Front cover of The Big Sea (1940) by Langston HughesCleveland Public Library
Langston Hughes in Cleveland
In 1916, Langston Hughes’s family moved to Cleveland from Lincoln, Illinois, when his stepfather found work in the steel mills. Hughes wrote about segregation in Cleveland in his autobiography.
Woman Standing in Doorway (1947/1955) by Jasper WoodCleveland Public Library
Crowded Kitchenettes
Hughes writes, "An eight-room house with one bath would be cut up into apartments and five or six families crowded into it, each two-room kitchenette apartment apartment renting for what the whole house had rented before.” (The Big Sea, p. 27)
Cedar-Central Neighborhood (1930) by unknownCleveland Public Library
Run-down Housing
The later politics associated with public housing, urban renewal, and home ownership efforts had roots in the problems Hughes saw in the early part of the century. This photo from the 1930's is an example of the run-down housing Hughes wrote about.
Sixth Anniversary of Outhwaite Homes (1943-10-31) by Gordon H. SimpsonCleveland Public Library
Public Housing is a first solution
Outhwaite Homes in Cleveland, Ohio was one of the first public housing developments in the United States. It was completed by the federally funded Public Works Administration in 1937 and later administered by the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority.
Carl B. Stokes at Outhwaite Homes (1941) by unknown and 1941Cleveland Public Library
Carl Stokes at Outhwaite Homes
The photograph depicts Carl B. Stokes at about age 14, on a bicycle. The building behind him may be the Outhwaite Homes, where his family lived after the death of his father. Carl B. Stokes served as Cleveland's mayor from 1967-1971. Stokes strongly supported public housing.
Young Woman Laughing (1947/1955) by Jasper WoodCleveland Public Library
Jasper Woods and the 'felt moment'
The photograph from the early '50s depicts a laughing young woman standing by a porch railing; two younger boys are visible in the lower right corner. Jasper Woods tried to get at the 'felt moment' of an image. His principal subjects were the residents of the Scovill Avenue.
3830-3834 Scovill Avenue (1955) by Longwood ProjectCleveland Public Library
Urban Renewal
This image, taken nearly the same time as Jasper Wood's images, is of 3830-3834 Scovill Ave. It is one of the hundreds of images taken in the late 1940s and early 1950s to plan for the Longwood Project, Cleveland's first urban renewal plan emerging from the 1949 General Plan.
2481 East 38th St. by UnknownCleveland Public Library
Tearing down old housing
The Longwood Project was a model for many mid 20th-century urban renewal projects in Cleveland. Entire streets of houses were demolished to make way for new, modern housing units.
Children Looking Out of Open Window (1947/1955) by Jasper WoodCleveland Public Library
Seeing Cleveland and Clevelanders
Jasper Woods showed mid-century housing conditions and created portraits of those who lived in the city. Three children, curtain at their backs, lean on a window sill and look directly out. They are framed by an old flowerpot and splintered floorboard propping the sash.
Lonnie L. Burten Jr., (1982) by David I. AndersonCleveland Public Library
Rejecting Public Housing
Lonnie L. Burten, Jr. speaking at a Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority meeting. A Democratic Ward 12 councilman strongly opposed to public housing, Burten set up the Central Area Development Corporation to finance single-family home construction in the Central Woodland area.
Playground at Longwood Apartments (1964) by unknownCleveland Public Library
Longwood Apartments: Hope and Decline
Built in the late 1950s, the Longwood Apartments had become run down by 1999. Purchased by The Finch Group, Longwood was ambitiously redeveloped with the support of many community leaders, both Democratic and Republican. The new, award winning development is Arbor Park Village.
Eastside News Clipping (2005-10-11) by Ulysees GlennCleveland Public Library
Arbor Park Village
News article documenting completion of Arbor Park Village in 2005, the successor to the Longwood Apartments. Pictured are Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, Frank Jackson, and Terry Butler.
The issue of equitable and affordable housing was an important issue in Cleveland politics throughout the 20th century, and remains a key issue today. Housing issues often move in cycles of hopeful rebuilding followed by decline; the hope is that in the future, Clevelanders can keep steady pressure on the complex problem of finding affordable places to live for everyone.
