Goodrich - Kirtland Park's Industrial Past

 Exploring the Industrial Past of Goodrich - Kirtland Park

One of Cleveland’s historically industrial areas, the neighborhood of Goodrich - Kirtland Park stands as a reminder of the city’s past. The neighborhood is just east of Downtown and is bounded by Chester, E. 55th, the Lake, and I-90. Today, a large section of the area is known as Asiatown, especially those sections of Payne and Superior between E. 30th and E. 40th. While this part of the neighborhood is currently prospering and teeming with activity, many of the formerly - industrial properties of the area lie vacant or underutilized. 

This post is meant to showcase these postindustrial landscapes, containing historical information, photos, and current efforts to bring activity back to the neighborhood. 

North of St. Clair 

The area north of St. Clair in the neighborhood is entirely industrial in nature. According to historical Sanborn maps, these large industrial complexes had been mostly built by 1900. This was in stark contrast to the residential blocks to the south of St. Clair, which had been built as early as the 1870s. 

View looking east on Hamilton Avenue, with large industrial buildings on both sides of the street. 

Running parallel to Hamilton and Lakeside, these tracks connected factories and warehouses to the nearby Pennsylvania Railroad. 

The industrial development of the neighborhood was extremely logical at the time given the close proximity to both the New York Central and Pennsylvania railroads (now both part of Norfolk Southern). This allowed for the efficient shipment of goods both on the railroads and to the port of Cleveland, just a few miles down the line, for international trade.

Today, there have been several efforts to breathe new life into the buildings, as most of the industrial tenants have left. One organization that has been instrumental in this effort is Ingenuity Cleveland, which permanently moved to the former Osborn Manufacturing building on Hamilton in 2016. There are also a few buildings that have been converted to office use, as well as some event venues in old warehouse spaces. 

South of Superior

The blocks between St. Clair and Superior generally were not developed for industrial use, except for the large complex that is now Tyler Village. However, that space was repurposed during the last decade and hosts many occupants. There are two other nodes of former industrial buildings remaining in the area, the former Richman Brothers factory on E. 55th, and a cluster of structures around E. 40th and Commerce. 

The Richman Brothers factory has sat vacant since the 1990s. 

The Richman Brothers Co. factory on E. 55th, which is shown above, was built in 1917 and is the largest structure in the neighborhood. The company was founded in the 1850s and was once one of the premier manufacturers of men’s suits. The company was later sold to Woolworth’s and the plant ceased operations in 1992. The building was most recently sold in 2022 but no plans have yet been announced for its redevelopment. 

At left, the former GE light bulb factory is currently being demolished after sitting vacant since 2008. 

Southwest of the intersection of Payne and E. 55th, there is a large cluster of industrial buildings along Commerce Avenue that were once part of General Electric’s Euclid Lamp Works. This property has a long history of use in the lighting industry, with the site originally hosting a plant where Charles Brush’s arc lamps were manufactured. The oldest sections of the building date to 1880. 

GE recently made the decision to demolish the plant after stating that it was “too polluted” in order to facilitate a sale of the property. However, this seems to be a bad reason because the buildings were still structurally sound; this could have been an excellent candidate for an adaptive reuse project. Demolition on the plant began just last week (on 7/18). 

What can we do for these industrial properties?

This is a really good question. As I’ve mentioned above, many of the larger structures that are north of St. Clair have been repurposed in creative ways. The primary issue is figuring out what to do with the Richman factory; should it be made into office space, housing, or something else? The building has been sitting vacant for 30 years, so any redevelopment project would necessitate extensive work to ensure the structure is safe. 

It is also essential to make certain that new developments and renovations in the neighborhood don’t lead to gentrification. This is a concern due to nearby low-income communities, including the large populations of Chinese residents living in Asiatown. This is already an issue in the area because of the proximity to Downtown, although the effects are not fully pronounced yet. Therefore, it is imperative that any reutilization of these former industrial structures involves planning around equity, community engagement, and keeping the neighborhood affordable and vibrant. 

As always, thank you so much for reading! Next week’s post will discuss the history of Cleveland’s streetcar system, and how that history has influenced our current transit network.