Cleveland's Historic Warehouse District
The Historic Warehouse District is Cleveland's first neighborhood and downtown's oldest commercial center. Originally designated as a residential community, the District became the hub of Cleveland commercial life in post Civil War years. Throughout the early 1800's, Cleveland's most prominent citizens and earliest businesses thrived between the Cuyahoga River and Public Square.
Bound by Superior Avenue to the south, Front Street to the north, West 3rd Street to the east, and West 10th Street to the west, the Warehouse District encompasses approximately 43 acres and contains over 70 remaining buildings. These structures represent some of the finest examples of Victorian architecture (circa 1850-1920) in the United States and were built to house wholesale grocers, dry goods merchants, hardware distributors, garment manufacturers, and chandleries. The District also housed the offices of Cleveland's newspapers, several hotels, and one of Cleveland's earliest theaters, the Academy of Music, site of one of John Wilkes Booth's final performances prior to Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Prominent buildings in this area include the Rockefeller, Perry-Payne, Hoyt, Bradley and the Western Reserve as this is where Cleveland's early industrialists made their fortunes.
After decades of neglect, the Historic Warehouse District has been rejuvenated through significant historic preservation efforts. Since the 1980's, the District has emerged as a unique, mixed-use office, residential, and retail area. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982, the Warehouse District is home to an exciting mecca of restaurants, galleries, specialty shops, businesses and nightclubs. The District is also Cleveland's leading downtown residential neighborhood complete with dramatic loft living and elegantly preserved buildings. The District's central location, adaptive reuse of historic structures, complementary new use of undeveloped sites and its distinctive identity provide needed texture and lasting influence in shaping Cleveland's urban fabric.
Located within walking distance of Jacobs Field, Gund Arena and the Historic Gateway Neighborhood, Tower City and the Central Business District, the theaters of Playhouse Square, the Flats, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center and Cleveland Browns Stadium on the lakefront, the Historic Warehouse District is clearly one of Cleveland's premier destinations.
