The CENTRAL VIADUCT, built between 1887-88, was a high-level bridge that linked the east and west sides of Cleveland. It stood where the Innerbelt Bridge (I-90) is now located. In Mar. 1879 Councilman Jas. M. Curtiss introduced a resolution asking that the city engineer undertake to determine the best site for a bridge linking downtown with neighborhoods southwest of Cleveland across the CUYAHOGA RIVER [1].
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The resolution met with some opposition and was not passed until 1883. The council authorized an expenditure of $1 million, and ground was finally broken in May 1887. The city engineer's office furnished the design and construction specifications, and the KING IRON BRIDGE & MANUFACTURING CO. [3] was contracted to do most of the construction. Check out the online King Bridge Co. Museum (http://www.kingbridgeco.com/ [4]). Opened on 2 Dec. 1888, the Central Viaduct consisted of 2 bridges. The first structure, known as the Central Viaduct, was 2,839' long and extended from Jennings Ave. (W. 14th) to Central Ave. (Carnegie). Known as a "stilt" type, the bridge consisted of a series of braced towers and deck spans of varying lengths. Originally it had a swing section over the river to allow taller ships to pass, which was replaced in 1912 with an overhead truss. The roadway was approx. 100' above the river. On the night of 16 Nov. 1895, a safety switch failed while the draw was open, causing a streetcar to plunge into the river; 17 people were killed. Closed as unsafe in 1941, the main bridge was razed for scrap iron during World War II. The second bridge, known as the Walworth Run section, was 1,088' long and connected Abbey Ave. to Lorain Ave. at W. 25th. It continued in use until 1986, when a new Abbey Ave. bridge was begun to replace
it.http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=CV
A new Central Market situated near the banks of the CUYAHOGA RIVER [1] and Pittsburgh St. was authorized by the city council in 1858, replacing the Michigan St. market which was torn down and rebuilt on the new site. Many objected to the CENTRAL MARKET [5]'s out-of-the-way location, and it was slow to fill. Although farmers contended that they had the right to sell their goods on any public ground, an ordinance passed in 1859 provided that all selling from wagons must be done from the market grounds. Vendors defied the law, but protest gradually subsided, and the Central Market became well established as the city's major marketing center. A new Central Market containing 100 stalls for fish, meat, and vegetables was completed on Ontario St. between Bolivar and Eagle streets in 1867. The same year, city council authorized construction of a small market house in the 5th Ward, at the corner of St. Clair and Nevada streets, but by 1874 it was used only irregularly and was abandoned by 1900. The 45-stall Newburgh Market (later called the Broadway Market) operated at Broadway and Canton Ave. from Dec. 1879 until 1963.
http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=MAMH [6]
GRAYS ARMORY, built by Cleveland's long-standing private military company, the CLEVELAND GRAYS [7], has served not only as a meeting lodge and assembly hall for that group but also as a stage for a wide variety of events. Designed by Cleveland architect Fenimore C. Bate, the armory was built on Bolivar St. at Prospect Ave. The cornerstone was laid on Decoration Day, 1893. The structure is appropriate for the Grays, who provided trained men for military service and served as honor guards at local, state, and national functions. A military fortress is suggested by a 5-story tower with rows of progressively smaller windows and a turreted cap, and the stone foundation at the street level surmounted by massive brick walls. The interior contains offices and meeting rooms at the front and a large drill hall at the rear. The armory's drill hall not only was used for training and assemblies of the Grays but was and still is rented out for various social and cultural affairs. Programs for the 1896 Cleveland Centennial were held there, and performers such as opera star Emma Calve appeared, along with popular revues and touring companies. In 1918 it hosted the first concert of the newly formed CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA [8]. As more elaborate theaters and halls were opened, fewer performances were held at the armory. However, in the 1970s the Western Reserve Theater Organ Society installed and refurbished a large Wurlitzer theater pipe organ in the drill hall and concerts were given regularly. Funds were made available in 1988-89 to establish a library of American military history there. A director of activities continues to promote use of the armory facilities by outside groups. Recent events include rare book sales, political rallies, and rock concerts. The Cleveland Grays continued to operate from the armory on Bolivar Rd. into the 1990s.
http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=GA1 [9]
COBURN & BARNUM was an architectural firm active in Cleveland from 1878-97. Forrest A. Coburn (1848-l Dec. 1897) and FRANK SEYMOUR BARNUM [10]† formed a partnership in 1878. The Furniture Block and the Blackstone Bldg. were 2 of their most important commercial buildings, built in 1881-82. The Blackstone in particular was a superior example of fire-resistant mill construction with a remarkable 4-story interior light court. Coburn & Barnum's churches included the First Congregational on Franklin Ave. and EUCLID AVE. CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH [11]. Their residential commissions included homes for Wm. J. Morgan and Geo. Howe (later the VIXSEBOXSE GALLERY [12]) on Euclid Ave., and the spectacular Washington H. Lawrence mansion (Bay View Hospital) in 1898. The firm's institutional and cultural buildings included the Medical School (1885-87) and Guilford College (1892) for Western Reserve Univ. and the OLNEY ART GALLERY [13] on W. 14th St. (1893).
http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=CB7 [14]