Description. St. Clair-Superior became home to large numbers of Slovenian and Lithuanian immigrants in the 1870s and 1880s due to the location of industries close to St. Clair Avenue. The character and architecture of the area still show the strong influence of its Eastern European settlers. The neighborhood is predominantly residential south of St. Clair Avenue and mainly industrial with small pockets of houses north of St. Clair Avenue. The industries originally located along the rail lines that follow the bluff along the lakeshore. St. Clair Avenue is a wide arterial that is the main commercial street of the neighborhood.
Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are:
- proximity to Lake Erie and major open spaces like Gordon Park, the East 55 th Marina and Rockefeller Park
- good regional access via the the East 55 th and East 72 nd interchanges of Interstate 90
- the St. Clair Avenue retail district which reflects the neighborhood’s incredible cultural diversity in the many ethnic restaurants, shops and bakeries
- the Slovenian National Home constructed in 1924 whose auditorium can accommodate over 1,300 people
Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood today are:
- preventing deteriorating conditions in the southern and eastern portion of the neighborhood from negatively impacting more stable areas
- lack of variety and of new housing
- large vacant industrial and institutional uses
- consolidating retail into more viable nodes along St. Clair and Superior
- creating stronger connections to the lakefront
Vision. The provision of affordable spaces for artists and small businesses in a mixed-use environment which also benefits from its proximity to Lake Erie can be a cornerstone for revitalizing St. Clair-Superior. Among the development opportunities and initiatives proposed are the following:
- reinforce St. Clair Avenue as the neighborhood’s premier retail district through streetscape and pedestrian enhancements
- create a presence and appreciation for arts and culture in the St Clair-Superior neighborhood through the establishment of an arts district
- encourage the reuse of upper floor living areas above commercial uses to create live-work environments
- renovate underutilized warehouse and commercial buildings for adaptable reuse such as housing or other entrepreneurial endeavors
- connect St. Clair-Superior to lakefront and Rockefeller Park through bicycle and pedestrian amenities as called out in the Waterfront Plan
- provide the necessary basic amenities for residents in St Clair-Superior such as shopping and better access to recreation
- target housing programs around the St. Vitus area
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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