Heights History

Exploring Heights’past through maps on March 7

Take a trip back in time and explore the Heights and all of Ohio using historic maps that have been georeferenced in Google Earth, a free program that manages multiple map layers so you can easily see how locations have changed over time.

A hands-on workshop exploring these maps and the Google Earth application will be offered at the Lee Road Library on Sunday, March 7. Register in advance atwww.heightslibrary.org.
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Volume 3, Issue 3, Posted 1:33 PM, 02.16.2010

Lecture and showing of 'Les Amants' on Nov. 13

Nov. 13 marks the 50th anniversary of the infamous “bust” in Cleveland Heights history: Cleveland Heights Police raided the Heights Art Theater (later the Centrum), shut down an evening showing of "Les Amants," (The Lovers) and arrested manager Nico Jacobellis - all because of a three-minute love scene that would seem tame by today’s standards.

The Cleveland Heights Historical Society announces a free screening of"Les Amants" at the Lee Road Library, along with the opportunity to hear an accompanying lecture, enjoy free popcorn and not worry about getting arrested and having your case taken all the way to the Supreme Court, which is what happened to Jacobellis.

The event takes place Nov. 13 in the Brody/Nelson meeting room at the Lee Road Library. The lecture is at 6:30 p.m.; the movie begins at 7 p.m. The event is free, though donations or membership applications to the Cleveland Heights Historical Society are welcome.

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Volume 2, Issue 11, Posted 12:37 PM, 11.04.2009

Heights History: Picture This!

Built in 1923, the Alcazar Hotel at Surrey and Derbyshire roads was billed as “Cleveland’s most desirable residential hotel.” Designed in the Spanish-Moorish eclectic style, the Alcazar is reminiscent of Florida hotels built in the 1880s for Henry Flagler. Special guests of the hotel included George Gershwin, Jack Benny and Mary Martin. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Cleveland Heights Landmark, the Alcazar Hotel still runs as a residential hotel. 

Find out more at www.chhistory.org! The Cleveland Heights Historical Society promotes the history of our community through public programs, an informative website and fact-filled newsletters. Join today!

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Volume 2, Issue 9, Posted 12:53 PM, 04.17.2009

A virtual tour of Cleveland's most interesting secrets

The East Cleveland Township Cemetery is made up of 12 acres of land in University Circle. It is an area that is hardly remembered by Clevelanders even though it has been surrounded by urban legend since its founding in 1859. Finally, the fact has been separated from the fiction and the real story of the cemetery has been uncovered.

Join Nancy Fofel West, vice president and secretary of the East Cleveland Township Cemetery Foundation, and author of "To Dwell With Fellow Clay: The Story of East Cleveland Township Cemetery", as she presents a virtual, in-depth look at Cleveland and the Heights' most interesting settlers, politicians and heroes.

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Volume 2, Issue 7, Posted 12:10 PM, 07.07.2009

Heights History: Picture this!

No Sunday golf on these links! John D. Rockefeller allowed Patrick Calhoun to use his land for an additional nine holes in his Euclid Club golf course, but only if those nine holes were not played on Sundays. Calhoun opened this first-class recreational facility in order to attract high-end home buyers to his new development in Cleveland Heights. Well-known Meade & Garfield designed the Euclid Golf Club roughly at Cedar and Norfolk, which was completed in 1901. The course was bounded roughly by Derbyshire, S. Overlook, West St. James and Demington. Check out Euclid Golf Neighborhood by Deanna Bremer and Hugh Fisher at www.euclidgolf.com.

Find out more Cleveland Heights history at www.chhistory.org! The Cleveland Heights Historical Society promotes the history of our community through public programs, an informative website and fact-filled newsletters. Join today!

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Volume 2, Issue 7, Posted 12:57 PM, 04.17.2009

Cleveland Heights Mystery Photo

The Cleveland Heights Historical Center at Superior Schoolhouse, owned and operated by the City of Cleveland Heights, houses an archival collection of Cleveland Heights' history. Help us identify this mystery photo so that we can include it in our online photo archive at www.clevelandmemory.org/chuh. If you know the location, e-mail the address to kodonnell@clvhts.com

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Volume 2, Issue 7, Posted 10:33 AM, 02.26.2009

Heights History: Picture This!

An “Indian Fort” in Cleveland Heights?!? No, that’s actually an observation tower built by Nathan Ambler on his estate (now the Baldwin Reservoir). Find out more about Ambler and other great estates in the Heights at www.chhistory.org! The Cleveland Heights Historical Society promotes the history of our community through public programs, an informative Web site and fact-filled newsletters. Join today!
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Volume 2, Issue 6, Posted 12:58 PM, 04.17.2009

Celebrate CH history

May is Historic Preservation Month and the last of three free events to celebrate and recognize Cleveland Heights as a special place is this week.  

Thursday, May 21, 7:00 p.m.

“The Greenest Building is Already Built: Sustainability and Historic Preservation”

Jamie Bertram, historic preservation specialist, Cleveland Restoration Society.

Superior School House, 14391 Superior Road at Euclid Heights Boulevard.

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Volume 2, Issue 5, Posted 12:08 PM, 04.27.2009

Heights History: Picture This!

Look familiar? The cars may have changed, but much that makes this intersection at Fairfax and Lamberton roads so beautiful remains. Developers and home-buyers in the early 20th Century were attracted to the trees, wide-open spaces and lovely architecture that helped make Cleveland Heights a great place to live (then and now!).

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Volume 2, Issue 5, Posted 1:00 PM, 04.17.2009

Cleveland Heights Mystery Photo

The Cleveland Heights Historical Center at Superior Schoolhouse, owned and operated by the City of Cleveland Heights, houses an archival collection of Cleveland Heights' history. Help us identify this mystery photo so that we can include it in our online photo archive at www.clevelandmemory.org/chuh. If you know the location, e-mail the address to kodonnell@clvhts.com
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Volume 2, Issue 5, Posted 10:45 AM, 02.26.2009

Genealogy is good for the soul

Genealogy is a recorded history of a person or family’s descent from an ancestor or ancestors. Soul is spiritual or emotional warmth, force or evidence. These combine well: knowing your roots and connecting with family are good for the soul.


Genealogy is also a great hobby for people of all ages, one you can stop and restart at any time. The experience can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be, and as fulfilling or frustrating.


Research choices include concentrating on one surname from a specific area, collecting old pictures, joining a local and/or national genealogy society, and collecting documents to place in a binder. You can travel to do research at a library, cemetery or birth place of an ancestor. You can use the Internet to place surname queries or create a Web site.

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Volume 2, Issue 5, Posted 11:13 PM, 02.08.2009

Cleveland Heights Mystery Photo

The Cleveland Heights Historical Center at Superior Schoolhouse, owned and operated by the City of Cleveland Heights, houses an archival collection of Cleveland Heights' history.  Help us identify this mystery photo so that we can include it in our online photo archive at www.clevelandmemory.org/chuh.  If you know the location, e-mail the address to kodonnell@clvhts.com

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Volume 2, Issue 4, Posted 10:36 PM, 04.08.2009

Heights History: Picture This!

Remember Chin's Pagoda restaurant, which stood on the west side of Lee Road between Washington and Derbyshire?  The restaurant stood in the area of 2100 Lee Road from 1941 to about 1970.
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Volume 2, Issue 3, Posted 6:37 PM, 02.16.2009

Cleveland Heights Congregations provides rare glimpse of the past

The richness of Cleveland Heights history continues to be revealed in the latest book by Marion Morton, "Cleveland Heights Congregations" (Arcadia Publishing). In this new book in Arcadia’s Images of America series, Morton tells the story of the evolution of Cleveland Heights' many religious congregations.

Most Heights congregations had their origins in some of the earliest religious institutions in Cleveland.  As times changed, they made their way to the Heights, as did so many individuals during the early part of the 20th Century. Morton identifies the origin of each congregation and chronicles further changes in the rich histories of these great institutions. Central to Morton’s story is that no matter how much Cleveland Heights has evolved and changed, the city’s religious institutions have remained an important stabilizing influence.

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Volume 2, Issue 2, Posted 10:15 PM, 01.25.2009

Heights History: Picture This!

Did you know that John D. Rockefeller’s summer estate, called The Homestead, stood in what is now Forest Hills Park (right at the top of the great sledding hill)? Find out more at www.chhistory.org. The Cleveland Heights Historical Society promotes the history of our community through public programs, an informative website and fact-filled newsletters. Join today!
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Volume 1, Issue 9, Posted 12:03 PM, 11.21.2008

Euclid Golf website has new home

The website for the historic Euclid Golf Allotment has moved. Formerly housed at the now defunct CH-UH.net website, it now has its own URL: http://www.euclidgolf.com.

The website tells the story of the Euclid Golf neighborhood, an excellent example of early twentieth century real estate planning. Located near the top of Cedar Hill, Euclid Golf comprises Fairmount Boulevard from Cedar Road to Coventry Road and the side streets on either side. The neighborhood was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

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Volume 1, Issue 7, Posted 11:04 PM, 10.22.2008

A Return to Overlook Road: Cleveland Heights' Real Millionaires' Row

On Thursday evening Oct. 16, join the Cleveland Heights Historical Society and the Landmark Commission of Cleveland Heights for a "Return to Overlook Road: Cleveland Heights' Real Millionaires' Row."
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Volume 1, Issue 7, Posted 10:17 PM, 09.21.2008

Walking tour and lecture connect ancient watershed and local history

Enjoy a two-part exploration of the history and horticulture of our local watersheds, “the bluestone brooks” on Thursday, August 21 starting at 6 p.m.
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Volume 1, Issue 5, Posted 9:26 PM, 07.22.2008

The history detectives of Noble School

The third graders in Mr. Sustar's and Ms. Smith-Peterson's classes at Noble Elementary School have become history detectives. We found out about the history of Noble School and our neighborhood. First, we split into research groups and then we looked through books. We also looked at photographs, an old school yearbook and maps. Noble parent Mazie Adams helped us with this project. We interviewed a real-life history detective, Mrs. Kara Hamley O’Donnell, who is the preservationist for the city of Cleveland Heights. Then we went on a walk around the school and down Noble Road to visit the places we learned about.
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Volume 1, Issue 3, Posted 10:06 PM, 05.22.2008
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UPCOMING EVENTS

March 12, 2010:
7:00 PM - Heights Youth Theatre presents "Once On This Island"

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM - Mozart Celebration: Ballet comes to Severance Hall

8:00 PM - 10:30 PM - Speech and Debate by Stephen Karam

March 13, 2010:
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Sanskrit 2 (1st week of a 2-part workshop)

2:00 PM - Heights Youth Theatre presents "Once On This Island"

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - March Madness Family Fun Night

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM - Dance

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM - Dance! All types of dancing, including line dancing.

7:00 PM - Oh! Sullivans Benefit Concert

7:30 PM - 9:30 PM - Oh! Sullivans Concert

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM - Mozart Celebration: Ballet comes to Severance Hall

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM - SPEECH AND DEBATE by Stephen Karam at Dobama Theatre

March 14, 2010:
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM - Preparing for Birth with Yoga (Couples Workshop) with Swami Atmarupa (Beverly Singh)

2:00 PM - Heights Youth Theatre presents "Once On This Island"

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Mozart Celebration: Ballet comes to Severance Hall

7:30 PM - 9:30 PM - PAY AS YOU CAN PERFORMANCE OF SPEECH AND DEBATE by Stephen Karam at Dobama Theatre

7:30 PM - 9:00 PM - Analytic Flicks - free movie discussion

March 15, 2010:
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - HRRC Workshop: Plastic Water Lines

March 16, 2010:
6:00 AM - 6:45 AM - Navaratri ("Nine Nights")

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - HRRC Class: Understanding Mortgages & Refinancing

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM - LEADING LADIES AT HEIGHTS HIGH MIND, BODY & SOUL WELLNESS FAIR

March 17, 2010:
6:00 AM - 11:59 PM - WJCU 88.7FM St. Patrick's Day Irish Music Marathon

March 18, 2010:
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM - SPEECH AND DEBATE by Stephen Karam at Dobama Theatre

March 19, 2010:
7:00 PM - Heights Youth Theatre presents "Once On This Island"

7:15 PM - 9:00 PM - Voltimand and Cornelius Are Dead, Too: OddyFest #19

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

8:00 PM - Tetelestai

March 20, 2010:
12:00 AM - 2:15 PM - Community Home Remodeling Fair

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM - HRRC Rehab Open House

2:00 PM - Heights Youth Theatre presents "Once On This Island"

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

8:00 PM - Tetelestai

March 21, 2010:
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

3:00 PM - Tetelestai

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM - WESTERN RESERVE CHORALE WINTER CONCERT

March 22, 2010:
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - HRRC Workshop: PVC Drain Lines

March 23, 2010:
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - HRRC Class: Avoiding Mortgage Delinquency

March 24, 2010:
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM - Heights Parent Center Family-School Connection Women's Roundtable

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Jeff Milchen, of the American Independent Business Alliance, to speak

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Driving Mr. Klezmer

March 25, 2010:
8:30 AM - Business Workshop: Strength In Numbers

6:15 PM - 7:00 PM - Free Music Together Demonstration Class!

7:30 PM - 9:30 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

March 26, 2010:
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM - Yoga & Sexuality 2-part workshop with Atmadarshan (Laura Santoro)

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

March 27, 2010:
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM - Yoga & Sexuality 2nd day of a 2-part Workshop with Atmadarshan (Laura Santoro)

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Kirtan at Atma Center

8:00 PM - 10:00 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

March 28, 2010:
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM - Yoga Movie Night

7:30 PM - Heights Chamber Orchestra Concert

7:30 PM - Heights Chamber Orchestra,

March 29, 2010:
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - HRRC Workshop: Faucets & Toilets

March 30, 2010:
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM - HRRC Class: Home Maintenance for Home Buyers

April 1, 2010:
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam

April 2, 2010:
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM - SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam