A $2M Modern Marvel Hiding in Little Italy; Guardians Remain Alive: CLE Daily

Plus, things to know from in and around Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

by Ron Ledgard | Oct. 8, 2026 | 5:00 AM

Photographed by Cara Miller

⚾️ Guardians Alive: The Guards hitters got into the swing of things and delivered a 9-3 victory in Game 3 yesterday. The White Sox can finish off the series today in Game 4, but if not, Game 5 will be Saturday at Progressive Field.

🍗 Southern Food With a Twist Is Coming to the Old Deagan's Spot: Sourwood Public House is set to open in early December at 14810 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood, serving chicken-fried oysters, crispy catfish tacos, triple-fried Korean-style chicken and shrimp and grits in a fully renovated, "polished casual" room.

📚 A Former Librarian Is Opening a Bookstore in Gordon Square: Rebecca Fisher's Treebark Books opens in November with a focus on women and writers of color, including titles that have faced censorship. She also plans poetry readings, writing workshops and book clubs.

🌽 Go Ahead, Get Lost: Corn maze season is in full swing, with more than 20 across Northeast Ohio, from Mapleside Farms in Brunswick to Szalay's in Peninsula and Patterson Fruit Farm in Chesterland. Most stay open through Halloween.

ICYMI: Remember our guide to Parma's best restaurants? The 29 picks range from Das Schnitzel Haus' spaetzle to the conveyor-belt sushi at Watami and the seasonal soup flights at Little Birdie Wine Nest.

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Today's Trivia

This Cleveland Heights theater opened in 1934 as the first municipally owned and operated outdoor theater in the country.

Home & Style: An ultramodern Little Italy home by an award-winning architect is on the market for $1.995 million.

By Julia Lombardo

Robert Maschke, a Cleveland Arts Prize winner, designed this 4,129-square-foot home at 2067 Random Road, and it stands out among Little Italy's historic brick buildings. "You can come in and literally feel like you're in a museum," says realtor David Ayers of The Agency Cleveland.

The Design: Maschke uses a "compression and release" approach, with narrow walkways that open into big rooms. Sharp-angled white hallways, bamboo railings, gray concrete floors and a three-flight staircase rising through the kitchen and living area lead to a rooftop patio.

The Extras: The house has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a gym, an elevator and a Savant home automation system. Artwork from District Gallery hangs on the gallery walls, and buyers can purchase it too.

Worth Noting: For all its modern edges, the house was built by Italian craftsmen using old-world techniques.

Read the full story.

Talk of the Town

Cleveland wants to update its air pollution rules for the first time since 1977. The health department's proposed overhaul would put stricter rules on polluters in neighborhoods and raise permit fees to fight emissions. City Council is expected to vote in November.

Mayor Justin Bibb wants to pay grocery stores to stay open. After Dave's in Collinwood and Heinen's Downtown closed, the proposal would give "Good Food Retailers" job retention tax credits of up to 100% to help cover staffing costs. It's open to grocers of any size.

Nearly 80% of one out-of-state investor's 153 Cleveland houses appear to be vacant. A study by ACORN and a city-backed housing council found 101 violation notices and 19 housing court cases tied to Maryland-based Riparian Capital Partners, mostly on the East Side. The city says a nuisance lawsuit is "on the table."

Fewer Ohioans are voting by mail, and more are showing up early and in-person. Statewide, mail ballot requests are down 26% from 2022, while 1,908 Cuyahoga County voters cast ballots on the first day of early voting, up from 547 four years ago.

You can get a look inside Cleveland Public Theatre's $12 million renovation Saturday. The Cleveland Restoration Society's SNOOP! tour at 10 a.m. covers the new Joan Yellen Horvitz Performance Gallery in the former St. Mary's Church. Registration closes Friday at 5 p.m.

Yesterday's Trivia Answer

The National City complex at East Ninth and Euclid Avenue used to be the site of what Art Moderne department store? The Bond Store

Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's question.

From the Editor

Little Italy is all old brick, bocce and family bakeries, which makes this house on Random Road such a surprise.

Architect Robert Maschke's ultramodern design has a rooftop patio, an elevator and hallways that feel like a gallery. It's listed at $1.995 million, but looking is free.

Take the photo tour, then tell me: Would you live there? Email me at conversation@clevelandmagazine.com.

— Ron Ledgard, Managing Editor

Let us know what is on your mind at conversation@clevelandmagazine.com.

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Ron Ledgard

Ron Ledgard is Cleveland Magazine's managing editor and a Pittsburgh native who has made his peace with Cleveland (except on Sundays). He's a University of Pittsburgh graduate, a veteran of The Athletic and the Akron Beacon Journal, and was there for every chapter of LeBron's Cleveland story. After two decades of chasing deadlines and box scores, he's happily landed in magazines. He's a sucker for a long story done right, the kind you save for a Sunday morning (before kickoff, of course). When he isn't editing, he's out on a trail, trying a new restaurant or hunting for the next great thing to do. Sports is his subject of choice, and coffee is his fuel. Most Starbucks baristas in the area greet him like the Cheers crowd greeted Norm.