A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume I, Part 21

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1262

USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume I > Part 21

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1886-February 25, hardware factory of the Whipple Manufacturing Com- pany, on Waverly avenue, loss, thirty-six thousand, nine hundred and fifty dol- lars.

July 20, at 2 p. m., the building 85-95 Euclid avenue, owned by C. G. King, burned. Total loss, thirty-eight thousand, eight hundred dollars.

October 27, at 2 a. m., alarm was turned in that the new main building of Case School of Applied Science was on fire. The building was ruined. The water supply was entirely inadequate, the elevation of the college grounds too high for the available water pressure. Loss, two hundred thousand dollars.

1887-June 17, the old Taylor & Boggis Foundry building, occupied by the Globe Carbon works, near Cleveland & Pittsburg railroad tracks, total loss, one hundred and nineteen thousand, three hundred and fifty dollars.

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1887-October 12, alarm at 8:17 p. m., that the Northern Ohio Insane Asylum at Newburgh was on fire. One of the older buildings not used as a dormitory burned. No lives were lost, twenty thousand dollars damage.

1888-This year there were many serious fires in the down town district.

January 19, the Beckman block, on lower Superior street, loss, thirty-one thousand, five hundred and seventy-five dollars.

February 4, during the burning of the Britton Iron & Steel Works, several men were seriously injured; loss, nineteen thousand dollars.

February 8, at 11:08 p. m., alarm that the Wilshire building on Superior street, owned by Jacob Perkins, and tenanted by J. L. Hudson, was on fire. Loss to tenants and owner, forty-nine thousand, six hundred and eleven dollars and fifty cents.

May 17, Perkins and Hitchcock Cabinet works on Champlain street, loss to building and tenants, forty-seven thousand, six hundred and ninety-three dollars.

September 15, a heavy explosion heard at 3 o'clock in the morning, in M. P. Clark & Sons elevator, fire followed. Two lives were lost and four persons injured. Loss, forty-eight thousand dollars.

November 17, incendiary fire started in Wood & Jenk's lumber yard, but it was checked after sixteen thousand dollars damage was done. But on December 5, fire again started there, and a loss of fifty-eight thousand, eight hun- dred and seventy-three dollars was sustained.

1889-February 7, Beckman's Basket mills, loss, eighty thousand dollars.

October 8, William Edwards & Company, wholesale grocers, Water street, loss, fifty thousand dollars.

October 27, a leaky pipe caused a forty thousand dollar fire, at the National Carbon works.

1890-Maher & Brayton's foundry, loss, fifty-six thousand dollars. *

1892 -- February 18, E. M. McGillin's dry goods store, at the corner of Seneca and Superior streets, loss, one hundred and fifty-five thousand dollars.

October 26, a saloon on Central avenue burned down at midnight and a family of four persons quartered in the building, burned to death. Money loss, only three thousand dollars.

October 27, the Crocker building, Water street, used as a warehouse for rags. Loss, forty thousand dollars.

October 28, Cleveland Window Glass Works on Champlain street caught fire. One woman was suffocated and one man seriously injured. Loss, five thousand dollars. While this fire was raging, A. Teachout & Company, door and window sash mill on Canal street, was on fire. Three firemen were seriously injured. Loss, one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. Gabriel's Carriage Works ad- joining were damaged ten thousand dollars. Also, Mittleberger & Sons, twelve thousand dollars. Others in the neighborhood damaged about twenty thousand dollars.

1893-May 23, the Morgan apartment house, 508 Prospect street burned at

* From 1890 to the present, the Annual Reports of the Fire Department do not contain the record of specific fires. The officers seem to be more concerned over what old horses are sold, than in keeping a record of the principal fires.

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noon. The fire had reached the second floor when it was discovered. Five persons were burned to death and two were seriously injured.

1895-February I, a wooden dwelling on Jennings avenue, used as a deacon- ess' hospital, was completely destroyed. There were twelve patients and a number of nurses in the building. Four lives were lost.

1897-December 23, a bitter cold day, at 5:30 p. m., alarm sounded that J. B. Perkins' power block on Frankfort street was on fire. The block was destroyed. The Blackstone building on Seneca and Frankfort streets, was greatly damaged, as was the Wilshire building on Superior street, and the Miller building on Frank- fort street. The fire was caused by the explosion of a can of benzine. Two fire- men were injured. The loss was over five hundred thousand dollars.

1898-January 15, the Music hall in Vincent street began burning at 6 p. m., in an upper room used for a printing office. The hall soon burned to the ground. Loss, twenty thousand dollars.

In 1898, Globe Clothing Company, at 160-4 Superior street, burned. Loss two hundred thousand dollars, including damages to neighboring buildings.

1898- November 8, Cleveland theater caught on fire from adjoining building, at 10 p. m., during a performance. The audience all escaped without any acci- dent. This was the second time this theater was on fire.

1899-November 25, Dangler Stove Company's plant, Perkins avenue, near Cleveland & Pittsburg railroad tracks, destroyed, and Cleveland Machine Screw Company damaged. Entire loss, three hundred thousand dollars. Lieu- tenant William Roth of the fire department, killed, and several firemen injured by falling walls.

1899- April 15, fire started at noon in the factory of Carney & Johnston, 7 Academy street, spread rapidly to the entire block bounded by Lake, Bank and Academy streets, was burned. Thirteen people, including nine firemen were in- jured. The buildings were occupied largely by cloak factories, and a great amount of stock was destroyed. The total loss was nearly nine hundred thousand dollars. The principal loss was sustained by Carney & Johnson, Reed Brothers & Company, H. Black & Company, Hart & Company, A. W. & H. Sampliner, the L. Whitcomb- Company, and the Baldwin estate. The loss was well covered by insurance.

1901-November 12, N. O. Stone's building, 46-50 Euclid avenue, fire in the afternoon, the fire cut off escape of elevator and stairs, and occupants from the upper floors jumped from the windows. One lady was killed and four others were seriously injured. The crush of the crowd was so great that five persons were seriously injured by being tramped upon. Loss, about one hundred thousand dollars.

1902-November I, a floor in the factory of the Cleveland Baking Company collapsed killing five and injuring fourteen. Fortunately no fire started.

1902-December 4, Likly & Rockett's trunk factory, Case avenue and Hamilton street. Loss, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

1903-November 16, at 3 a. m., Holmden avenue car barns burned to the ground. There was a high wind, three firemen killed and twelve severely injured by falling walls. Seventy-two cars were destroyed; total loss about three hundred thousand dollars.

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1904-May 30, nearly the entire block bounded by St. Clair, Perry and Oregon street, burned, including sash and door factory of the Cleveland Window Glass Company. St. Clair street school was damaged, but the school was not in session. Total loss, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

1904-June 25, fire in the lumber yards caused loss of two hundred and thirty thousand dollars to the Nicola Brothers Company, the Guy & Ralph Gray Com- pany, the J. N. Hahn Company, and others.

1908-February 22, the "Plain Dealer" sustained a heavy loss in the destruction of its building, corner of Superior and Bond street; twenty-two Mergenthaler typesetting machines and a high speed Hoe press were included in the equipment destroyed. The loss was over one hundred thousand dollars.

The same day the freight house of the Pennsylvania railroad burned, and twenty box cars were destroyed. Loss, forty thousand dollars. There were sev- eral minor fires on the same day.

1908-July 3, a "harmless" piece of fireworks displayed in Kresge's five and ten cent store, Ontario street near the Square, ignited a counter full of fireworks, and caused a panic in the crowded store which cost seven lives, mostly young girls, and resulted in the serious injury of twenty-five others. The agitation caused by this horror, led the city council to pass the ordinance introduced by Councilman Pfahl, prohibiting the sale and use of all fireworks in the city of Cleve- land, thus inaugurating the "Cleveland Sane Fourth."

CHAPTER XVI.

THE PARKS.

Prior to 1850 the citizens of Cleveland did not feel the need of public parks. In 1852 the council was asked to enclose the Public Square. It took several years to accomplish this. In 1853 Nathan Perry offered the city seven acres on Euclid avenue near Perry street at two thousand dollars per acre. The council accepted the proposition, but later the motion to empower the mayor to appoint a commission to fulfill the conditions of the deed was tabled and the generous proposal was spurned. The council did not dream that the land within fifty years would be worth per front foot the price they were offered per acre.

The people were more interested in getting a fair ground for the Ohio state fair. A committee of the council was appointed to negotiate for the purchase of twenty acres from Philo Scovill, bounded by Greenwood, Perry, Scovill and Garden streets. The committee reported that the land could be bought for three thousand dollars per acre and recommended that this be done. But again the city council refused.

In 1856 a third attempt was made to secure a park in the east end, when a committee of the council urged the purchase of "Williams park," enclosed by Ken- nard, Garden, Case and Willson avenues ; this effort also failed. In 1857 a coun- cil committee was asked "to enquire into the expediency of purchasing or otherwise procuring grounds for two city parks, one to be located on either side of the

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river." The customary refusal resulted. The citizens lost heart over the narrow and obdurate council, and for ten years nothing was done. Finally, on September 26, 1865, the question was renewed and a committee was chosen to report on buying a park on the lake shore. On November 28th following, the committee made an exhaustive report, detailing the growth of the city, estimating that in 1895 it would have "two hundred and eight thousand and seventy-three inhabitants," that Cleveland was "far behind most cities of its class" in park and market facilities, and recommended earnestly the purchase of three parks, one of seventy-seven acres on the lake front downtown, one of fifty acres in the east end near Willson, between Cedar and Kinsman avenues, and one on the west side, seventy-five acres on De- troit street near Oakland street. They were especially solicitous about the park on the lake front. "The lake front would increase the reputation of the city as a place of summer resort to such a degree as to make it a rival of Newport as a watering place." But even this preeminence did not appeal to the imagination of the council, and it was necessary for a meeting of citizens, held in the mayor's office in 1867, to supply the necessary momentum to push this matter through the council.

By authority of a newly enacted state law, the city council created the first board of park commissioners, August 22, 1871, and in 1873 the commissioners were granted power to levy a tax for park purpose. This begins the real history of our parks, for prior to this date the city council through a committee controlled the public parks and intermittently would grant small sums for planting a tree or replacing a broken walk. The first tax levy in 1873 was two tenths of a mill, and the following year the first park bond issues were sold for the purchase of Lake View park, followed a year later by bonds for improving the Square and Franklin circle. From this point the history of each park will be given separately. The Public Square will be omitted here and its history will be detailed in a later chapter.

LAKE VIEW PARK.

This, the first park purchased by the city, was created by resolution of the council, January 22, 1867, when it recommended securing lands abutting on Sen- eca, Wood, Bond, Ontario and Erie streets, "from the edge of the hill to the rail- road property, for park purposes." On September 3, 1867, a committee was ap- pointed to locate this park and to apply for the necessary legislation. May 7, 1869, the legislature passed the enabling act, and July 27 following, the committee recom- mended the strip between Seneca and Erie street. This land was covered with an uncouth aggregation of huts, called "Shantytown." It was not until August 22, 1871, that the mayor was empowered by ordinance to appoint the board of park commissioners required by law, and on October 31, 1871, he named Azariah Ev- erett, O. H. Childs and J. H. Sargent. By May 2, 1873, the jury awarded the price on the various parcels, two hundred and thirty-four thousand, nine hundred and fifty-one dollars and fifty-two cents, and fifteen year, seven per cent bonds, for two hundred and thirty-five thousand dollars were issued to meet it.

Many people wished the commissioners to build a bridge over the railroad tracks at Erie street and erect a municipal bathing pavilion on the beach, but in

From an old cut

Lake View Park as first laid out

Probing to chicago.

The stately entrance to Gordon Park as planted by W. J. Gordon, now abandoned by the city, and maintained by private parties

Fiom an old cut The Circle, West Side, later called Modoe Park, showing elaborate "Rockwork" placed there in 1873

Lake View Park when in its glory-about 1885

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1879 the privilege of a bathing and boating establishment was let to a private party for ten years.

The growth of railroad traffic and the shifting of the population from the lake front have brought unpopularity upon this our first public park and the neglect of the city has added the final pronouncement of its doom. Perhaps the completion of the group plan will restore it to splendor.

FRANKLIN CIRCLE.

Franklin circle was surveyed and dedicated to the public use by the original proprietors of Brooklyn township and is described in the plat of the allotment made by the county surveyor, October 1, 1836, as follows: "The Franklin place was laid out for public grounds. Its radius is one hundred and forty feet." It remained an open space where the farmers from the neighboring country held informal market until 1857, when the city council erected a white fence around the central part, leaving a street thirty feet wide around the outer circle. In the center of the fenced plot a wooden pavilion and a fountain were placed. In 1872 the lily fountain, with its perennial flowers was taken to the Public Square, where its whitened petals still receive their annual coat of paint. Franklin street was then laid through the grounds, the entire circle was graded, trees and shrubbery were planted, a stone pavilion took the place of the old wooden stand, some fan- tastic "rock work," then in vogue, was crowded in, and new walks of flagging and asphaltum were laid. Very little open space was left after so much garnish- ment. and justified the barbarous name, Modoc Park, given to it. A' speaker's stand erected on the Circle was used in many campaigns. Tradition has it that Mark Hanna first heard William McKinley, then a young congressman, speak at a meeting in this park. In 1907-8 the Forest City Railway Company, with the city's permission, ruthlessly plowed its way through the Circle, destroying some fine trees and despoiling the park of its beauty.

CLINTON PARK.

In 1835 Messrs. Canfield, Dennison, Foster and Pease filed the plat of an allotment, one of the first in the history of Cleveland real-estate operations. A tract of land was set aside in the following terms: "Clinton park, three hundred and sixty-four feet, eight inches by one hundred and ninety-eight feet, the north line being the south line of Park place and the east line is three hundred and four- teen feet distant from the west line of 10 A, lot No. 137, the south line being the north line of Lake street and the west line being three hundred and fourteen feet distant from the east line of 10 'A, lot No. 136. Lots No. 1-33 are subject to a taxation for the improvement of said park under the directions of the trus- tees or a committee appointed by the owners of said lots and each of the said lots to enjoy every privilege and accommodation of said park as a promenade or walk." It was planned as an inducement to build fine residences around the park. But the proprietors were doomed to disappointment. Our magnificent lake front with its wide level area and its elevation affording a splendid view of the lake, was for a few decades the fashionable residence section. But the advent of the noisome

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railroad drove the people eastward. Clinton park fell into decay. In 1853 it was fenced in and a few walks were laid. In 1871 the park commissioners took it under their care and improved it somewhat. It is now a playground for the neighborhood children.

MILES PARK.

In 1850 Ahaz Merchant, then county surveyor, made a plat of Newburg vil- lage. In the space occupied by the park he wrote : "This piece is given for a public square, as commons, to be used and improved as such, in setting out shade trees and beautifying it with walks. It is one hundred and sixty-five feet wide extend- ing from the west line of Gaylord street to the west line of Walnut street." Later Gaylord street was renamed Woodland Hills avenue and Walnut street was called Sawyer street. The original donor of this commons was Theodore Miles, a sturdy pioneer of Newburg, and it was named in his honor by ordinance of June II, 1877. In 1860 a town hall was built upon the square at a cost of three thou- sand, six hundred dollars; twelve years later it was enlarged. When in 1873 Newburg was annexed to Cleveland, the town hall became a public library. In 1894 upon the petition of citizens in that section, the library board leased it for a term of years at a nominal rental from the park commissioners. A new library building was erected in 1906-7.

SOUTH SIDE PARK, CALLED LINCOLN SQUARE SINCE 1897.

Mrs. Thirsa Pelton, in 1850, contemplating the founding of a school for girls, purchased sixty-nine acres on the south side. In 1851 this land was al- lotted and in the map filed in the courthouse the park is designated as "Pelton park, a private park." The surveyor's certificate with barbarous ambiguity recites : "Pelton park, so called, is laid out for a pleasure ground," but the parties who al- lotted the land "reserve to themselves the right to control Pelton park, it being ex- pressly kept for a private park, to be managed by the proprietors as they in their wisdom think best-which, however, is occupied as a pleasure ground and to be so kept and used forever." Mrs. Pelton's death in 1853 ended the educational project she had cherished, the park was fenced in and the gates locked. This aroused public indignation and the gates were repeatedly torn down. The city council was requested many times to take some action and in 1868 its committee on ju- diciary sent in a bifurcated report declaring the park to be under private control but yet a public playground. Bitter litigation followed, the courts holding the park to be wholly private, and when in 1875 a second series of hotly contested suits were carried through the courts with the same results, the feeling in the south side ran very high. Finally the proprietors offered the land to the city and on November 17, 1879, it was purchased for fifty-thousand dollars, the deed pass- ing from John G. Jennings, July 4, 1880. The southsiders celebrated the opening of the park by a grand barbecue. The house in the park and the fence around it were removed, trees were planted and walks laid.

The park was soon allowed to deteriorate. In 1896 it was renovated, the walks relaid, a bicycle path was built around it, and a new fountain and music pavilion erected.

JEPTHA H. WADE

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MARIPOSA PLACE is a strip of land one hundred and eighty feet by three hun- dred and forty feet, extending from Waring to Rossiter streets, parallel to St. Clair, of doubtful ownership but improved by the city.

RESERVOIR PARK.

In 1890 the old Kentucky street reservoir was abandoned for waterworks purposes and by ordinance of June 16, 1890, was transferred to the park commis- sioners who renamed it Reservoir park. In 1897 the name was changed to Fair- view. A reversionary interest in the land after its disabandonment for water- works was quieted in 1896 when the Tyler heirs deeded all their interest to the city for seven thousand, five hundred dollars.

WADE PARK.

The first of a series of magnificent gifts that have made our park system not- able was made to the city by J. H. Wade. The deed was signed September 15, 1882, and on September 26th the ordinance accepting the deed and thanking the donor, was passed by the city council. The condition of the deed was that the city should expend seventy-five thousand dollars in improving the park. Money appropriated for its improvement was spent in making the centaur pond and lay- ing out drives and walks. The park contained sixty-three and five-tenths acres. Mr. Wade had virtually planned the park in 1872 and had spent many thousands of dollars in developing the plan. Its magnificent grove of forest trees, the pic- turesque valley of Doan brook and the stretches of open land, made the park a popular resort from the first. In 1889 the zoological collection was begun; "two black bears, two catamounts, or wild cats, a family of crows, a pair of foxes and a colony of prairie dogs" formed the nucleus of the collection. The octagon house for smaller animals was soon completed and stocked with birds and tropical ani- mals. Mr. Wade in 1890 presented a herd of American deer to the park. In 1907 it was determined to remove the "zoo" to Brookside park as soon as funds permitted.

In 1890 the city council granted the Cleveland City Cable Railway Company the right to lay tracks into the park, but the park commissioners promptly secured an injunction against the railway company and the attempt was never repeated. A right, however, to build a street railway around the park was secured in the gift and J. Henry Wade, grandson of the donor, in 1896, relinguished this privi- lege. Perry's monument was removed from the square to Wade park in 1894. Other monuments in the park are the statue of Harvey Rice, the Goethe-Schiller memorial and the Koskiusko monument.

GORDON PARK.

On October 23, 1893, the title to Gordon park passed to the city from the estate of William J. Gordon. Mr. Gordon's will recites that the donor believed "a public park, made beautiful and attractive, open to all at seasonable times, would be for the public good." The conditions imposed in the will were: First. The city shall

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maintain the park under the name of Gordon park. Second. The shore on the lake front shall be protected from encroachments. Third. Drives and ponds to be main- tained. Fourth. No fence to obstruct the land view. Fifth. The city to preserve the burial lot of the Gordons. Sixth. The gift must be accepted within one year.5

In 1865 Mr. Gordon began the purchase of land on the lake shore and Bra- tenahl road. He acquired a number of parcels and began with rare skill to plan the noble park that bears his name. The great sea wall, the upper and lower lake drives, the grove and the sheep pasture, were especially the objects of his delight. The city acquired one hundred and twenty-two acres by the gift and to their credit, the park commissioners have made only minor changes in the original plan, principally the widening of some of the drives. In 1894 a tract of thirty acres adjoining the park and known as the "picnic grounds" was purchased from the Gordon estate. Wading pools for children were made in the brook. The large new bathhouse and pavilion were erected in 1901.

Between these new acquisitions lay the unimproved valley of Doan Brook. The park commissioners had for some years desired to buy and improve this val- ley. In 1882 they reported that "The rough and broken character of the territory, while being peculiarly adapted to the purpose suggested is so far unavailable for other use that the entire strip could, it is believed, be secured at this time at small cost." 6

The commissioners were A. Everett, J. H. Wade, and J. M. Curtiss. But the hands of the commissioners were tied and more liberal legislation was necessary before a metropolitan park system became possible. On April 5, 1893, the socalled "Park Act" was passed after much agitation and many public conferences of citi- zens. It provided for a board of five commissioners composed of the mayor, the president of the city council and three appointed by the trustees of the sinking fund. The act gave these commissioners the right of appropriation and of issuing bonds. The first board under the act was composed of Charles H. Bulkley, Amos Townsend, John F. Pankhurst, Mayor Robert Blee and A. J. Michael, president of the council. Charles A. Davidson soon succeeded Mr. Michael. F. C. Bangs was appointed secretary. The board adopted a comprehensive plan including "a large park on the outskirts of the city in each of the seven main sections, the same to be so located that in case the future should so determine and the needs of the city so require, that such outlying parks could be readily united and connected by a broad, smoothly paved boulevard, enclosing the city."7 This report forms the basis of the famous Cleveland Park Plan. A further evidence of the wisdom of the commissioners was the retaining of E. W. Bowditch, the noted landscape . architect of Boston, for perfecting the plans of this splendid conception.

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A history of Cleveland, Ohio, Volume I, Part 21

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1262

Author: Orth, Samuel Peter, 1873-1922; Clarke, S.J., publishing company
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago-Cleveland : The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1262