Nov 17 2012

Cleveland Skyline in Black and White

Brent

Black and white cleveland skyline

This photo of downtown Cleveland was taken from the Columbus Rd. Bridge. From Wikipedia: “Cleveland obtained its name on July 22, 1796 when surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company laid out Connecticut’s Western Reserve into townships and a capital city they named “Cleaveland” after their leader, General Moses Cleaveland. Cleaveland oversaw the plan for what would become the modern downtown area, centered on Public Square, before returning home, never again to visit Ohio. The first settler in Cleaveland was Lorenzo Carter, who built a cabin on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The Village of Cleaveland was incorporated on December 23, 1814.  In spite of the nearby swampy lowlands and harsh winters, its waterfront location proved to be an advantage. The area began rapid growth after the 1832 completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal. This key link between the Ohio River and the Great Lakes connected the city to the Atlantic Ocean via the Erie Canal and later via the St. Lawrence Seaway; and the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. Growth continued with added railroad link. Cleveland incorporated as a city in 1836”.

Today’s Quote: “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe”. –  Voltaire


Jun 8 2012

Shipping on the Cuyahoga

Brent

boat ore shipping Cuyahoga River

From Wikipedia: “The lower Cuyahoga River has been subjected to numerous changes. Originally, the Cuyahoga River met Lake Erie approximately 4,000 feet (1.2 km) west of its current mouth, forming a shallow marsh. The current mouth is man-made, and it lies just west of present-day downtown Cleveland, which allows shipping traffic to flow freely between the river and the lake. Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers periodically dredges the navigation channel of the otherwise shallow river to a depth of 27 feet (8.2 m), along the river’s lower 5 miles (8.0 km), from its mouth up to the Mittal Steel Cleveland Works steel mills, to accommodate Great Lakes freighter traffic which serves the bulk (asphalt, gravel, petroleum, salt, steel, and other) industries located along the lower Cuyahoga River banks in Cleveland’s Flats district. The Corps of Engineers has also straightened river banksand widened turning basins in the Federal Navigation Channel on the lower Cuyahoga River to facilitate maritime operations”.


Jun 1 2012

Albert W. Henn Mansion

Brent

Albert W. Henn Mansion

The Henn Mansion is one of those treasures that more Clevelanders need to know about. It is vaguely Tudor Revival in style with Bungalow/Craftsman overtones. It is a beautiful home and thanks to some wonderful volunteers it is still around to be enjoyed today. You can even rent it out for special occasions.

From the Henn Mansion Website:

Albert W. Henn was born at New Britain, Connecticut, January 26, 1865. His parents were Francis A. and Barbara Wilhelmy Henn. His father was born at Baden, Baden, Germany, April 1, 1825, came to America a political refugee in 1859. He was a gunsmith by trade and after coming to New Britain found employment in some of the big
hardware manufacturing houses, notably the firm of Russell & Erwin and Landers, Frary & Clark.

Albert W. Henn went to school until he was thirteen years of age completing the eighth grade. The boy went into the factory of Landers, Frary & Clark, covering a period of four years. At the age of nineteen he came to Cleveland and here secured a position as entry clerk with the wholesale dry goods house of Root & McBride, where he remained for thirteen years. During this period he had, apparently, little use for the mechanical knowledge he had secured in his boyhood, but when the opportunity came he found himself thoroughly interested and quite able to apply it.

Mr. Henn was married in Cleveland, April 17, 1889, to Miss Gertrude Jeannette Bruce, and they had six children, their first two sons, Jesse and William died in infancy
leaving three sons and one daughter surviving. Edwin C., a graduate of Cornell University; Howard R. a graduate of Yale University, Jeannette, a graduate of Vassar College; and Robert B a graduate of Cornell University.

Mr. Henn and his brother E. C. Henn patented the Multiple Spindle Lathe, (EC’s invention) which revolutionized the machine tool industry. Then they organized the Acme Machine Screw Company, with E. C. Henn as president and Albert W. Henn as secretary and treasurer. In 1902 they merged their enterprise with the National Manufacturing Company of Cleveland and changed their caption to the National-Acme Manufacturing Company.

Mr. Henn became Secretary of the concern at that time (1908), became treasurer, and was elected president in 1918. He was also treasurer and a director of the Maynard H. Murch Company, investments; president of the Goodhold Farm Company, vice president of the Ohio Muck Farm Company, and a director in the Lincoln Electric Company and the Winton Hotel Company.

For more photos inside the Henn Mansion:

http://www.hennmansion.org/

Today’s Quote: “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy”. – Norman Vincent Peale


May 30 2012

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Brent

cleveland metroparks zoo

Today’s Photo: The Pink Flamingo

From the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo website:

What’s remarkable about a flamingo? Plenty. These birds are pink, have exceptionally long necks and the longest legs, in proportion to body size, of all birds. The beak is uniquely shaped and adapted for pumping and filtering water while feeding on crustaceans and algae in marshes and lagoons. Both in water and on land, flamingos are able to lock their long legs into position for resting and sleeping on one leg.

For info on how you can see more of these amazing birds:

http://www.clemetzoo.com/tour/exhibit.asp?exhibit_id=25

Today’s Quote: Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them? –  Rose Kennedy


May 16 2012

Free Stamp

Brent

willard park free stamp

The Free Stamp by Danish artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen

From about.com:

“The 50-foot tall aluminum and steel replica of a hand stamp sits downtown at Willard Park on Lakeside Avenue, next to City Hall. The artwork was originally commissioned in 1982 by the Standard Oil Company to sit in front of their soon-to-be-constructed headquarters building on Public Square (now the BP Building). The piece was originally to sit with the “Free” stamp facing downward, hidden from view. However, before the piece could be installed, Standard Oil was acquired by the British Petroleum Company (BP) who did not favor the piece. “Free Stamp” sat in storage in Indiana for years before BP donated it to the city of Cleveland.”

More info: http://cleveland.about.com/b/2008/05/31/free-stamp-in-cleveland.htm

Today’s Quote: A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament. –Oscar Wilde


May 7 2012

CLEVELAND UNION TERMINAL

Brent

Cleveland Union Terminal

From the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: “The Cleveland Union Terminal and the Terminal Tower, Cleveland’s most familiar landmark, was the largest construction project of the 1920s in the city. Originally intended for the north end of the Mall, the railroad terminal was located on Public Square Oris and Mantis Van Sweringan following a public referendum in 1919. Excavation of the site began in 1924. The entire depot and office complex was designed by Chicago architects Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. The unprecedented engineering for the project included foundations 250′ deep for the tower, the demolition of more than 1,000 buildings, and the construction of many bridges and viaducts for the railroad approaches. Construction on the steelwork began in 1926, and the 708′ Terminal Tower was completed in 1927, the tallest building in the world outside New York City until 1967.

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

Today’s Quote: “All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem”. – Martin Luther King Jr.


May 4 2012

Settlers Landing Park

Brent

 

Settlers Landing Park Cleveland

Settlers Landing Park represents the spot that Moses Cleaveland led a surveying team to in 1796. This park is located on the Eastern bank of the crooked Cuyahoga River in the Flats.

For more info: http://www.examiner.com/article/cleveland-s-settlers-landing

Today’s Quote: Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit. – Frank Borman


May 2 2012

William G Mather

Brent

William Mather Museum

“The Steamship William G. Mather is a retired Great Lakes bulk freighter now restored as a museum ship in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four in the Great Lakes region. She transported cargo such as ore, coal, stone, and grain to ports throughout the Great Lakes, and was nicknamed “The Ship That Built Cleveland” because Cleveland’s steel mills were a frequent destination.”

For more information:

http://www.glsc.org/mather_museum.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamship_William_G._Mather_Maritime_Museum

Today’s Quote: “History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside”. – John F. Kennedy


Apr 24 2012

Cleveland Museum of Art

Brent

cleveland museum of art

Today’s Photo comes from the Cleveland Museum of Art. This statue is only about 1 1/2 feet tall but the wide camera angle makes it look much larger. The Cleveland Museum of Art was founded in 1913 “for the benefit of all the people forever.” The original neoclassic building of white Georgian marble was designed by the Cleveland firm of Hubbell & Benes and was constructed at a cost of $1.25 million.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is free and open for all to enjoy, take advantage of it!

http://www.clevelandart.org/

Today’s Quote: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new”. – Albert Einstein


Apr 20 2012

Cuyahoga County Court House Steps

Brent

cuyahoga county courthouse

I am going to finish the week the way a started it, with a photo of the old Cuyahoga County Court House steps. 2012 marks the 100th birthday of the Cuyahoga County Court House on Lakeside Avenue. The courthouse was designed by Charles Morris along with Lehman and Schmitt and is one of the finest examples of the Beaux-Arts style in the city. Have a great weekend everyone.

For more info: http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=LAS1