Union Miles: Part 4

This was my fourth and final section run of the Union Miles neighborhood.

Map: Run 1, Run 2, Run 3, Run 4, Run 5, Run 6

Distance This Section: 21.9 miles

Distance So Far: 822.7 miles

The Cermak Building is located on the southeast corner of E. 93rd Street and Union Avenue. It was constructed in 1909 and designed by local architect James Love Cameron for Fred J. Cermak, a local pharmacist (Cermak Drug was a cornerstone business for many decades). The building served as the center of the emerging Czech-Slovak-Polish community for years. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1984.

Across the street at the SW corner of E. 93rd & Union Ave is the E. Prep & Village Prep Woodland Hills elementary school which serves 675 students. The location has been home to a neighborhood elementary school since 1897.

This church directly east of the Cermak Building at 9210 Union Ave is the former Woodland Hills Avenue Church which was established in 1894. It has been home to United Missionary Baptist Church for nearly the last 40 years.

Say, that's a nice bike lane you got there, Union Ave.

North Coast Container is the leading manufacturer of steel drums in North America. The company was founded in Oregon and has five locations nationally, to include this location on Crane Ave.

This building at 3650 E. 93rd was built in the 1920s and was originally home to the Superior Screw & Bolt Manufacturing Company. Beginning in 1957, it became the headquarters for the Braden Sutphin Ink Company. The business was founded in 1913 by Jim Braden. Al Sutphin was his first employee, a push cart delivery person. After returning from WWI, Sutphin returned to the company and eventually became a partner. He then purchased the company just before the Great Depression. Sutphin was a very entrepreneurial person and he ended up buying Cleveland's professional hockey team in 1937. He then built the legendary Cleveland Arena on Euclid Ave. By day, he would work at the ink company then head over to the arena at night. It was active 300+ days a year and Sutphin did all the booking himself, paying off the mortgage in 12 years. Always wearing a red tie and blue suit, he became friends with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Sonja Henie and many other entertainers and sports figures in Cleveland. He passed away in 1974. The company remained largely family owned until 2018 when it was sold to another company as part of a merger.

This cool looking decor is located on the exterior of the former Braden Sutphin Ink building. It depicts a research & development chemist at the company and may be inspired by the real-life R&D company guru, G.L. (Tiny) Erickson who ironically got his nickname because of his 6'4", 250lb frame.

Gray Temple is a tiny church on the corner of E. 100th & Reno Ave. The building was built in 1920 and Gray Temple purchased it in 1977.

C.H.E.E.R.S. Restaurant & Lounge (3560 E. 93rd) was established in 2016. The restaurant is known for offering free meals to patrons on Veterans Day, Christmas and New Years.

On the side of C.H.E.E.R.S. is this mural titled "Revolutionary Prayers". It was painted in 2020 by local artist Kevin Harp (a.k.a. Mister Soul) who has done a number of other murals in the neighborhood as well as projects for some major clients such as Beats By Dre and Serena Williams. In explaining the meaning behind the mural, Harp has said it doesn’t speak to a particular movement, nor was it meant to, but rather its intent is to promote unity and hope for the Union-Miles community.

Carol McClendon Park is located at the eastern end of Beacon Ave. According to online sources, the park, originally just two acres, was created in July 1939 as Bisbee Park through the efforts of a neighborhood businessmen's club, the city, and the federal Works Progress Administration. The park received a complete overhaul in the late 1990s. It was renamed for former Cleveland City Councilwoman Carol McClendon after her death in 2004.

This building is all that remains of the campus of the former St. John's Byzantine Catholic Church on Orleans Ave. The first church on this site was built in 1913 and the second in 1933. It featured Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles. The church closed in 1980 because of a declining congregation, was periodically used by another congregation, and was eventually demolished in 2016. Here's a Streetview image of what the church looked like before it was demolished and here's interior shots + a deep dive of more historical facts by Abandoned. The remaining building - the former rectory and elementary school - is now home to Greater Tabernacle Church.

This is the former St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Church. According to online sources, the congregation that formed the church split from St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in 1921. It began construction of its new church home (above) in April 1924, completing it in 1926. The congregation followed its members into the suburbs in 1977 and sold the church building to Wings of Deliverance in 1999. Here's a photo of what the church looked like back in the day.

This is the former social hall of St. Michael's, located just east of the church on Union Ave. It was constructed in 1950 and included an auditorium and bowling alley in the basement (still there). This hall was actually where several of Cleveland's first rock n' roll shows were held. In fact, a still relatively unknown Elvis Presley played here (with Pat Boone) on October 20, 1955! Photos here.

This unique-looking but deeply neglected Cleveland Double on Gibson Ave was built in 1920 and is actually owned by...a current member of Cleveland City Council. The property taxes -- which include added fees due to the City having to cut the grass and board up the home on multiple occasions -- also haven't been paid since 2019. I snapped the photo because the house was striking and was shocked to see the owner's name when doing the research.

Nathan Hale is a preK-8 CMSD elementary school serving 430+ students. The original school was built in the 1920s and was a real beauty. Check out these photos. This new school was constructed in 2010.

This hoop house at the corner of E. 116th & Matilda Ave was built in 2019 by the Union Miles Development Corporation through a grant by the USDA. The 2,160 square feet agriculture facility sits directly across from John Adams High School.

This car scrap yard at Harvard & E. 116th was once the orginal home of the mighty Champion Rivet Company. Over the years, the company supplied rivets for such projects as the Panama Canal, The Golden Gate Bridge, battleships, steam locomotives, rail cars, trucks, automobiles, and numerous buildings. The firm was founded in 1895 by Irish immigrant David Champion and Wilson B. Chisholm (who was also head of nearby Cleveland Rolling Mills). Until that time, all rivets were made of iron but Champion believed steel rivets were cheaper and better. He offered $1 for any defective rivet sold...and that refund prize was only needed but once. The firm still exists but moved to Twinsburg.

This vacant lot at 4020 E. 116th was once home to a Kroehler Manufacturing Company plant. Kroehler was founded in 1915 and eventually became the second-largest furniture maker in the United States. During the 1960s, the company employed close to 8,000 people around the country with annual revenues near $100 million. But the company struggled during the 1970s, was acquired by other firms, and began to wind down operations. The Cleveland plant was sold off in 1977 and closed shortly afterward. Here's an image and YouTube video of what the plant looked like about 1-2 years before it was demolished in 2022-2023.

Bethany Christian Church is a boomin' congregation on the corner of E. 116th & Avon Ave. This building was built in 1991 and added an addition in 2008.

Down the street is Avon Ave Baptist Church which formed in 1967 after taking over a former Slavic banquet hall (Adriatic Hall, the name of which is still engraved on the building).

Cute house near E. 112th & Dove. It's not pictured but they also planted a new tree in the tree lawn. The house was built in 1931 and has been owned by the same family (mother & father then two daughters) for at least the last 50 years.

Not so cute house. This one on the 11200 block of Greenwich Ave caught fire in November 2023 in the middle of a snow storm. You can watch a clip CFD's battle to extinguish it here.

Hubert Lee Bobo was an active community member and this portion of Gay Ave was named in his honor in 2017. He is not to be confused with the standout football player of the exact same name who helped Ohio State to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1954. Crazy coincidence but two different people.

Made From Scratch smoothie bar/deli and The Takeover Barber Salon at 3820 E. 116th St. It's unclear if the deli actually ever opened but it looks nice on the inside from social media page photos. They also added a nice looking front patio (not pictured) which is good because folks were parking on the sidewalk right in front of the building previously.

Beautiful Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd near Sandusky Ave.

A beautiful home on MLK Blvd and Union Ave. It was built in 1925 and owned by the same family for the last 45 years.

Ghost sign for the old Teal Lounge at E. 106 & Union Ave. The Teal was a small but popular jazz-type music club that also had other acts. Cleveland notables such as jazz musician Vanessa Rubin and comedian Arsenio Hall played the joint in the 1980s.

Meech Ave is named after one of the pioneer families of Cleveland who moved to the area in 1832. The matriarch and patriarch Meech's had seven children, one of which was named Olive who became a school teacher, lived in this area and owned a lot of the land on the street. She died in 1891 at the age of 73.

Meech Ave was always largely an industrial street. Some of the businesses that existed a hundred years ago included Newburgh Gasoline & Oil, Keystone Bolt & Nut, Cleveland Steel Barrel, Varley Pumps, Meech Ave Foundry and Advance Bronze & Aluminum Foundry. Today, the street still maintains an industrial presence but has more vacancy. The image above shows what appears to be abandoned trailers on a City land bank lot on the corner of E. 93rd & Meech. They have been there for at least 10 years according to Google Streetview.

The Feick building is one of the oldest on Meech Ave. It was built in 1938 and was originally home to a laundry company. It eventually became home to the J.T. Eaton pest control company which is still going strong today (but in Twinsburg). Founder Stanley Z. Baker expanded the company significantly but pled guilty for falsifying test results to the U.S. EPA in 2001. He moved to Florida and died in 2005. The company still offers a charitable grant in his name.

This building on the corner of Nelson Ave & E. 109th was built in 1920 and was owned by the Settles family for about the last 50 years. Thomas Settles died in 2001 but his wife, Ella, now 93, continued to maintain the property until recently selling it in February of this year.

This church on the corner of Prince Ave & E. 109th was built in 1928 and was originally home to the Slovenian Labor Auditorium according to maps from that time. It's been home to New Galilee Baptist Church since 1988.

Prince Ave & E. 93rd.

This huge factory building on Nelson Ave was built in 1936 but I couldn't determine its original use.

Fun yard decor on Elizabeth Ave. Pictured is a farm boy with flowers and a pharaoh head but there's others as well, such as a monk and a little girl.

This house at 9618 Elisabeth Ave was built in 1900. Over the past 25 years, it's been flipped at least 10 times for prices ranging from $4,500 to $90,000 (jumping back and forth in that price range which is wild). Up until at least 2009, it was in good shape. Sadly, it now appears eventually headed to the landfill.

Another lively home, this one on the corner of Nelson Ave & E. 102nd.

This church building at 10109 Nelson Ave was built in 1924 and is currently home to Mt. Calvary Church of God in Christ.

Dove Park is located on the corner of Nelson Ave & E. 102nd and was established in 1948. It recently received a $500,000 upgrade which included a new play area, new swings, a rubberized soft surface, benches, game tables and fencing. 

Memorial located near Dove Park. I couldn't determine who the individual was but during the search, I noted that there was a nearby shooting back in April of this year about a block away that took place on the same day and time of week I did this run. A bit unsettling. However, while taking this photo, I met a really nice lady who was doing some landscaping in her yard and shared some neighborhood knowledge.

Paul Revere Elementary School (10706 Sandusky Ave) opened in 1920, and additions were built in 1925, 1950 and 1966. It was designed by architect Walter McCornack who constructed many notable school buildings and other structures in Cleveland in the first quarter of the 20th century. At its peak, it served 1,500+ students. Here's a copy of the 1932 Easter issue of the student newspaper. The school eventually closed around 2010. Here's a video of the inside from a few years ago. In 2021, the City of Cleveland & CMSD put out a call for development proposals for a number of former school buildings. While several were successful, Paul Revere was, unfortunately, not one of them. Its future is TBD.

This community garden is located next to Paul Revere (background) and has served as a garden space since 1968. After the school discontinued using it as a program site, a local family took it over and turned it into a bustling community garden (nice story about that here). Over 60 neighborhood gardeners once tended the lot around 15 years ago. However, around 10 years ago, the site went fallow (here's what it looked like as recent as 2022) but it looks like it's been almost fully reactivated. Great to see.

Sunny day real estate (I'm a 90s kid) on Way Ave. Built in 1925 and has had the same owner since 1978.

This patch of greenspace between Way Ave & Sandusky Ave is known to locals as "Jack Rabbit Hill". It was once a residential area but was severely flooded in 1971 and later converted to a construction landfill site after years of no development. The site became a magnet for illegal dumping, so the Western Reserve Land Conservancy stepped in in 2020, cleaned up the giant site, and planted over 100 trees.

Behold, the demolition of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (9614 Aetna Road) which was built in 1926 (first church was built in 1903), closed as a parish in 1992, struggled to find new life for the next 25 years and was demolished in 2024. It was originally constructed to serve the growing Slovak population who came to work in the neighborhood at industries along E. 91st and E. 93rd at the turn of the 20th century. In the 1940s, Nativity had more than 1,200 members, three priests, and a convent. A school was built next to the church in 1919 (pictured to the right) and closed in 1972. Here's a photo of the church from back in the day and here's a great post with photos of the church in 2019, 27 years after it closed. I took this photo about a day after the church was demolished. The school building (far right) would be demolished over the next several days. Rev. Vaclav A. Chaloupka served as pastor from 1909 until his death in 1956. He had this to say about the suburban flight that was causing an existential threat to the neighborhood and institutions such as Nativity: "There would be more happiness in the world today if people would evaluate what they have where they are and compare it to what they would get where they want to go. Mortgages and taxes and inconvenience bring not happiness but ulcers and unhappiness. Think it over." Above is what lack of thought yields nearly 70 years later.

Faded advertisement of a Cleveland original at a vacant corner store on E. 93rd.

A rose grows on Gay Ave.