Cleveland in HDR – The 6th City Collection

Today’s Photo: A River Runs Through It

From the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:

“The Cuyahoga River divides the east and west sides of Cleveland. It  originates in springs in the highlands of Geauga County, in the adjoining  townships of Hambden and Montville. The 2 sources, forming the East and West  branches of the river, are 35 mi. east of Cleveland. The river flows southwest  to Cuyahoga Falls, on the northern edge of Akron, where it drops into a large,  deep valley and turns sharply north, thus forming the letter U with its 80-mi.  course. Upon reaching Cleveland, about 6 mi. from its mouth, it becomes a sharply  twisting stream before emptying into Lake Erie. It is believed that the Mohawk  Indians meant “crooked river” when they called it  “Cayagaga,” although the Senecas called it “Cuyohaga,” or  “place of the jawbone.” Originally the old river bed’s last bend took
the mouth westward along the lakeshore to Weddell St. (now W. 54th St.), until  the present mouth was dug in 1827 to form Whiskey Island and a more direct channel which leads straight into Lake  Erie. The business district of the early city fronted on the river, where
steamers, schooners, and canal boats exchanged imported goods for the products  of local industry. In the 1850s and 1860s, shipyards lining the old ship  channel on the west side turned out hundreds of vessels of all classifications.”

For more info:  http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=CR9

Purchase this photo: Brent Durken Print Sales

http://brent-durken.pixels.com/

Today’s Quote:

“We all have our time machines. Some take us back,  they’re called memories. Some take us  forward, they’re called dreams.”- Jeremy Irons

Today’s Photo: The Arcade

From the Arcade website:

In May of 1890, The Arcade opened its doors as one of the first indoor shopping centers in America. It was designed as a big-city mercantile enter by John M. Eisenmann and George H. Smith who modeled it after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy. The cost to construct The Arcade was $875,000 then, and was financed by many of Cleveland’s most esteemed businessmen of the late 19th century—among them: John D. Rockefeller, Steven V. Harkness, Louis Severance, Charles Brush and Marcus Hanna. Rockefeller and Harkness are featured on gold emblems on the Arcade’s Euclid Avenue exterior.

Once known as Cleveland’s Crystal Palace The Arcade has always been one of Cleveland’s best-known landmarks. For more than 100 years, The Arcade offered unique shops, services and restaurants among the five indoor balconies and offices in the two ten-story towers. The Arcade was the first building in Cleveland and the ninth in the country to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For more info:

http://theclevelandarcade.com/content/history

Purchase this photo: Brent Durken Print Sales

http://brent-durken.pixels.com/

Today’s Quote:

Money, not morality, is the principle commerce of civilized nations – Thomas Jefferson

Today’s Photo: The Cleveland Playhouse Lobby

From the Cleveland Playhouse website:

Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House is America’s first regional theatre. More than 12 million people have attended over 1,300 productions at Cleveland Play House including more than 130 American and/or World Premieres. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Bloom and Managing Director Kevin Moore, Cleveland Play House is an artist-driven theatre that serves the Greater Cleveland community by holding true to its mission: To inspire, stimulate and entertain diverse audiences in Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards.

This year the Cleveland Playhouse will move operations to the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square Center.

For more info:

http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/

Today’s Quote:

“I live halfway between reality and theater at all times. And I was born this way” – Lady Gaga

Today’s Photo: Severance Hall

AMERICA’S MOST BEAUTIFUL CONCERT HALL

From the Cleveland Orchestra website:

“After the Cleveland Orchestra’s inaugural concert at Severance Hall on February 5, 1931, a Cleveland newspaper editorial stated: “We believe that Mr. Severance intended to build a temple to music and not a temple to wealth; and we believe it is his intention that all music lovers should be welcome there.” John Long Severance was the president of the Musical Arts Association from 1921-1936, and he and his wife Elisabeth donated most of the funds necessary to erect the magnificent building meant to be the permanent home of the Orchestra. Severance Hall was designed by Walker & Weeks with an elegant Georgian exterior that harmonized with the classical architecture of other prominent buildings in the
University Circle area. The interior of the building reflects a combination of design styles, including Art Deco, Egyptian Revival, Classicism, and Modernism. The landmark building was recognized as one of the most modern, up-to-date concert facilities in America when it opened in 1931”.

If you would like to learn more about this building or John Long Severance and his wife Elisabeth I highly recommend the book Lost
Cleveland: Seven Wonders of the Sixth City by Michael Dealoia. You can find it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Cleveland-OH-Seven-Wonders/dp/1596298782

Today’s Quote:

I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music. – Billy Joel

Today’s Photo: The Cleveland Grays

It’s Friday so this will be my last post for the week. I hope everyone has enjoyed seeing some “hidden” gems in this city.

Today’s photo is of a bar in a secret room in the Grays Armory in Downtown, Cleveland. It is said that there was a special knock needed to enter this room during prohibition. That being said, you had to be a member of the Grays to even get inside the building. Your chances of being
raided were slim since the Mayor and the Police Chief were members of the Grays as well. Have a great weekend!

Grays Armory is a Cleveland Treasure and I hope it will be around for a long time to come. To find out more about the Cleveland Grays follow these links:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/GraysArmory

Today’s Quote:

A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its chosen leaders today – and in fact we have forgotten. – John F. Kennedy

Today’s Photo: Inside the Clock Tower

Most Clevelanders have heard of the Old Stone Church. It is a historic Presbyterian church located in downtown Cleveland, and is the oldest building on Public Square. I know that most people know what the church looks like from the outside but I figure few know what the inside of the bell tower looks like. I thought I would show you. This church is an incredible place and I have many more photos of it to share with you.

Today’s Quote:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today’s Photo: The Greenbrier Suite

This is a photo of the 2 story Great Hall of the Greenbrier Suite. The Greenbrier Suite was secret residence of the Van Sweringen Brothers and it is located inside the Terminal Tower. That’s right, it is located on the 12th, 13th, and 14th floors of the Terminal Tower in downtown Cleveland.
This stunning home was built to rival the mansions located on Euclid Ave. It was built in English Gothic style with oak paneling and marble fireplaces.

Who are the Van Sweringen Brothers you ask?  Oris and Mantis Van Sweringen were two Clevelanders who created a $3 billion, 30,000-mi.
railroad and real estate empire. They also were the builders of the Terminal Tower and the real-estate developers of Shaker Hts.

For more information:

http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=VSOP

Today’s Quote:

“We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they’re called memories. Some take us forward, they’re called dreams.”  – Jeremy Irons

Today’s Photo: The Cleveland Trust Co. vault

This large vault, in the basement of Cleveland Trust Co., was where many Clevelanders once kept their most valuable possessions. If you look close you can see that there is actually a vault inside the vault. The metal for the massive main door came from the Carnegie Steel Company.

The Cleveland Trust Company was established in 1894. In 1903 Cleveland Trust merged with the Western Reserve Trust Co. and in 1908
it built a new headquarters bldg. at E. 9th and Euclid. This building is still there today but it is now called the Ameritrust Building. By 1977 The Cleveland Trust Company had 120 branches, $5 billion in assets and it managed $7 billion in trust funds for its clients. CleveTrust changed its name to the AmeriTrust Corp. in 1979 and became part of Society Bank in 1991. Three years later Society merged with KeyCorp making it the nation’s 11^th largest bank.

For more information about the Cleveland Trust Company please visit:

http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=A8

Quote of the Day:

“And I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity in the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale” – Thomas Jefferson

Today’s Photo: The Hanna

If you have never seen a play at the Hanna Theater in Playhouse Square you are missing out. The atmosphere is great and everything is modern.  The Hanna Theatre opened March 28, 1921, and would go on to host such stage and film luminaries as Al Jolson, Katherine Hepburn, Henry
Fonda, Ethel Barrymore, Ginger Rogers, Helen Hayes, Mary Martin and Yul Brynner. In 2008, the Hanna underwent a renovation to add a thrust stage, re-work its seating to 550 and become the main performance base for Playhouse Square’s long-time constituent, Great Lakes Theater. Few people know that the famous Tom Hanks got his first acting job right here in Cleveland with the Great Lakes Theater Festival.  He worked 3 summers with Great Lakes making $45 per week.  Playhouse Square is the second largest performing arts center in the country, behind only
New York City.

For more info: http://www.playhousesquare.org/default.asp?playhousesquare=62&objId=2

Quote of the day:

Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards – the things we live by and teach our children are preserved or diminished by how
freely we exchange ideas and feelings.- Walt Disney

Today’s Photo: In Bloom

This photo was taken in early spring near Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. To me it looks like the trees are reaching for the sun.

Today’s Quote:

At present, I am mainly observing the physical motion of mountains, water, trees and flowers. One is everywhere reminded of similar movements in the human body, of similar impulses of joy and suffering in plants – Egon Schiele