East Cleveland’s Story

SIDEBAR | Art in EC

• Superior/Forest Hill Avenue Billboard Mural
• East Cleveland Community Theater

SIDEBAR | Voicing and Action Project
Case Western Reserve University Social Justice Institute

Our Rich History

East Cleveland is a small city with an outsized story—a story of ambition, glamour, upheaval, and resilience. Wedged between Cleveland’s cultural district and its eastern suburbs, According to Case Western Reserve’s Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Cleveland began as farmland but quickly evolved into one of the region’s most desirable addresses.

In the late 1800s, as Cleveland boomed with industry, wealthy families looked eastward for space, fresh air, and elegant living. Trees lined the streets of the location that became East Cleveland as did sturdy brick homes whose occupants had ambitious civic plans. In 1911 the community formally incorporated as a city, proud of its independent identity.

East Cleveland’s crown jewel arrived soon after it incorporated: the General Electric Nela Park campus, completed in 1914. This grand, Georgian-style complex became the world’s first industrial research park. Inside those red-brick buildings, scientists helped reinvent modern lighting, devising everything from improved incandescent bulbs to fluorescent innovations. Nela Park made East Cleveland a national hub of creativity and high-skilled work, drawing engineers and professionals to settle in the surrounding neighborhoods.

8By the 1920s and ’30s, East Cleveland shone as one of the Cleveland area’s premier suburbs. Euclid Avenue—once Cleveland’s “Millionaires’ Row”—stretched into the city, carrying streetcars, commerce, and energy. The city’s schools were strong, public services modern, and residents confident in their future.

But mid-century America shifted quickly. After World War II, suburbanization and highway construction pulled population and investment farther east. Redlining, discriminatory housing practices, and unequal lending sped up white flight, reshaping the city’s demographics in just a generation. By the 1970s and ’80s, East Cleveland—once a symbol of stability—was grappling with shrinking tax revenue, deteriorating infrastructure, and increasing poverty. Factories closed throughout the region, including portions of Nela Park, stripping away the economic engine that had once fueled the city.

Despite these challenges, East Cleveland never lost its sense of community. Churches, street clubs, and grassroots organizers worked to maintain safety and dignity even as municipal finances frayed. Residents—especially Black residents who had long been denied access to suburban prosperity—built new cultural networks, local businesses, and artistic communities. East Cleveland became known not only for its struggles but also for its fierce civic pride.

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Coit Road Farmer’s Market

From coitmarket.org: “The Coit Road Farmers’ Market has been an anchor on Cleveland’s east side since 1932, with a mission of providing access to affordable, locally grown farm fresh products to the residents of Greater Cleveland. The East Cleveland FarmersMarket Preservation Society (ECFM) is an all volunteer 501 c (3) non-profit organization that operates the market year round.”

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McGregor Senior Living

East Cleveland Community Theater

YOU Are East Cleveland’s story

East Cleveland’s story is not a simple rise-and-fall narrative. It’s the story of a community shaped by national forces yet deeply defined by local resilience. It is a city that has weathered every storm—and where residents are working together to build a victorious future.

It’s always been the people of East Cleveland—people like you—who make the story of our city a remarkable one. Send us resources for residents that we can add to our list. If you have photographs you would like to see on this website, send those too. Include the photographer’s name, approximate date, location, and the names of the people in the photo. Tell us why you chose to share a particular picture. We can only post photos that include children who are currently minors with the written permission of their parent or guardian. Email submissions to ecnarrator@gmail.com.

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According to the webpage of the Case Western University Social Justice Institute (SJI) Voicing and Action Project, the project was a research and community-building initiative created by Rhonda Y. Williams. Dr. Williams founded the SJI. Voicing and Action was Its first major project.

The program launched in East Cleveland. Its main goal was to collect video and audio stories from local residents. By documenting these personal life experiences, the project aimed to empower the community and provide a foundation for future improvements in education, local organizing, and neighborhood revitalization.

The Role of Community Researchers

Instead of outside professors doing all the work, the project relied on East Cleveland residents themselves. These residents served as Community Researchers, gathering stories from both past and present neighbors.

To prepare for this work, the researchers underwent professional training:

• Certification: They were certified through CWRU’s research education program to ensure they followed ethical guidelines.
• Methodology: They were trained in “oral narrative” techniques—the art of interviewing people to capture their history accurately.
• Technology: They learned to use advanced audio and video equipment to record these stories in high quality.

By recording these narratives, the project created a permanent record of the East Cleveland’s history to help guide our future.