Free walking tour showcases Cleveland Heights’ newest historic district

This map shows the boundary of the proposed Shaker Farm Historic District.

Cleveland Heights will soon add yet another neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s official list of historically significant buildings and neighborhoods. The Ohio Historical Society is reviewing the nomination for the Shaker Farm Neighborhood, before sending it to the federal government for final approval.

This Saturday, May 28, from 10 a.m. to noon, Mary Dunbar, resident and author of the nomination, will give a brief lecture on the area’s history, followed by a walking tour of the neighborhood.

The event is part of series of lectures and tours that showcase Cleveland Heights’ historic neighborhoods during the celebration of National Preservation Month. The series is sponsored by the Cleveland Heights Landmark Commission, FutureHeights and the Cleveland Heights Historical Society.  

Participants will meet at First Church Christ Scientist, 3181 Fairmount Boulevard.

Shaker Farm, an architecturally significant neighborhood, is where the Van Sweringen brothers, developers of Shaker Heights, achieved their first real success in real estate. The area was once the northern tract of land owned by the Shakers, a religious sect founded upon the teachings of Ann Lee. It encompasses Roxboro Elementary and Middle schools, homes along North Park Boulevard west of Coventry Road, the Fairfax Triangle, and homes between Lee and Ashton Roads.

Although the tour is free, space is limited and preregistration is required. To register, call 216-321-9141 or e-mail Heightshistory@gmail.com. Tour organizers invite participants to lunch at one of the many Cedar Lee area restaurants afterwards. To learn more, visit www.cedarlee.org..


Kara Hamley O'Donnell

Kara Hamley O'Donnell is the historic preservation planner for the City of Cleveland Heights.

Read More on Heights History
Volume 4, Issue 6, Posted 2:03 PM, 05.24.2011