Central (Cleveland)
Encyclopedia
Central is a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio
. Situated on the outskirts of downtown
, Central is bounded roughly between E.71st Street on its east and East 22nd Street on its west, with Euclid Avenue and Woodland Avenue on its north and south respectively. The neighborhood is eponymously named for its onetime main thoroughfare, Central Avenue.
With settlement beginning during the city's infancy in the early 19th century, Central is of the Cleveland's oldest neighborhoods. An influx of Germans
in the 1830s marked the first in several waves of immigration to what would be gateway community for many ethnic groups in the Cleveland area. The largest pre-World War I populations of Jews
, Italians
and African American
s living in Cleveland lived in Central, as well as communities of Czechs and Hungarians
. The neighborhood population peaked at a Pre-World War II
number exceeding 62,000. Today, Central has less than one-fifth of its 1940 population numbers, and is demographically a largely homogenous poverty-stricken, African American neighborhood.
, when an exodus of ethnic whites, particularly Jews (many of whom relocated further east to the Glenville
neighborhood). The gradual demographic shift saw Central become a commercial district that hired large numbers of African Americans, a revolutionary idea at the time. Between 1910 and 1920, the African American population of Cleveland increased by 400% to 34,451, the majority settling in Central.
was the onus for a trend that began in Central the in the 1930s
, and continued through the early 1990s. With the advent of the Public Works Administration
, the State of Ohio preceded the federal body established in the National Housing Act of 1934
by creating the nation's first public housing administration in 1933: the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). Central would become the location for Cleveland's largest concentration of public housing projects
, which was a significant catalyst in the economic decline of the neighborhood. The CMHA began with the Outhwaite Homes
, and the Cedar-Central projects in the 1930s. By the 1970s, the additions of Carver Park (1942) and the infamous King-Kennedy high rises (1971) had made Central the public housing capital of Cleveland.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Situated on the outskirts of downtown
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
, Central is bounded roughly between E.71st Street on its east and East 22nd Street on its west, with Euclid Avenue and Woodland Avenue on its north and south respectively. The neighborhood is eponymously named for its onetime main thoroughfare, Central Avenue.
With settlement beginning during the city's infancy in the early 19th century, Central is of the Cleveland's oldest neighborhoods. An influx of Germans
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
in the 1830s marked the first in several waves of immigration to what would be gateway community for many ethnic groups in the Cleveland area. The largest pre-World War I populations of Jews
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
, Italians
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s living in Cleveland lived in Central, as well as communities of Czechs and Hungarians
Hungarian American
Hungarian Americans Hungarian are American citizens of Hungarian descent. The constant influx of Hungarian immigrants was marked by several waves of sharp increase.-History:...
. The neighborhood population peaked at a Pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
number exceeding 62,000. Today, Central has less than one-fifth of its 1940 population numbers, and is demographically a largely homogenous poverty-stricken, African American neighborhood.
History
Central, until just after World War II was arguably the retail capital in the city of Cleveland. The neighborhood remained generally poor to working class and predominately ethnic European until the beginning of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when an exodus of ethnic whites, particularly Jews (many of whom relocated further east to the Glenville
Glenville, Cleveland
Glenville is a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. It is roughly bounded between Rockefeller Park between on the west and Lakeview Road on the east, and by the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway on its the north and Wade Park Avenue to the south....
neighborhood). The gradual demographic shift saw Central become a commercial district that hired large numbers of African Americans, a revolutionary idea at the time. Between 1910 and 1920, the African American population of Cleveland increased by 400% to 34,451, the majority settling in Central.
Public Housing
The onset of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
was the onus for a trend that began in Central the in the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
, and continued through the early 1990s. With the advent of the Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
, the State of Ohio preceded the federal body established in the National Housing Act of 1934
National Housing Act of 1934
The National Housing Act of 1934, , also called the Capehart Act, was part of the New Deal passed during the Great Depression in order to make housing and home mortgages more affordable. It created the Federal Housing Administration and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation.It was...
by creating the nation's first public housing administration in 1933: the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). Central would become the location for Cleveland's largest concentration of public housing projects
Public housing in the United States
Public housing in the United States has been administered by federal, state and local agencies to provide subsidized assistance for low-income and people living in poverty. Now increasingly provided in a variety of settings and formats, originally public housing in the U.S...
, which was a significant catalyst in the economic decline of the neighborhood. The CMHA began with the Outhwaite Homes
Outhwaite Homes
Outhwaite Homes is a public housing development under jurisdiction of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority in Cleveland, Ohio. Built in 1935 and possibly named after Joseph H. Outhwaite, it was the first federally funded public housing in the Cleveland area and one of the first in the U.S....
, and the Cedar-Central projects in the 1930s. By the 1970s, the additions of Carver Park (1942) and the infamous King-Kennedy high rises (1971) had made Central the public housing capital of Cleveland.
Famous Residents
- Langston HughesLangston HughesJames Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
- Author and playwright, attended Central High School. - Carl Stokes - 51st Mayor of Cleveland (1968–1971), first African American elected mayor of a major US City, grew up in the CMHA Outhwaite Homes.
- Louis StokesLouis StokesLouis Stokes is a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives....
- 15-Term US CongressmanUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(1969–1999), brother of Carl, also grew up in the Outwaite Homes.