Local programs mark National Preservation Month

The 1930 Heights Rockefeller Building, pictured here in 1935, is a stop on the June 1 Best of the Bikes tour.

May is National Preservation Month, and four Cleveland Heights institutions are joining together to sponsor a series of local history programs that take place in May, and beyond.

The Cleveland Heights Historical Society, Cleveland Heights Landmark Commission, Cleveland Restoration Society, and Heights Libraries kick off the first of five programs on April 25, and the series wraps up on June 1. All programs are free, and do not require registration.

Thursday, April 25, 7 p.m., Wood Windows: Repair or Replace?

“Buy 3 new windows get one free!” There are plenty of replacement window models, manufacturers, and deals on the market, but what is the truth about window replacement? If there were an ad about keeping original windows, it might read, “Keep all your windows for free and repair them for 50-percent less than replacement windows!” Margaret Lann, of the Cleveland Restoration Society (CRS), will review window efficiency, available window materials, appropriate architectural style, and provide a cost analysis of repair vs. replacement, with tips on how to tackle window restoration or replacement in an older home. [Noble Neighborhood Library, 2800 Noble Road.]

Saturday, May 4, noon, In My Day Wrap Party

Celebrate the wrap of Heights Libraries’ In My Day Oral History project. All day, library staff will be recording stories, and ice cream will be available 2:30–3:30 p.m. [Lee Road Library, 2345 Lee Road.]

Wednesday, May 22, 7 p.m., Gatsby and the Van Sweringens, with Christopher Whipple

Author of Cleveland’s Colorful Characters, Christopher Whipple will explain how F. Scott Fitzgerald used the Van Sweringen family and their friends as the basis for his famous book, The Great Gatsby. [Lee Road Library, 2345 Lee Road; sponsored by the Cleveland Heights Historical Society and Heights Libraries.]

Wednesday, May 29, 7 p.m., Sacred Landmarks Lecture

Michael Fleenor, CRS’s director of preservation, will give an overview of Cleveland’s most significant sacred landmarks—those that represent this region’s rich diversity of faith traditions and ethnicities. He will talk about issues with which these congregations have had to contend, and how CRS has been able to help them. Finally, he will demonstrate the local creativity undertaken in adapting empty sacred landmarks for new uses. [Lee Road Library, 2345 Lee Road.]

Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m., Best of the Bricks Bike Tour

Cleveland Heights Council Member Mary Dunbar has led many past bike tours, including a 2018 Best of the Bricks Bike tour of residences and commercial buildings south of Cedar Road. This year, she’ll lead a bike ride featuring the excellent brickwork on view north of Cedar Road. [Tour begins at the Noble Neighborhood Library, 2800 Noble Road.]

Kara Hamley O'Donnell

Kara Hamley O'Donnell is City Planner II at the Cleveland Heights Department of Planning & Development, an historic preservationist, and staffs the city's Landmark and Planning commissions.

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Volume 12, Issue 5, Posted 10:44 AM, 04.23.2019