Neighbors gather to dedicate Spirit Corner
On Sept. 10, 30 local residents gathered at the corner of Hampshire and Cadwell roads in the Coventry Village neighborhood to dedicate the community green space known as Spirit Corner.
A house built on this corner in 1898 had sat vacant for more than 50 years before it was demolished in 2012. Neighborhod residents, led by Laura Marks, asked city officials to allow them to adopt the site and make it a green space and gathering space.
Neighbors named the site "Spirit Corner" in memory of the spirits that, purportedly, had inhabited the otherwise long-vacant house, known to neighborhood children as the "haunted house."
In the past year, Spirit Corner has been enhanced with a Little Free Library, a history sign, a table and stools upcycled from a fallen tree, wildflowers, a stone engraved with the name Spirit Corner, and even designation as a Pokemon Go "gym."
Attendees at the dedication event toasted residents who had made special contributions to enhance the green space, and recognized a contribution by the Frohring Foundation, represented at the event by former Coventry Village resident Steve Szilagyi. The event ended with a ceremonial ribbon cutting to dedicate Spirit Corner as a focal point for the Coventry Village neighborhood.
Robert Brown
Robert Brown is a city planner with 40 years of experience, including nine years as Cleveland's City Planning Director. A resident of Cleveland Heights for more than 40 years, Brown has lived in the Coventry Village neighborhood for more than 13 years. He is a volunteer on the Civic Engagement Committee of Future Heights.