OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 43B ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 May 6, 2005 ************************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio by Darlene E. Kelley Tid Bits -- Part 43 B. notes by S. Kelly ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Part 43 B. Real Estate ( con't ) Ahaz Merchant, the Cuyahoga County Surveyor, surveyed most of the new subdivisions and drew a Map of Cleveland and its Environs, and it shows the land subdivisions in place by 1836, just before the panic ruined things. It includes, approximately, a drawing of the Columbus Street Bridge as well as various new banks, churches, and industries, but omits any reference to Ohio City. This map was an important piece of civic boosterism in its time, showing the outside world that Cleveland was growing rapidly into an important port city. In 1851, a group of prominent Clevelanders founded Cleveland University, and one of the founders was William Slade, Jr., who platted the surrounding area into a subdivision with streets bearing such intellectual sounding names such as Literary St., University St., College St., and one that would become Professor St., next to Slade's allotment. John G. Jennings created the Universty Heights allotment, and donated its Pelton Park to the city. This area is now known as Tremont. Other major subdivisions on the south and west sides during this period were two huge plattings by Silas S. Stone ( 1849 and 1853.), and allotments by George Benedict and Elias Root (1851) by Taylor and Hoyt (1852), and by H. Stone (1853), altogether total several thousand lots. Following the Civil War, the eastward growth of land subdividing activity moved from the radiating plan of the ten acre lots and moved into the hundred acre lots where gridiron allotment patterns re- emerged. By the 1860's street horsecars permitted a greater separation between workplace and residence, and lines reached downtown from East Cleveland. The pressures of industrial pollution and large scale immigration caused many to seek homes in the periphery, where the environment was deemed physically and spiritually healthy. Capitalizing on the demand for natural surroundings and the availability of rudimentary public transportation, subdividers were creating home sites as far out as Doan's Corners ( now E.105th ) by the 1870's. Few middle class buyers could afford the time or fares to commute via horsecar from this distance. The wealthy could , however, and large tracts of land near the lake were obtained for summer retreats by men like William J. Gordon, Liberty Holden, Jeptha Wade, and John D. Rockefeller, also invested in suburban lands, anticipating growth there. Coupled with the bucolic splendor of the new Lake View Cemetery, in 1869, the Doan's Corners area became a series of private estates, resorts, and speculatives holdings, all having a park like ambiance. By the 1880's the Doan's Corners area was developing into an alternative community for the Millionaires Row culture that was being pushed eastward out Euclid Ave., by encroaching commercial land uses. The location of Western Reserve College, the Case School of Applied Science, the Cleveland Museum Of Art and other cultural institutions began to transform this area into a new elite center. After Wade donated part of his estate for Wade Park in 1882, and the Gorden estate was deeded as a public park in 1893, real estate developers began creating large allotments in this, Cleveland's East End. Wade, himself created the Wade Park Allotment as the magical extension of Euclid Ave., living, while other promoters began creating luxurious residential communities up on the heights. A group headed by Atlanta railroad attorney Patrick Calhoun platted the Euclid Heights Allotment in 1892 to take advantage of the new speed and hill climbing power of the electric streetcars. Calhoun donated some of the land that became Univercity Circle in 1896 to serve as the gateway to both his elite development and new park system. Investment syndicates from Virginia and Buffalo had begun developing the Shaker Heights, further south on the heights, and donated the Shaker Lakes for public parks that same year. By such donations, developers were able to turn rugged terrain that it could not be deveoped into senic parks that the public would maintain, while the city received park lands that it could not afford to purchase. The developers of the Brooklyn Park and Clifton Park Allotments at the mouth of the Rocky River also tied their developments to the desirable ambiance of public parks. The availability of dependable public transportation and public utilities also dictated the success o subdivision projects. Having increased the value of their properties by tying thm to park and infrastructure improvements, developers wanted to be able to assure prospective buyers that their investments, in turn, would retain their value. One device developers turned to for this, were restrictions placed on the property deed, like prohibiting certain land uses, regulating external appearance, setting minimum standards for new homes, and baring members of ethnic minorities. The idea was to create the kind of stability, values, and homogeneity in the new neighborhood that would inspire the confidence of middle and upper class buyers. With millions of dollars at stake and thousands of lots to sell, they tried many marketing devices to promote their version of ideal suburban living. The management of such large projects was getting increasingly difficult and the size of Cleveland's real estate market was increasing after the Civil War. As a result, the real esate industry developed specialized professions to help develop and market property. In the 1850's for example, Jay A. Odell formed the first title abstracting business to help lawyers ensure thet their client's purchases were free of title problems. Justus L. Cozad created a competing firm in 1870, and in 1890 a third firm, the Ohio Abstracting Co was established. In 1898 with the passage of a new state enabling legislation, all three firms were purchased and merged into the Guarentee Title and Trust Co., to issue title insurance, underwrite mortages and manage property. Real estate sales agencies underwent a big change in the 1890's as well. Until then the sale of real estate had been performed by a variety of people. In its first days of the Connecticut Land Co, it had been done by the original proprietors and their agents in the Western Reserve, particularly Turhand Kirtland, General Simon Perkins and Leonard Case. All through the 19th century, owners of the property or their attorneys sold property, or they relied upon real estate agents. As the size of Cleveland increased and real estate transactions became more complex, the need for skilled ethical agents increased. The number of men advertising themselves as real estate agents had grown from 37 in 1871 to 175 in 1890, and some real estate men felt the need to distance themselves from the sharp practices of others in the business. Other professionals and trade groups were being created then, and in 1892, 12 local agents formed the Cleveland Board of Realtors, with Daniel Taylor as its first president. Stressing cooperation between members, the board set standards for Real estate contracts and comission splits between agencies. Not all real estate sales were handled by real estate agents, nor were they all in wealthy neighborhoods. Subdivision catering to the upper strata of business and professional men and socially prominent families may have set the fashion for new allotments, but the majority of people owned or rented older homes in more modest neighborhoods. And the way in which they found housing did not necessarily employ the services of the reality board members. In the latter half of the 19th century, Cleveland witnessed a massive immigration of people from Eastern and Southern Europe. Newly arrived Czechs, Poles, Slovaks, Jews, Italians, Greeks, Irish, German and other ethnic peoples settled into ethnic enclaves within Cleveland and turned to other members of their culture for assistance in finding work, homes, and financing. Cleveland leaders in real estate were whom they turned to and in which settled the ethnic groups in which they also in turn, helped establish their most important culture, churches and schools. That is the way Cuyahoga County grew into the great County it is; peaceful, beautiful, industrial, full of ethnic cultures, art, music, and education. It spreads its arms to all -- and says: " WELCOME " ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits continued in Part 44.