Description. Cudell is named after noted architect Frank E. Cudell, a German immigrant who had inherited a large estate from his father-in-law. Cudell bequeathed the estate to the City in 1916 and the tower which stands on the property today, just east of the Cudell Recreation Center, is a memorial to him from his wife, Emma. The neighborhood became a part of the City through annexations in 1894 and 1904. It developed as a working class community during the first two decades of the 20 th century with residents employed at the many industries around the rail lines that crisscrossed the neighborhood. Construction of interstate 90 in the 1960s isolated the Lorain Avenue area from the bulk of the neighborhood. Most of the housing is one- and two-family except for a concentration of apartments near the rapid transit line near Detroit and West Boulevard.
Assets. Among the neighborhood’s most significant assets are:
- the Cudell Recreation Centerand associated Cudell Fine Arts Center
- the West Boulevard Historic District
- the WEBCO industrial area which still is home to many industrial companies
- good access to interstate 90
- the Westown Shopping Center, built in the 1980s on the site of a former Sears store
Challenges. Among the challenges faced by the Cudell neighborhood today are:
- housing stock deterioration, particularly several blocks on either side of West Blvd., between Madison and Lorain.
- need for further commercial reinvestment (including building renovation) throughout the neighborhood
- re-use of industrial sites for job-producing industry sectors, rather than as warehouses/storage facilities
Vision. The Cudell neighborhood incorporates an interesting mix of old and new, with all types of land uses represented throughout. This urban character should be enhanced by choosing redevelopment strategies that complement that character, whenever possible. Among the development opportunities and initiatives underway or proposed are the following:
- target housing programs for streets around the West Tech Lofts
- determine appropriate and complimentary land uses south of I-90 near the new Target development
- continue to effectively clean-up and market the former Monarch Aluminum and Midland Steel sites for appropriate industrial end-users (already underway by the City’s Dept. of Economic Development)
- redevelop Madison Avenue (maintaining mostly residential feel with some storefront renovation) and Berea Road (building on current industrial mix)
- create a vision for the Lorain Station Historic District that will work to preserve the important mixed-use building stock there, including the installation of a vastly-improved pedestrian bridge near the West Tech lofts
- develop a bike route along West Blvd which connects to Edgewater Park on the north and Brookside Park in the Big Creek Valley to the south
- create a pocket park on currently vacant land at the intersection of West Blvd and Detroit
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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