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To note Federation's
new building on Euclid Avenue and East 18th Street, the
September 17, 1965 Cleveland Jewish News had a
supplement that included a brief history written by
Samuel Goldhamer, whose service began in 1907 and was
Executive Director until he retired in 1948. Our
information on Federation's early sites is from that
story. For the CJN story,
click here. |
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Federation had eight offices before it built its
own home.
We tell about them, and where the Jewish
community lived.
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1903
Garfield Building
605 Euclid Avenue
In 1903 most Jewish Clevelanders lived on or near
Woodland Avenue, generally between Sterling
(now East 30th)
and Willson (now East 55th) Avenues. Major Jewish
institutions like The Temple and the Jewish
Orphan Asylum were on or near East 55th
Street. (See Cleveland
Synagogues.) The Excelsior Club,
later to merge with the Oakwood Club, was on
Woodland and East 38th. |
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Looking east
on Euclid Avenue
Left: Garfield Building Right:
New England Building |
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The newly formed Federation of Jewish
Charities had no employees and used the
offices of the brokerage firm of Wright,
McLoud and Baker in the Garfield Building.
(Edward M Baker was the FJC's first
Secretary.) The Garfield Building, on the northeast
corner of Euclid and East Sixth, was
constructed in 1895. It would later
be named the National City Bank East Sixth
Building.
For a Google Map and Street
View™,
click here. |
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1907 - 15
Citizens Savings and Trust Building
850 Euclid Avenue
The Jewish community
and its cultural and religious institutions kept moving
east. In 1906 Bnai Jeshurun moved from Eagle Street to East 55th. Some
Jews were now living east of East 55th Street. In 1907
The Excelsior Club made a big move east,
to University Circle. Its new building would later
become Thwing Hall of Western Reserve University.
Federation hired its first full-time
staff member, engaging Samuel Goldhamer as secretary
at a salary of $20 a week.
In 1907 it moved to its own offices, staying
downtown, on the 5th floor and later the
10th floor of the Citizens Savings and Trust Building on
the southwest corner of Euclid and East Ninth
Street. Built in 1903, the building became the Citizens Building and is now named The City Club Building.
For a Google™ Street View,
click here. |
Photo 2006 © ClevelandSkyscapers.com |
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1915 - 1923
New England Building (Euclid
and East 7th)
Williamson Building (Euclid
at Public Square)
Anshe Chesed (now
Fairmount Temple) had moved to Euclid
Avenue and East 82nd in 1912, and Mount
Sinai Hospital was being built on East
105th. But most Jewish institutions were
on or near East 55th Street when
Federation moved, first to the New
England Building (see above, just east
of the Garfield Building) and then west
to the Williamson Building at Public
Square.
The
Williamson Building was demolished in
1982 to make room for the SOHIO (now 200
Public Square) Building. The New England
Building survives as the Holiday Inn
Express. |
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1923-27
Hanna Building - Euclid and East 14th
Few Jews were left in the
Woodland area. Oheb Zedek was in
Glenville, the Cleveland Jewish Center
on East 105th and The Temple was
building at University Circle.
In a
plan envisioned by
Jewish real estate leader Joseph
Laronge, in
1921 and 1922 four new theaters opened
on Euclid Avenue between East 14th and
East 17th streets. The area was called
Playhouse Square and also had new office
buildings: the Hanna Building (1921) and
the Keith Building (1922).
Federation moved to
the Hanna Building in 1923.
Photo -
ClevelandSkyscrapers.com |
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1927-36
1900 Euclid Avenue
Nearly all the Jewish
community had now moved east to
Glenville or Mount Pleasant - Kinsman. Some were moving to Cleveland
Heights where Bnai Jeshurun was
now Temple on the Heights. The Jewish
Orphan Home near East 55th had bought
land in University Heights where it
would expand its role as Bellefaire.
Federation had a new name: the Jewish
Welfare Federation. 1900 Euclid Avenue
(now an apartment
building) would be
its most eastern location. |
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1936-50
Chester - East 12th Building
Glenville and Mount Pleasant
- Kinsman were now well settled and movement
east to the Heights was continuing.
Federation would spend 14 years in this
building which faces what was called the
Chester Commons and is now Perk Plaza. |
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1950 - 1965
Community Services Building
1001 Huron Road
By 1950, the migration from
Glenville and Mount Pleasant-Kinsman to Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights and University Heights was underway.
By 1960
there would be no Jewish children in Cleveland's schools.
The Cleveland Jewish
Center on East 105th had become Park Synagogue in
Cleveland Heights. Taylor Road had become a center of
Orthodox Jewish life. The
Euclid Avenue Temple (Anshe Chesed) had
bought land on Fairmount Boulevard and started its long
legal battle for the right to build in Beachwood.
Built in 1923, by 1950 the 10
story building at 1001 Huron Road, between East Ninth
and Halle's Department Store, was owned by the
Federation for Community Planning and called the Community
Services Building. It was shared by many social welfare
organizations such as United Way and the Girl Scouts. In
1950 the Jewish Community Federation moved into the
building's second floor.
1010 Huron Road is now the Huron Square Apartments. |
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NEXT:
The ninth decision - made
in 1963 |
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