Description. The construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad in the first half of the 19th century led to industrial growth and increased commercial trade in the Broadway area, including the establishment of several steel mills. This attracted an influx of Czech and Polish immigrants in the 1870s. The small working-class cottages that they constructed to live in still represent a majority of the housing in the neighborhood today. Between 1950 and 1980 the neighborhood experienced an out-migration of residents to the suburbs. Today North Broadway has a very diverse population of Eastern Europeans, African Americans, Puerto Ricans and Appalachian Caucasians.
Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are:
- the historic Broadway and East 55 th Street retail district
- good access to interstates 77 and 490
- many businesses in the East 55 th / Bessemer Ave area
- natural features like the Kingsbury Run & Morgana Run valleys
- historic structures like Our Lady of Lourdes church and Bohemian National Hall
Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the North Broadway neighborhood today are:
- the decreasing level of home ownership over the past two decades
- vacant and boarded homes
- incompatibility between industrial and residential uses
- underutilized industrial area south of East 55 th and I-490
- underutilized natural amenities and lack of open space
- vacant storefronts in the Broadway retail district
- reuse of the former St. Michaels Hospital site
Vision. Create a mixed-income community, close to jobs, which better capitalizes on its history and currently underutilized greenspace to increase its desirability. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following:
- revitalize old industrial sites and build key connector roads to create economic development opportunities for industry in areas such as the I-490 Triangle, Bessemer at East 55th, the Coke Oven site and the Union/Aetna area
- develop housing options at various price points in North Broadway using rehabilitation, conversion and new infill in areas such as the former St Michael’s Hospital site, Willow School neighborhood, and the Dalton Avenue/East 52 nd neighborhood
- develop niche retail opportunities in North Broadway that complement and benefit from activity generated by the Morgana Run trail and trailhead
- better use the existing greenspace and clean-up additional land to create new greenspace in the Kingbury Run valley corridor
- make North Broadway a safer community by increased police presence with officers integrating with residents via bike and foot patrols
- undertake improvements, such as public art and interpretive kiosks, along the route of the Ohio and Erie Canal Scenic Byway on Broadway
- target housing programs in the St. Hyacinth neighborhood off East 65 th Street
Printable version: can be downloaded here.
Maps (current as of May 2007): Assets, Development Opportunities, Land Use (existing and proposed), and Retail Strategies are available here. (PDF)
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