Gallery Exhibit: Cleveland’s Hough Neighborhood

CLEVELAND’S HOUGH NEIGHBORHOOD

This exhibition is a collection of images of the Hough neighborhood spanning the early 1900s through the late 1970’s. While 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Hough uprising, that moment was just one part of the neighborhood's story.

One of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, Hough is situated along the midtown corridor on the east side of Cleveland. First settled in 1799 by Oliver and Eliza Hough, the Hough area has occupied a prominent place in Cleveland’s history and redevelopment. The area was incorporated into the City of Cleveland in 1873 after which it became home to many of the city's most prominent residents and exclusive private schools.

While Euclid Avenue became known as "Millionaires Row", Hough acquired the name "Little Hollywood." From 1891 to 1946 it was the home of major league baseball in Cleveland. Between the first and second world wars Hough was resettled by mostly middle-class ethnic Europeans. During this time, large apartment buildings and more modest single and double family frame houses were built.

Housing deterioration began to take hold during the Great Depression and worsened in the 1950’s as the forces of Urban Renewal and freeway construction displaced thousands of lower-income African-American residents from nearby neighborhoods.

This exhibition provides a peak into the neighborhood’s rich and sometimes turbulent history.

This exhibition is sponsored by the Unger Family Foundation. Special thanks to Cleveland State University’s Michael Schwartz Library for providing the images displayed here, and to Donna Stewart, Bill Barrow and Arleesha Wilson for their contributions and support.