This church, at 8601 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, is threatened with demolition. The congregation has been offered an unspecified sum by the Cleveland Clinic in return for demolishing the structure, a Cleveland Landmark, and providing the Clinic with a vacant lot.
The church, originally the Reformed Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, was designed in 1889 by Sidney Badgley, architect of many significant churches both in Cleveland and elsewhere. The cornerstone was laid on September 8, 1889. It was built by Thomas Hamilton, who also responsible for the Hough Avenue Congregational Church, at a cost of $14,000. It was dedicated June 1, 1890. It was said to be the first Reformed Episcopal Church in Ohio. The Francis Drury mansion, at 8615 Euclid Avenue, was built in 1910-1912. It was designed by Meade & Hamilton, architects, and is one of but a handful of the remaining structures built on this magnificent boulevard. It is quite telling of the time that someone would be willing to build a house of this scale so close to an existing structure.
What, then, should be done?
Cleveland's population has declined with the growth of the suburbs. As we've left to these outlying areas for our various reasons, we've avoided the issues facing the city, leaving them for others. It's not enough for us now to merely "care" about the fate of these historic structures - we must make up for our years of neglect. The argument of the need for land adjacent to the Drury mansion rings hollow as well. Save for the church and the mansion, the entire block, all the way from Euclid to Chester, is vacant. In addition to the beauty of this building, is is important as a fragment of the history of Euclid Avenue and the context it provides. With its demolition, the Francis Drury mansion will lose a significant bit of context, and the city, a significant landmark.
Cleveland's population has declined with the growth of the suburbs. As we've left to these outlying areas for our various reasons, we've avoided the issues facing the city, leaving them for others. It's not enough for us now to merely "care" about the fate of these historic structures - we must make up for our years of neglect. The argument of the need for land adjacent to the Drury mansion rings hollow as well. Save for the church and the mansion, the entire block, all the way from Euclid to Chester, is vacant. In addition to the beauty of this building, is is important as a fragment of the history of Euclid Avenue and the context it provides. With its demolition, the Francis Drury mansion will lose a significant bit of context, and the city, a significant landmark.
I think a larger question is, why is the Cleveland Clinc spending its money to destroy history and create vacant inner city lots? As of now I have heard of no formal plans for a building or even a parking lot, just vacant space for "future expansion" Fact is the Cleveland Clinic has an abysmal record of detroying Clevland history. They even had a beautiful church located in the heart of their campus mysteriously burn to the ground a few years ago. This is another case of a major political entity being a bully on preservation. There needs to be someone with political clout to stand up to these guys and fight them on these issues. I understand that the Cleveland Clinic is a major if not THE leader worldwide in healthcare innovations and is the city's largest employer but that does not give them the right to do whatever they want and destroy the historic neighborhoods of which existed long before they came around. I wonder if the landmarks commission, planning department or Cleveland Restoration Society has tried to engage them, and if not, why?
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| Euclid Avenue Congretional Church allegedly destroyed by lightning in the Cleveland Clinics campus March 23, 2010 Read the story here: http://www.cleveland.com/religion/index.ssf/2010/11/euclid_ave_congregational_chur.html |
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