The Cleveland Clinic's positive impact is felt far and wide, but how does it affect its immediate neighbors? Its new CEO is committed to finding out. Read on to learn what's in store, and get the scoop on a big FreshWater announcement!

Could Believeland become Blockland? A motivated group of movers and shakers is melding manifestation and action to make it so.

Lauren Calig was inspired when she attended the "Facing History Together" Common Ground conversation in June, geared at restoring trust and civility in public discourse. But it didn't stop there—Calig, Laurel School's director of multicultural curriculum, decided to institute a series of ongoing lunchtime Common Ground conversations for middle and upper school students at Laurel. 

Plain Dealer arts and entertainment reporter Laura DeMarco was so pleased with the reactions to her book Lost Cleveland­—a chronological look at beloved city landmarks and institutions that no longer exist—that she decided to write a second book on Cleveland’s living landmarks.

Got a great idea for improving Northeast Ohio? It's not too late to apply for the fifth installment of Accelerate: Citizens Make Change, a civic pitch competition slated for February 27, 2019 at the Global Center for Health Innovation.

As FreshWater wraps up its inaugural On the Ground reporting series in Old Brooklyn, we're also excited to debut our first-ever video—produced in tandem with Cleveland.com. Videographer John Pana did a fantastic job weaving together three different vignettes to paint a vibrant picture of Old Brooklyn's appeal, featuring a local family, the owners of 2020 W. Schaaf Gallery (Danielle and Michael Gutierrez), and Alysha Ellis of Freshly Rooted. 

Right now, members of the Historical Society of Old Brooklyn are busily preparing for the organization’s annual “Potluck Show-n-Tell” event in November—when local history buffs will get the chance to show off their favorite collectibles from the neighborhood. (In the past, totems have ranged from depression glass to a Mabel Footes opera cape to a Dr. Otto’s business sign to turn-of-the-century pharmacy prescriptions.)

Fans of Ampersand—the popular Cleveland Flea stop for vintage furniture and home décor—will be thrilled to know that the brand has taken it to the next level with a brick-and-mortar presence and an all-new name. Enter Helm Collective, the new Ohio City-based shop where owner Nicola Wilhelm will be able to better showcase her vintage finds.

With heaps of history and major new business momentum, the ever-evolving Pearl Road is at a fascinating crossroads. Our writer Ken Schneck takes a proverbial spin down Old Brooklyn's main drag.

Imagine walking into a pedestrian tunnel to discover a string quartet playing Schumann as fellow passersby journey through, each note more eerily beautiful than the last. That fully improvised soundscape is exactly what recently greeted travelers inside the W. 65th St. tunnel, and though it's not how most people experience classical music, that's precisely the point.

When LaRaun Clayton and his husband decided to buy a house, they sought a neighborhood where they’d be comfortable and fit in. “For us, it was about finding a place where we weren’t going to be the only ones,” shares Clayton. “Sometimes, being a same-sex couple—not to mention African-American—puts a target on you.” The couple looked in familiar places: Lakewood, Fairview Park, and Gordon Square (where they already lived). But the home prices were at the top of their budget, so their real estate agent took them to another neighborhood: Old Brooklyn.

As Cleveland's largest neighborhood, Old Brooklyn has no shortage of compelling stories to be shared, and our storytelling event provided the perfect platform to do just that.

With ample greenspace, inviting residential streets, decent walkability, and an array of businesses, Old Brooklyn seems to check off many of the boxes for the modern urban family—even branding itself as “Cleveland’s accessible, family-friendly neighborhood.” But does it really live up to the hype?

Cleveland has long been considered a hotbed of healthcare innovation, but how healthy are its own communities at the neighborhood level? That’s the question that Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation sought to answer by commissioning an ambitious Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) for the Old Brooklyn neighborhood.

It’s not easy to take an historic neighborhood known for its charm, tree-lined residential streets, and opulent architecture and create a brand-new urban downtown. But, after more than five years of planning, that is exactly what the city of Shaker Heights and developer RMS Investment Corporation have done in building phase one of the Van Aken District—Shaker Heights’ new downtown.

Driving down Pearl Road from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to its intersection with State Road, it’s hard not to notice the eight whimsical carrot sculptures that dot the streetscape and ponder their significance. “There has been a lot of curiosity about it,” shares Vince Reddy of LAND studio, which helped bring the project to fruition. “People are always wondering, ‘Where did these things come from?’”
 

With downtown Cleveland projected to hit 20,000 residents by 2020 and the advent of Destination Cleveland's #VisitMeinCLE campaign, all eyes are on Cleveland as both a short-term and long-term destination.

Take an in-depth look at the past and present of Old Brooklyn, the site of FreshWater's first-ever On the Ground community reporting project.

Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland.