Breaking Ground

Here on our Breaking Ground pages, we'll check in with those brick-and-mortar development stories our readers love as well as what's hot with local entrepreneurs and new programs. You'll also find our regular "Who's Hiring" listings here.

The Severance estates: Three farms encompassing 200 acres in the early 20th Century
Cleveland Masterworks: In the early 1900s, three members of the Severance Family developed three majestic estates in Cleveland Heights. While some signs of the manors still exist today, most people know the Severance Town Center on most of the land.
Positive memories: Six RTA bus stop wraps in Union Miles feature historic figures
Working with RTA, artist Kevin "mr. soul" Harp, and the City of Cleveland, the Union Miles Development Corporation installed six bus stop wraps featuring historic figures to enliven the neighborhood.
Saving bees and kids: A honey company connects corporations and communities
When a neighbor left Chris Bush and Mindy Brasdovich with his beehives, the two saw a sweet opportunity to combine making honey with hands-on job training for students.
Preservation celebration: Historic preservation projects honored by Restoration Society, AIA
The Cleveland Restoration Society and the American Institute of Architects will host the annual Celebration of Preservation to honor local restoration projects in Northeast Ohio. Read about some of the honorees here.
Spaced out: Artist Isaiah Williams’ latest creation pays tribute to the Metroparks
Mural Artist Isaiah Williams worked with LAND studio and the Cleveland Metroparks to create a five-wall mural on a warehouse behind Merwin's Wharf in the Flats.
Tudor Arms Hotel: A swanky gothic revival cornerstone in University Circle
Cleveland Masterworks: The 1930s Tudor Arms building. designed by Frank Meade, has seen a rich history, from its origins as the exclusive Cleveland Club, to a hotel and nightlife hotspot, to the current modern-day hotel.
EDWINS owner offers $250 in exchange for guns
EDWINS founder Brandon Chostowski is offering $250 in credit to use in his restaurants and shops to anyone who turns in a gun in an effort to reduce gun violence in Cleveland.
Tour the past: County opens Veteran’s Memorial Bridge lower deck, hosts talk about future plans
The subway level of the Veterans Memorial Bridge will be open this weekend for tours and a discussion about creating a public "Low-Line Park" on the level that was closed in 1954.
Baldwin Water Treatment Plant: A wonder and a workhorse
Cleveland Masterworks: In the 1800s, three-quarters of Cleveland's population lacked potable water. The 1925 Baldwin Water Treatment Facility—the largest such facility in the world at the time—changed that.
Cleveland City Council approves $5 million in ARPA funds for Habitat for Humanity
Cleveland City Council passed an ordinance on Monday to provide $5 million in ARPA funds to Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. The funds will be used to build and rehabilitate homes in underserved neighborhoods under Habitat's five-year strategic plan.
'Huge win:' EDWINS leader passed over for Beard Award, but still counts his victories
EDWINS Leadership Restaurant and Institute founder Brandon Chrostowski may have been passed over for the James Beard Award for outstanding restauranteur, but he still sees the nomination as a "huge win" for his mission. And he had a blast in Chicago.
Gardening victories: From war gardens to community gardens, Clevelanders have green thumbs
As Memorial Day weekend and the summer planting season approach, the FreshWater staff took a look at Cleveland’s history of community gardening to support the country’s war efforts and help with food insecurity.
Flat Iron Café: Cleveland’s oldest Irish bar
Cleveland Masterworks: The Flat Iron Cafe was established in 1910 on the east bank of the Flats, serving as a hotel and bar for hungry and tired workers and sailors. Today, 113 years later, the bar is still a Flats favorite.
Clean and Beautiful: Advocacy group plans second neighborhood clean-up event in Mount Pleasant
Neighborhood advocacy group Clean and Beautiful Cleveland Block2Block is on a mission to clean up Cleveland neighborhoods, one street at a time. On June 3, the group will be in Mount Pleasant, picking up litter and planting flowers. Volunteers are needed!
Warner & Swasey Observatory: A hilltop gem turned architectural relic
Cleveland Masterworks: In 1919 Worcester Warner and Ambrose Swasey built an observatory on a hill in East Cleveland, intending to use it for their own interests. In 1920, the partners in Warner & Swasey Company decided to gift the land and the observatory to Case School of Applied Science. For 60 years the facility was used for groundbreaking astronomical research before the city's light pollution forced it to close. Today, the observatory sits abandoned, decayed, and vandalized—a ghost of its former glory.
Who’s Hiring in the #CLE: Cleveland Play House, MedWish, FreshWater, and more
Need a job? Check out the latest edition of FreshWater Cleveland's “Who’s Hiring” series, where we feature growing companies with open positions, what they’re looking for, and how to apply.
Cleveland Restoration Society to reveal seventh Cleveland Civil Rights Trail marker
The Cleveland Restoration Society and the Cleveland Browns will unveil the seventh Cleveland Civil Right Trail marker, honoring Muhammad Ali, who refused to accept the Vietnam draft based on religious beliefs, and the athletes and supporters who stood with him at the Ali Summit.
Metroparks Zoo prepares to open Susie’s Bear Hollow habitat
Early this summer the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will open its new Bear Hollow, an $8.5 million 18,600 square foot facility. Designed by Van Auken Akins and WDM Architects, the habitat will house two adult Andean bears and two adult sloth bears.
The Caxton Building: A haven for artists and entrepreneurs for 120 years
Cleveland Masterworks: Cleveland architect Frank Seymour Barnum designed the 1903 Caxton Building for a group of successful entrepreneurs who wanted to accommodate the needs of printers and artists. With its Romanesque design with great architectural detail, reinforced concrete floors, large windows, and its signature water tower perched on the roof, the Caxton continues to be a small business haven to this day.
On the prowl: Young bobcat joins the Perkins Wildlife family at Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Diego, a one-year-old bobcat, arrived the CMNH's Perkins Wildlife Center in March. He is adapting well to his new home and getting to know fellow bobcats Bob and Bitty.