While producing the next CityProwl audiotour of Cleveland's Buckeye Woodland Neighborhood, I came across the fact the one of Cleveland's most respected architects, Levi Scofield made his home in the area. A Civil War veteran born and raised in Cleveland, Scofield was the architect (and sculptor)for the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Public Square, the Mansfield Reformatory, the Grand Arcade building in the Warehouse District and the Schofield Building on the SW corner of E. 9th & Euclid (it's been extensively altered with metal cladding on the outside). In addition, he designed many houses, schools and penal institutions that are no longer standing. He was the first Cleveland architect taken into the American Institute of Architects.

In 1898, he built his house on a bluff that overlooked the still-growing city and eventually, the Baldwin Filtration Plant Reservoir, completed in 1925. The residence featured his trademark rusticated stone,  castle-like turrets and large windows. I would imagine that the area was still sparsely populated and retained the feel of a forest wonderland.
The house has fallen on rough times - it appears to have been used as senior housing in its most recent incarnation. The neighborhood has grown up around it and it sticks out among the smaller wood framed Cleveland doubles. It's former grandeur, however, cannot be mistaken and someday hopefully iy could be restored to reflect its glorious beginnings and honor the man who designed it and helped shape the city.

Here’s an event that CityProwlers can sink their teeth into:

Cleveland is full of hidden history and architecture. Now, the neighborhoods of Down and Around town Cleveland are offering two tours that will give Clevelanders a chance to explore these hidden spaces. A team of community tour guides with stories and background history will lead you through each location. Each tour ends at a local restaurant and includes light appetizers and drink specials. Simply park at the first tour location and explore Hidden Cleveland! 

The first tour is Sunday, April 5 and starts at Tyler Village. The second tour is Sunday, May 3 and starts at Monroe Cemetery.

Both tours start at 2pm and end at 5pm. The cost is $24.99.

Go to www.downtownclevelandalliance.com for more information.

I was intereviewed by Carol Colleta of Smart City Radio and you can listen to the interview here. If you have't heard about Smart City™, it's a great  weekly, hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life, the people, places, ideas and trends shaping cities. Also on the program is an interview with Adrian Holovaty, who has created a website called Everyblock.com, which details local news, customized to your street address. It's in beta now with a few cities. Wonder how we can get Cleveland on the list?

A Map to accompany the Public Square Prowl.

Download public_sq_map.pdf

What was running through Moses Cleaveland’s mind when he landed on the eastern shore of Lake Erie? Did he realize that the forest on the bluff above him would become the city that would bear his name? And how did “Cleaveland” lose an “a”? We can’t tell you what Moses was thinking, but we do weigh in on the missing vowel in this prowl, which will escort you around Public Square, the heart of the city and one of the first areas that Cleaveland laid out as part of his 1796 survey to establish the city. You will hear how the village based on a New England town transformed into a tony residential neighborhood and then was surrounded by large civic buildings. This prowl is about 37 minutes and was recorded in Summer 2008.

Interviewed in this prowl were:

Bill Tyler, Docent for the Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Paul Volpe AIA, Architect & Planner of the 2006 Public Square Plan, City Architecture

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A map to accompany the Bank Lobby Prowl.

Download bank_lobby_map.pdf

Peter van Dijk FAIA, Architect for renovations to Society for Savings, Federal Reserve Bank, Huntington Building and Ameritrust.
Jennifer Ransom and Tony Notaro, The Federal Reserve of Cleveland
Peter Lawson Jones, Cuyahoga County Commissioner

CityProwl Fellow: Adrienne Nelson ‘09 Laurel School

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Here is a map of the Warehouse District  Prowl, for your enjoyment:

Download warehouse_map.pdf

The PD has a pretty big story on CityProwl in its Friday entertainment magazine today. The article, by reporter Sarah Crump, can be found here. There's even a portion of the Prospect prowl to listen to and a Cleveland sights quiz.That's the bank lobby of the Society for Savings building on Public Square, now a part of KeyBank. (photo taken by Tracy Boulain) My mom will probably send down a lightning bolt down from heaven for me now that the Hippodrome story is public - she never found out about that forbidden excursion to see Blackula!

Cleveland’s Warehouse District has had many lives since it was first populated as a pioneer farming village in the first years of the 19th century. Prowl through the neighborhood and learn how, as Cleveland developed, the Warehouse District was always at the vanguard - ushering in commerce-based businesses and supporting the iron ore and steel business during the industrial revolution and 20 years ago becoming the first entertainment, residential and cultural neighborhood in the downtown area. This prowl is about 40 minutes long and was recorded in the Summer 2008.

Interviewed in this prowl were:

Thomas Yablonsky, Executive Director, Historic Warehouse District Development Corp.
Barbara Reynolds, President, Real Living LLC
Zdenko Zovkic, Proprietor, XO Prime Steaks
Ron Copfer, CEO, Fathom IT Solutions

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The 3 new audiotours are up on the website! You can prowl around downtown Cleveland and listen to tales of the Warehouse District, Public Square and the great Bank Lobbies. Enjoy!