Topic: Cleveland: Oak Park/Loew Park in Old Brooklyn

[cd-cleveland]

Hey everyone.  I had some photos from a project a few years ago and thought I'd post them.

These are from the Oak Park/Loew Park neighborhood in Old Brooklyn (Cleveland).  This area is located between State and Broadview Roads, just a few streets north of I-480.  Oak Park Blvd is very pristine, and is lined with large trees and well-maintained homes built in and around the 1920s.  Oak Park is directly north of Loew Park, a 30-something acre park well-integrated into the neighborhood with an old school, several baseball fields that host many leagues, a pool, tennis courts, a playground, and picnic pavilions.  Ralph Avenue is directly south of Loew Park, with more uniform-looking homes built in the 1940s.  These photos are from the portion between West 25th and 32nd Streets.

Oak Park Boulevard


Homes on Oak Park


Lots of Craftsman Bungalows are on Oak Park


More Oak Park Homes


William Cullen Bryant School...CMSD wants to demolition it, but the community opposes


Loew Park


A corner of Loew Park in the fall


Homes on Ralph Avenue


Since I like taking photos of signs...


WCB School facade


Winding Pathway


Oak Park Boulevard, in front of the school


One of the streets that abut the park...West 32nd Street, I think


One of four or five baseball diamonds


Playground near West 25th Street


Dog in greenspace


Ralph Avenue


More Ralph


Even more Ralph


Like Oak Park, Ralph has some pretty massive trees that sort of form a canopy over the street


More green


Nice house on Ralph


Another couple of Ralph houses


House on West 32nd Street


The other side of West 32nd








Ralph Avenue in the fall


William Cullen Bryant School

[mrnyc]

great work. we don't often see 'regular' neighborhoods like this on uo. very leafy and nice.

[jpop]

Wow .. thank you so much for those pics. I went to William Cullen Bryant as a kid and Loew Pool, too .. not much has changed, which is great.

[MyTwoSense]

Thats  a very nice neighborhood, very "supercute" as MrNYC would say!  Is this mostly a single family home neighborhood?

[jpop]

Definitely. Can't remember if there are any apartment complexes or anything like that. But definitely mostly single family homes.

[AmrapinVA]

Evil suburban Parma lurks on the other side of those high-tension power lines.

I used to wander through that area all the time. I used to call it Parma-lite to my friends who lived there, much to their dismay.

[Florida Guy]

I'm glad to see more Clevelanders posting pictures here on Urban Ohio. Thanks!

[Vulpster03]

Definitely. Can't remember if there are any apartment complexes or anything like that. But definitely mostly single family homes.

But there are also streets consisting of mostly doubles, aren't there?

[cd-cleveland]

Evil suburban Parma lurks on the other side of those high-tension power lines.

I used to wander through that area all the time. I used to call it Parma-lite to my friends who lived there, much to their dismay.

Not all of Parma is evil.  I really like the old part of Parma around West 54th Street between Brookpark and Snow Roads.  It's very much like Oak Park, and a lot of the neighborhood came up at the same time. 

Thanks for the photo comments, everyone!

[JeffreyT]

Great post - brought back plenty of memories, as I spent probably 6 days a week at Loew as a kid - all three of my older siblings & myself played softball there and my dad coached.  I continued to play in the league even after my folks moved out to North Royalton, probably until I was 16 or so.

Great stuff. 

[ColDayMan]

Very comfortable suburban neighborhood.  Seems well-kept.

[MyTwoSense]

Very comfortable suburban neighborhood.  Seems well-kept.

CDM, that's a Cleveland neighborhood.

[ProkNo5]

I love it when old school houses still have their windows.  I think one of your greatest mistakes was covering them up...how can a child learn in a cold, dark box.

[UncleRando]

I don't see the leash for this dog...somebody call the POlice.

[3231]

It is so, so GREEN.

Can't wait for spring to start acting like spring.

[cd-cleveland]

I don't see the leash for this dog...somebody call the POlice.

That's funny.  I found this photo of another sign involving a dog.  It's in the same neighborhood on someone's garage.

[KJP]

Nice photos. I hope the CMSD keeps the WCB.

Very comfortable suburban neighborhood.  Seems well-kept.

CDM, that's a Cleveland neighborhood.

It may be in the city of Cleveland, but its population density and sub-divided land uses are very suburban.

[ColDayMan]

Very comfortable suburban neighborhood.  Seems well-kept.

CDM, that's a Cleveland neighborhood.

I know, but it's still a suburban neighborhood.  Nothing wrong with that.

[Robert Pence]

Looks cozy & pleasant.

I'm slightly familiar with the area just north of there, around Pearl/W25th just south of I-71. Next time I go back when the weather is nice, I hope to take my camera and walk around Riverside Cemetary some more. It's old and very beautiful.

[3231]

I know, but it's still a suburban neighborhood.  Nothing wrong with that.

I don't consider this suburban because:

1. the neighborhood is in the street grid format
2. each major street is lined with storefront retail that can be reached on foot from the residential portions of the neighborhood.

When I think of suburban, I think of big box retailers, cul-de-sacs, subdivisions, etc.

[ColDayMan]

Well, suburban development can range from "new urbanist" to "traditional streetcar suburban" to "sprawly ass Medina."  So when I say suburban, I mean single-family housing with larger lots and perhaps a larger dependency on autos (though as you said, I'm sure it's walkable enough to go to the store; but then again, numerous American suburbs you can do that in).  For example:

1. the neighborhood is in the street grid format
2. each major street is lined with storefront retail that can be reached on foot from the residential portions of the neighborhood.

Bexley and Worthington fits those criteria and those places are both "suburbs" yet they are streetcar suburban.  Cleveland Heights is also suburban yet it's still done right.  Blah blah blah, you get the point.  Just because it's a suburban neighborhood doesn't imply sprawl; I think that's the problem with a lot of people these days (particularly urban people) is that suburb = Target and cul-de-sacs.  Some of the finest "urban" areas of the country are suburban (Forest Hills, Queens; Santa Monica; Mariemont; etc).

[3231]

^generally speaking, I'd say that most people on this site would think of cul-de-sacs, power centers, and McMansions when the character of "suburbs" is discussed.

[ChicagoBuckeye]

What a great post.  Thanks for the trip down memory lane.  I grew up right there on Ralph Ave in one of the brick bungalows pictured and spent my youth running around Loew fields.  I now live in downtown Chicago and have very fond memories of that neighborhood. 

By the way, the best ice cream shop in the entire city resides at the corner of State and Buechner in Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe.   

[KJP]

Welcome aboard, ChicagoBuckeye!

I think that's the problem with a lot of people these days (particularly urban people) is that suburb = Target and cul-de-sacs. 

I've run into some Old Brooklyn residents who debate the urban-suburban thing. I contended that Lakewood was more urban than Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood. They said that was impossible since Old Brooklyn was in Cleveland, and I lived in a suburb of Cleveland. That's all fine, dandy and true, but you look at the population density, the mix of uses (even residential-only side-streets have apartment buildings mid-block), diversity of population, etc. etc. It didn't win any converts.

Back on subject....

[ColDayMan]

^generally speaking, I'd say that most people on this site would think of cul-de-sacs, power centers, and McMansions when the character of "suburbs" is discussed.

Well, most people on this site are mostly surrounded by suburbs that are filled with cul-de-sacs and Targets and they probably grew up in them so that's their view.  I didn't grow up in a suburb and fortunately am from an area with "urban" suburbs and sadly "suburban trash" as well.  I'm more liberal with the term, I suppose.

Welcome aboard, ChicagoBuckeye!

I think that's the problem with a lot of people these days (particularly urban people) is that suburb = Target and cul-de-sacs. 

I've run into some Old Brooklyn residents who debate the urban-suburban thing. I contended that Lakewood was more urban than Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood. They said that was impossible since Old Brooklyn was in Cleveland, and I lived in a suburb of Cleveland. That's all fine, dandy and true, but you look at the population density, the mix of uses (even residential-only side-streets have apartment buildings mid-block), diversity of population, etc. etc. It didn't win any converts.

Back on subject....

Which is exactly why I say that there can be good urban suburbs like Lakewood or Covington or Weehawken or whatever.  But anyway, BACK ON TOPIC!

[jam40jeff]

By the way, the best ice cream shop in the entire city resides at the corner of State and Buechner in Honey Hut Ice Cream Shoppe.   

How very true, it's well worth the trip.  Also, they have a stand at Huntington Beach.  By far the best ice cream around.

[C-Dawg]

Well, suburban development can range from "new urbanist" to "traditional streetcar suburban" to "sprawly ass Medina."  So when I say suburban, I mean single-family housing with larger lots and perhaps a larger dependency on autos (though as you said, I'm sure it's walkable enough to go to the store; but then again, numerous American suburbs you can do that in).  For example:

Yeah, it's suburban and some of its structure reflects that. Still, it's a better-designed suburban area. While it's nothing fancy and the architecture is plain and inexpensive, it looks comfortable and coherent. It's suburban, but not sprawl. Early suburbs still followed street grids, had good sidewalk systems, public parks, and more coherent patterns. There was still some respect for the public realm, even if the houses had larger setbacks from the street. They also had integrated neighborhood schools (like we see above) and possibly some minimal retail within walking distance. Oak Park is a spitting image of the Bowsher/Detroit Ave. neighborhood that was annexed by Toledo in the 1950's and 1960's. In fact, it looks like an exact clone. When I first saw this thread, I thought it was that annex neighborhood in Southwest Toledo. The structure, layout, age, architecture, trees, etc. are exactly the same.

The big difference between a place like Oak Park and a modern suburban hellhole is that Oak Park is actually livable. The modern suburb is not livable in any sense of the word, and it wholly is in the private realm. There's nothing more anti-social and anti-community than the modern American sprawlburg.

What's sad is that while Oak Park might be considered "urban" today (due to people living in nothing but suburbs their whole lives), it's still lower density and somewhat use segregated (though nowhere near as bad as modern suburbia). Basically, in America today, people see city blocks with sidewalks and automatically think "urban." It's of course not that simple.

I didn't grow up in a suburb and fortunately am from an area with "urban" suburbs and sadly "suburban trash" as well.  I'm more liberal with the term, I suppose.

Well, I base my own situtation on a similer dilemna. What matters most is typically the age of the area. Certainly old Maumee is functionally more urban than Reynolds Corners, despite the fact Reynolds Corners is in the city limits of Toledo. Reynolds Corners is much younger, and therefore more use segregated. Its population density is also lower.

Basically, I look at the following:

1. How many amenities are within walking distance? The more you have, the more urban and mixed use.
2. How extensive is the sidewalk system, including crosswalks, lights, etc.? An area must be pedestrian-friendly to be urban. That is the primary facet of urbanity.
3. What is the population density? Higher density almost always is more urban than lower density (unless an older urban area has been abandoned in which case it looks urban, but has lost function). Exceptions are Soviet-style apartment projects, which are use segregated and modernist in nature.
4. Are there garages facing the street or are they behind the housing and/or in alleys? Garages at the front of the house are inherently suburban and car-worshipping. Garages are ugly. Hide them, or don't have them at all (park on the street and/or in alley).
5. Is there on-street parking on most, if not all of the streets? Urban districts have on-street parking. This also reduces surface lots. If there isn't on-street parking, it should be because the street is too narrow. In suburbs, you tend to see wide streets without any cars parked along them.
6. Is there respect for the public realm in the form of parks, libraries, access? Urban areas have more public spaces. Most suburban areas ignore the public realm entirely. All they care about is the private realm.

In the end, it looks like Oak Park has both urban and suburban elements.

[C-Dawg]

Well, most people on this site are mostly surrounded by suburbs that are filled with cul-de-sacs and Targets and they probably grew up in them so that's their view.

That is modern suburban sprawl. There is certainly a difference between the early American suburban development like Oak Park and the modern suburban trash we see today. Hell, most modern suburbs don't even f$&king have sidewalks...

If you don't own a car in suburban hell, you're f$&ked six ways from Sunday. You might be able to get by without a car in Oak Park. A bike might help a lot, but you probably don't need to be an oil-guzzler.