’s personal secretary.

While the majority of grand residences along Euclid Avenue have long since disappeared, the street continues to serve as a vital link between Downtown and the hospitals, cultural resources and schools of University Circle.  The street is now the focus of a $200 million corridor improvement plan, designed not only to improve public transportation, but also to include public art, streetscapes, landscaping and integrated economic development.  Case Western  Reserve University is also proceeding with a $120 million retail and arts development on the eastern end of the project.

Later this week, we will take a photo tour of some of the surviving mansions of Euclid Avenue – architectural remnants of one of  Ohio’s true “Grand Avenues.”

Photo:  Euclid Avenue, Downtown Cleveland, circa 1940 - jsmuscatello/Creative Commons License