A bold, bright mural in Hough offers a promising visual of how collaboration and a community that comes together can change the trajectory in a neighborhood. “Unity and Community” is a banner of promise: Thrive. Renew. Respect. Grow.
Indeed, these words are in action throughout Hough and MidTown, which connects Downtown to University Circle and hosts a significant stretch of the RTA Health Line.
A wave of housing and retail is underway — an economic development current that has been brewing for some time and now coming to fruition with catalytic projects such as the MidTown Collaboration Center (MCC) and the E. 66th Street Complete Street Project. This began in 2012 with the Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI) and is a work in progress.
It will transform the 1-mile corridor between Superior and Euclid Avenues with bike lanes, improved crosswalks, lighting, public art and amenities to encourage pedestrian traffic, says Sundavish Tan of MidTown Cleveland. The project has already raised about $9.5 million.
Anchors along the corridor include the Cleveland Foundation headquarters, the Hough Library Campus, League Park and the Fatima Family Center.
“New development stemming from the MCC is a huge boost,” says Byron Solomon, business development manager at the Famicos Foundation. “You can’t have businesses without residents, and you can’t have residents without viable entertainment and businesses in the area. With this collaborative center, we are seeing spin-off development that will feed into new homes and retail for incoming residents.”
He points to University Hospitals’ February announcement to invest $3 million in multi-family, mixed-income housing in Hough at Gateway66 at League Park. Gordon Crossing has been called a “unicorn” because most of its housing will cater to residents below 70% of average median income. It will transform a vacant property on East 101st and Woodward Ave. A $47-million makeover of the long vacant 9410 Hough Ave. apartment complex is in the works with plans for a community center next door.
Famicos Foundation’s completed Henrietta Homes development of 40 single-family units are scattered on sites between East 65th and 71st.
The historic Warner & Swasey building that played a significant role in Cleveland’s manufacturing history is being reimagined as a modern mixed-use space.
Meanwhile, a Hough Cultural District initiative will reinvigorate, celebrate and preserve Black culture, honoring the neighborhood’s history as a center for music and theater. The master plan involves the corridor within East 55th, East 66th and East 75th.
Pearl's Kitchen
Great beer and elevated comfort food are a perfect pairing at the MidTown Collaboration Center (MCC), where Tiwanna Scott-Williams’ fast-casual brand PearlFlower has expanded from its outposts at Rocket Arena and Case Western Reserve University. Pearl’s Kitchen is a sit-down affair — and it complements what Chris Harris offers at Black Frog Brewery.
“The Hough and MidTown communities are why Chris and I are both here,” says Williams, with Harris in the background as they trade ideas, both remarking on the potential the MCC brings to the neighborhood.
Longtime residents and new neighbors are invested in the concept, Williams adds. Managers at Pearl’s Kitchen were born and raised in the area. “It’s a win-win with the whole community backing you,” she relates.
Black Frog Brewery
When Chris Harris learned about the MidTown Community Center (MCC), opening a second Black Frog Brewery there was “a no brainer,” he says. The Cleveland Foundation and JumpStart pitched the opportunity to Harris, who had launched the first Black-owned brewery in 2014 when he converted half of his Toledo-area garage into a brewing operation.
His beers quickly grew a following, and soon he earned space on local grocery store shelves and opened a brewery where community could gather.
The MCC’s collaborative focus and investment in bringing together neighbors aligns with Harris’s mission. “With it being located in a minority Black neighborhood, they wanted to serve the community and I love that,” he says.
The Baseball Heritage Museum
Baseball unites communities and traverses socio-economic and racial barriers. The Baseball Heritage Museum at League Park in Hough tells this story and is “inspiring on many levels,” says Ricardo Rodriguez, museum director.
“We are in a building where, regardless of age, race, socioeconomic background or political beliefs, everyone walked through the gates to see the same thing and that’s baseball,” he relates.
Housed in the restored 1909 ticket house, across the street from the Hough Library Campus, the museum’s focus is telling the untold stories of underserved populations and marginalized players. Not until 2020 did Major League Baseball (MBL) recognize statistics from the Negro Leagues. “We’ve been telling that story for over 30 years,” Rodriguez says.
“We’re having a powerful wave of economic resurgence throughout the entire area along East 66th Street and beyond, and this is an area where Mayor Bibb’s model for walkability and a 15-minute city is being sampled.”
Vitiman Kandie
When Mary Johnson set out on a “serious” health journey 15 years ago to return to a vibrant version of herself her new fitness friends at the gym noticed the change. Glowing skin. Loads of energy. A contagious spirit.
At the time, she had no idea she’d also introduce a lifestyle change to hardworking professionals, neighbors, seniors at the Dave’s Market and now MidTown-Hough.
Today’s Vitiman Kandie Restaurant is more than a sit-down clean-eating destination serving Johnson’s branded VK wins and hosting wellness events. Johnson has created a movement, a multi-chapter story since launching the brand officially in 2015 and is now part of a growing repertoire of Black entrepreneurs in Cleveland’s city neighborhoods.
