History of the West Park
Neighborhood
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Memories & Comments
of the West Park and nearby area

Memories and/or photographs that you wish to contribute would be appreciated.  Please try to include as many details as you possibly can.
Send them to Gary Swilik and Charles Chaney.          Return to Main Page

Bearden's on Rocky River Drive

Bearden's! That was our hang out after going to the movies at the Riverside Theatre. They had the best hamburgers ever. Our favorite waitress (inside) was a classy lady named Hazel. We were just teenagers but we're treated like VIPs!

--- Noreen (Vogelpohl) Gerhardinger Elyria, OH. 14 May 2008

 

My future wife and I used to go to Bearden's on Rocky River Drive. We really liked the hamburgers; they were nice and juicy. I especially liked their sweet pickle relish. I liked it so much I asked for the brand so that we could use it at home. The brand was not available at stores, so I remember Bearden’s agreeing to sell me a jar. The jar was huge, it probably lasted a couple of years.
    I have one story always brings a chuckle to me. We were there one evening when we were about 19 years old. As was our custom, when the food came, we took the hamburgers, french fires and ketchup from the window tray and placed them on the front seat between us. We finished, and I was in the process of clearing things from the seat. I took the first hand full of stuff and turned to my left to place it on the tray outside the window, knowing all I had left to pick up was the ketchup, in those little white cup-like containers they used to use. Just then my wife scooted over to sit next to me, the way girls used to in the pre-bucket-seat days. She didn’t realize it immediately, but she had just sat on the ketchup."

--- Larry James, Dallas, TX.  January 28, 2007

(At Bearden's on Rocky River Drive)....the carhops came out to the car as you ordered over your own individual speaker.  Most of the car hops were "foxes" and served the best darn vanilla milkshakes, served in a tall glass like ice tea or mint julep.  Bearden's was the hangout for most John Marshall High kids but others joined in too. Last time I was there was in 1960 with my hot black Chevy Impala, 8th fastest car at the Detroit NHRA Nationals.  I went to the original Bearden's in Rocky River a couple of years ago, never knew it was there. Lots of fun . . . . The 50's were absolutely great!

--- Jon Dolfurd, John Marshall High School, Class of 1957, Longs, SC. 27 January 2006

I worked my way thru high school working at Bearden's.
    I was a car-hop at Bearden's on Rocky River Drive from June, 1960 to January, 1962. We had dark green uniforms with yellow stripes along the legs, and a dark green vest with a yellow cummerbund. We also wore a small, dark green hat. In cold weather we had dark green jackets.
    Rocky River Bearden's had a 60 car lot with automatic intercom speakers to take the orders, and you could signal for pick up of the trays.  Each car had a number and the car hops carried their food on a tray that fit over the car window. The serving trays we carried were able to attach to all car windows with little problem but you had to be careful they weren't top heavy. It could only carry two milkshakes per order otherwise it would tip over.
    Most of the time we took orders from the speakers but the staff took turns on busy days. . Bearden's was open 7 days a week, usually starting at 11 a.m., till 11 p.m., and two hours later on the week ends. Most days one girl took care of the entire lot but might have more help on Friday evenings. Friday and Saturday nights were very busy!
    We also took turns in chopping up onions one day and making onion rings on another day. We made more tips on "onion day" because we looked like we were crying.
    I only made $.55 an hour plus tips. All our food was free but we had to write it up for their expenses. 
    Yes, I liked the food! People remember Bearden's burgers were great and their onion rings were made fresh.  One other small burger was made with peanut butter grilled on the burger.  Only a few people ordered that but it smelled sooo good when it was cooking!
    The old Bearden's in Parma used the same recipes and made their onion rings the same.  Fast Eddies in Parma had the same food for a while.
    The first fast food to compete with us was "Golden Point" with 25 cent hamburgers.  They were not that good. Big Boys opened after that but they were not any faster and I don't think they hurt our business because we were in the same price range.
    At Rocky River Bearden's they tried serving breakfast for one year but they did not have the staff for it.  I think the Lakewood Bearden's had it longer.
    Howard Hinton was the manager of the Rocky River Drive Bearden's for many years.  His red-haired wife was a waitress at Lakewood Bearden's.  I don't think he was related to the Orange family, but the person that made the recipe for Bearden's used steak burger suet for their good taste.  The Orange family opened many restaurants in Florida, and I think they used the same suet.  There might be some family members that I don't know about.
    Of course all male customers were interested in every good looking car hop! Although Bearden's uniforms were not low cut and mothers did not object to them. Most car hops instinctively knew how to handle wolves. If not they all knew local police! If older men tried to flirt with young girls they usually called them "Grandpa!"

--- June Kreuzer, Cleveland, OH.  19 January 2006

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Bearden's Drive-In

Corner Food Store  3711 West 140th & San Diego Avenue

My mother worked at the Corner Store at West 140th and San Diego Avenue. My mom and Louise Yanesh were good friends. That meant free penny candies! Stanley, Louise's first husband, used to sneak me candy by the bag. "Shhh! Put it in your book bag" but my mom knew. That all stopped when Stan died and she married Joe. Nice guy but no candy.

--- Patti Daycak, Parma, OH.  13 July 2006

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Corner Food Store

Diney's Drive In

"Diney's Drive-In was located on West 117th, south of Lorain.  It was torn down when the highway (I-90) was built. It was a very popular place for muscle cars to go, almost legendary.  I used to hang out there with my muscle car in the early 70's. I had a 1969 black Camaro SS. Also-known-as the blonde in the black Camaro, the only female on the West Side with a muscle car. I heard stories of a female on the East side with a pretty hot 'Vette but never saw her.  As I recall, the muscle cars at Diney's always backed into their spot.  Some would put money on the dashboard of the car, visible through the windshield to passerby, and wait for a car to challenge them.  Lots of anticipation and excitement in those days!  By that time Diney's had been around for quite awhile.  There was no dining room.  They served great cheeseburgers right to your car."

--- Jill (maiden name Henry) Fennessy, Sand Lake, MI. 15 December 2007

"Diney's had great burgers! I think it was the Velveeta that made them great. My mom even went there back when she went to John Marshall. Her favorite was the peanut butter burger. This is yet another great burger joint that bit the dust."

--- David Rimke, Hesperia, CA.  8 September 2007

The memories come flooding back.  When we were students at West Tech High School (1957-60), my best friend Joy and I would walk from West 97th Street (where we both lived) along Lorain Avenue to West. 117th Street.  Then we would hitchhike to Diney's, telling the driver we would buy him a cup of coffee just to take us there.  Diney's was a great place to go while out on a date.  They had the BEST burgers and chocolate malts.  My husband and I went there a lot and we continued to go to Diney's after we got married in 1961.
    I hesitated about mentioning the hitchhiking in my post but I've told my kids about it so the secret's out.  My best friend, Joy Clark Freda, and I used to hitchhike a lot back then, mostly on Denison Avenue on our way to the tennis courts at Brookside Park.  We never got in a car with a bunch of guys (safety first).  We usually accepted a ride from a family, and since we were carrying our tennis rackets, it was obvious where we were going.  We used to ride our bikes, but holding onto a tennis racket was awkward while riding a bike.

   --- Lois Gollwitzer Dixon, Livonia, Michigan. 15 April 2007.

  I sure remember Diney's! Spent many Friday and Saturday nights cruising between there and the Berea Manners. We used to drag race on the street just behind Diney's as well.
    I had a 59 Impala convertible with a 348. Used to hang out with Louie Wagner, Joe Siebert, and Dick Schurk. We were all into cars back then. At that time, my 59 was the one with the biggest engine of any of the other guys. They nicknamed me "Billy big motor." It wasn't all that fast, but made great noise with the cherry bomb mufflers.
    Off to war in 1968, returned in 1972, and still made the trip to Diney's occasionally, then with my 67 Impala SS427 that I bought before going into the Navy.
    Diney's closed sometime around 1975 if I remember correctly. The word got out there would be a final cruise night there. I went in my El Camino, and parked two cars deep. I saw cars from the old days that night, still out running around. One guy even brought a dragster on a trailer, parked across the street, unloaded it and drove across the street to the restaurant. Someone took pictures and sent them to Hot Rod magazine. A photo was put in the magazine, along with a short article about Diney's. I had the magazine at one time, but lost it over the years. Good memories of those days. I still haven't grown out of the old car thing; I have had an Avanti for 20 years now. As in the old days, it is the loudest car on the block.

--- Bill Chapo, Knoxville, TN.  6 June 2006
Originally posted on the John Marshall Alumni Message Board. Edited and posted here with Mr. Chapo's permission.

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Diney's Drive In

Franklin Ice Cream - Puritas and West 140th

 I remember Franklin Ice Cream in the shopping center on W. 150th and Puritas.  My girlfriend Bev Brown and I used to meet there on Fridays and hang out. Of course you had to get ice cream or a coke to sit there but we sure had some great times.

--- Sandy Shaw, Daleville, AL.  4 June 2007

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Franklin Ice Cream

Gray Drug Store

Gray's Drug Store, at West 137th and Lorain, was our major hangout in the mid 1950s. After school the girls, mostly from St. Joes, and the guys would meet for a coke or a phosphate. Unless something else was going on, we would drift up there in the evening and congregate. The fountain girls were really nice to us, especially a middle-age woman named Mary and a small rotund lady with a German accent. I get the warm fuzzies thinking about it. We were not too unruly but every so often the pharmacist, who was the "muscle," would give us the heave-ho.

--- David Shepley, Brunswick OH.  30 May 2008

Gray Drug's at West 137th and Lorain was my comic-book-buying headquarters. I used to ride my bike up there almost daily, leave it leaning against a pole outside, and run in to see if any new issues had come out. The DC comics were my favorites. Superman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and especially The Atom, who could go from full-size to microscopic at will. Comics were displayed on revolving wire racks. There was a sign on top of the rack that read "Hey Kids! Comics!"

    Gray's also had a lunch counter along the west wall of the store, with both a counter and booths. A long, rectangular window behind the counter looked out on Christ Methodist Church.

    When my buddies and I were little it used to be fun to ride past that window on our bikes at lunchtime, when the counter was packed with customers, and make silly faces at them. Not real bright.

    It was fun to get vanilla and chocolate cokes at the counter when we were a little older, and watch other stupid kids ride past the window and make faces.

--- Gary Swilik, Cleveland, OH. 28 November 2007

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Herold’s Grocery and Meat Market

 I went to Garfield elementary school on West 140th and remember Herold's store across the street. We did the penny candy thing, especially the red licorice sticks.

 

--- Bill Chapo, Knoxville, TN.  17 June 2006

 

I worked at Herold's grocery for two or three years. I'd wait on customers and stock the shelves. Sometimes I'd deliver groceries and Mr. Herold would let me use his car. I think I started at ten dollars a week. Just before I quit to go into the army in July, 1941, I think I was making twelve dollars per week.
    Mr. Herold treated me nicely. I ate lunch there all the time right in the apartment over the store with the family. It was mostly sandwiches but they were good. Mrs. Herold was flamboyant and a flashy dresser. When I worked there she would sometimes wait on a customer but not often.
    Mr. Herold was a very good meat cutter. He was teaching me meat cutting when I went into the service.
    He had a lot of customers that were on the tab. Each customer had their own sheet kept in a drawer. I would just mark down their purchases on a sheet. A lot of customers then came in and paid their bills on Saturday.
    As I recall the store was open about 8 in the morning to 6 at night during the week, and until 8 in the evening on Saturday. It was a busy place. Mr. Herold held his own against Fisher's and Kroger's which also had stores on West 140th.
    I knew the Herold girls, Zita and Dolores. I remember when Zita got married Mr. Herold closed the store on a Saturday for her wedding.

--- Richard "Dick" R. Morrison, Cleveland, OH.  15 January 2007

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Herold's Grocery and Meat Market

Jefferson Park

 I just ran across your web site on West Park history. I haven't had time to view and read everything yet but I see no mention of Jefferson Park. I grew up on West 132nd Street and spent many a day in the park. The highlight was in the winter when they flooded the park for ice skating and on Friday nights they would leave the flood lights on until 9:00 p.m. Thanks again for such wonderful memories.

 

--- Brian F. Moran, Fairview Park, OH.  13 June 2008

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Kamms Corner Area

The Home Team at Kamm's Corners
    In the spring of 1944, toward the end of World War II when I was about 12 years old, my friends and I set our sights on some vacant property where the Kamm's Plaza parking lot is today. There was enough clear space there for a softball diamond. So, leading up to the end of the school year, we got together and cut weeds, smoothed out the field, and installed some white orange crates for bases. It really looked good.
    On the first morning of summer vacation I was lying in bed when I heard a tractor nearby. I got out of bed and raced over to “our” new ball field. My worst fears were confirmed. The owner had decided to plant a Victory Garden on the site! We were one despondent group. We vowed to get even but, in the end, stole only a couple of tomatoes and a few ears of corn that fall.
    The next spring we decided to try again and this time got permission for a diamond although it was a lot more work smoothing out the ruts. We even built a backstop and scoreboard from some scrap lumber and painted them green. It all looked very nice to us.
    At our evening games some of our parents came over and even our dads got involved. It was fun and we all enjoyed it.
    Over the years our group went in different directions. Only one stayed in the area so we pretty much lost contact with each other. Several have passed on and I only really keep track of one fellow who now lives in Oklahoma. Of course, I still see my brother Roger who lives near San Diego. I often wish my own kids could have lived in that era at a place like Kamm's Corners with valleys to explore, lakes to swim in, rivers to fish, and so many things to do.

--- Dan Weber, Rancho Cordova, CA. 95670.  5 February 2008

Kamm's Corner All-Stars vs. The West 159th Street Gang
    I was born in 1932 and grew up in our family home at 17504 Allien Avenue. Along with many of my friends, I attended Our Lady of the Angels Elementary School on Rocky River Drive and hung out around Kamm's Corners. In the era after World War II we played a lot of softball on a ball diamond we made on what was then vacant land but is now the northwest section of Kamm's Plaza parking lot.
    One morning I was bragging we had some pretty good players meeting on our ball diamond and, as a result, we were invited to take on the "West 159th Street Gang." A challenge I readily agreed to.
    I use the term "gang" because many of the players lived on West 159th Street or close by.
    The last names of some of these fellows were Birt, Sammon, and Kramer but I'm not certain of the spelling after all these years. They had built a respectable ball diamond of their own on open land northwest of Five Points, where Ernadale, Granton, Tuttle, West Park Road, and West 159th all come together. The neighborhood has changed considerably but I believe the ball field may now be in the area of Saint Anthony Lane.
    So on a sultry Saturday morning my team, including brothers Johnny and Jim Kolonick, (both have passed on) jumped on our bikes and pedaled over to teach the West 159th Street Gang how to play ball – or so we thought!
    Due to the heat, we agreed to play only 5, possibly 6, innings. Besides, that was all I felt we needed to beat them.
    As the visiting team, we batted first. The game started off great. I hit a homer my first time at bat and we immediately scored several runs. Then the roof caved in!
    The 159th Street guys were slamming hits all over the field. We were dropping pop flies, failing to tag runners, and got only a few more hits.  It was a disaster. They scored at will. We couldn’t wait for the end of the game. The final score was something like five runs for us and twenty or more for them.  We had been whipped good!
    We sat around and chatted for a few minutes and then, quick as we could, hopped on our bikes and got out of there. My pals made me promise I would never again schedule a game like this. We headed off to our dairy store hangout to soothe our egos and then, to add insult to injury, I got a flat tire on Lucille Avenue and had to walk the rest of the way back. 

--- Dan Weber, Rancho Cordova, CA. 95670.  10 February 2008

Hello,

Just a couple of comments about the Rocky River Drive 'THEN' photos . . .
    Number 3792 was a small house with a long front porch, sort of a Western motif.  The south side of the house butted up against Vic Gates' gas station.  I see it is now a Shell station.  I used to use their air pump for my bicycle tires.  It also backed up to the Rini's Supermarket which was west of the gas station.
    Number 3788-3786 was an add-on building that came along much later . . . .perhaps in the late 1940s  Our family bought our first 8mm movie camera there.  Next door was the Kamm's branch of the local Post Office.
    Number 3772 was a rather run down house and at one time there were a slew of kids living there.
    Number 3758 was a lovely old home and behind it was a small house with the address of 3744. (The back house with the address of 3744 may have been behind 3740 rather than 3758.  I am just not sure.) My mother knew those folks, probably from church, and they had a daughter that was a substitute teacher at Our Lady of Angels.  Behind that house was the ravine and creek which ran west, north of Allien Avenue (where my family lived.)  In the winter time we could see the back of that house clearly.
    Number 3740 was another rather stately home.  In small towns it might be referred to as the banker's house.  I do not know who lived in any of these homes, although my parents probably did.  Following 3740 northward was a small apartment building and then Oxford Avenue.
    The Kamm's store was on the SW corner of Rocky River Drive and Lorain.  It had been a restaurant and bar for many years under various names such as "Tony's".  The right/west side of the building was a barber shop for many years and when my Dad was too busy to give me a haircut I would go there and have Mr. House cut it.  Then next to that, westbound, was Joyce's Bar which was as close to a neighbor pub as you could find around West Park.
    The northeast corner of Kamm's Corner was the Cleveland Trust building with a number of doctors and dentists on the second floor.  The window looking out over the clock (which was a late add-on) was Doctor Faus' office.  My mother worked there as a dental assistant and met my father there.  He was a patient.  She lived south on Rocky River Drive at a boarding house for girls near St Pat's and would walk or ride the streetcar/bus down to Kamms to go to work.

--- Dan Weber, Rancho Cordova, CA. 95670.  12 June 2006

A place I remember very well is Leader Drug Store located at Kamm's Corner.  I worked there as a stock boy, helped at the soda bar and delivered drugs for Mr. Harold Resnick.  I always laugh now as I look back and compare how far we have come.  I would sometimes deliver up to 20 different drug prescriptions that contained who knows what, and I was only 17 years old.  Helping out at the soda bar was always fun, making sodas, banana splits and helping to grill hamburgers for the lady who was in charge.  I remember scrubbing the grill with I believe it was a soap stone after heating it up and pouring water on it.
    My wife and I used to bowl at Olympic recreation.  My wife was an excellent bowler and was on a bowling team at John Marshall called the "Ten Pins".  Mr. Barthelman ran the bowling center which, if memory serves me right, had only 12 lanes.  The "Ten Pins" represented Olympic Recreation in the City Bowling Tourney one year and won.  I still have a picture of my wife taken at the tourney which appeared in the newspaper.
    Kamm's Corner was always a great area to hang out.  Many places to eat and such.  As a matter of fact I played on the muny football team called the Kamms Corner Merchants.  It was a 125 pound weight limit league, bantam weight, and I was selected to the 2nd team all star team at the quarterback position. Great memories. I really enjoy thinking back to a time that was so important to all of us when things were more innocent.

 --- Lou Diamond, Garland, TX. 4 March 2007

I have many many fond memories of...

+ Kamm's corners
+ Our Lady of Angels School and church
+ Taking the bus to the rapid transit station with a group of friends, then to the baseball stadium to use the free baseball tickets
                that the Cleveland Plain Dealer gave to "A" students.  I was 8 through 11 years old!
+ "Down in the Valley"
+ Cutting through Alger Cemetery on my bike to go to the library
+ Royal Castle's cheap, great hamburgers and birch beer
"+ Kaiser's" Store, near the Fariview Hospital.  Actually, it was a liquor store that sold candy.  Run in the early '60's by Mrs. Kaiser,
                later by Alvin.  We went there every day, if we could scrape up a few pennies for Jawbreakers, licorice, gum or a nickel
                for a candy bar.
+ Eddie the crossing guard
(A newspaper article appeared in the Cleveland Press or the Plain Dealer circa spring 1966.  There was a photograph of Eddie the crossing guard with four girls.  I was sitting on his lap!  Four OLA sixth grade girls took up a collection for our favorite Kamm's Corner's policeman and crossing guard, Eddie, when he retired.  We collected $20.25!)
The article stated that Traffic Patrolman Ed Trsek had been a member of the Cleveland Police Department for 41 years when he retired circa 1966. Since 1939, he had been assigned to West Side traffic, particularly Kamms Corners. He had escorted two generations of school children across the intersection at Lorain Avenue and Rocky River Drive. Four sixth-grade pupils of Our Lady of Angels School initiated a fund drive for a gift certificate for "Eddie the crossing guard." Patrolman Trsek, a Strongsville resident, was presented a $21.25 gift certificate at the school.

    From birth to 1959 I lived on Westport Ave, near Brysdale St.  I noticed that street is now gone!  I lived at 17231 Bradgate Avenue from 1959 to May 3, 1966, when we moved to California.  (Click for photo. May, 1989.)

--- Joan Gulling Kolb. Whittier, CA. 5 March 2007

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Rocky River Drive - Then & Now

The Salem Dental Laboratory (3873 Rocky River Dr.) used to be a Convenient Food Mart. I stopped here almost everyday on the way home from school. I remember comics were 60 cents and candy bars were 40 cents. A dollar would be enough to get something worthwhile. This was the first store I was allowed to go to alone on my bike. I was about 11.
    Now there's a Papa John's Pizza on the corner of Lorain and Rocky River Drive. Something else was there first (bowling alley?) but it burned down. I remember the black streaks on the wall which is now covered by a mural. Later there was an empty lot with a big hole in the ground which I always wanted to look at but my mom wouldn't let me get close. It became a Dunkin Donuts by the time I was in high school. I went to a father-daughter dance in my freshman year (1986) and stopped there for donuts. When it first opened they had a guy dressed in a donut costume dancing in the parking lot handing out coffee and donut coupons. He was in a foam rubber suit in 90 degrees plus!
    Tops in Kamm's Plaza used to be Pick-N-Pay. I remember being little enough to fit in the seat on the shopping cart. Mom would stop at the spinner rack of Little Golden Books and get me something to read so I'd stay quiet while she shopped.
    I was highly annoyed when the Riverside Theater closed to build a drugstore. That's where I'd seen RETURN OF THE JEDI and Steven King's CATSEYE, the first movie I was allowed to see alone. This was also the first theater where I went on a date to see a movie. The tickets were $3.50 and popcorn was $1.75 so five dollars was almost enough for a movie and a snack.

--- Lisa Fournier, Cleveland, OH.  28 July 2006

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Landphair Dry Goods store

My grandfather, Edwin Landphair, was originally a partner in the Landphair Dry Goods store at Kamm's Corners with my great-uncle William Landphair. I recall going into the store with my Aunt Millie and her buying me Buster Brown socks."

--- Barb McGilvray Fischer, Toledo, OH. 20 August 2007

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Lorain Avenue in the West 120's area

I can tell you a lot about the before of the pics on Lorain Avenue, W. 130th, etc. since I was born and raised at 3465 W. 129th.  I worked for Bill Mather at the car lot and the West Park Lanes was owned by Johnny Klares once BPA's doubles champion, Lunte Drug made some great Malts, and the grocery store on the corner across from Lunte was owned by Al Capp.  Lloydas cafe made some darn good hamburgers and had the first projection TV which folded up to news paper size.  You forgot the old A&P between 126 and 127th., south side.  I could keep going and tell you about all from W. 116th. (Lyric Theater) all the way to almost Kamms corners on Lorain.  I remember the night before I left for the USMC (1957 Sept.) there was a tavern called the 123 Bar on the north side of Lorain Avenue where the bikers hung out.  That night they had all the units lined up outside and they kind of were leaning, well I helped them out and slightly pushed them over just like dominos.  Needless to say they were P___ed!!!

--- Alan Toth, near Crestview, OH

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Lorain Avenue

Marquard House

I read your story on the Marquard House on Warren Road. I lived there for two and a half years, and it was interesting to read about its history.
    Currently, the building has 18 apartments, although one is used as an “office” for Manor House.
    The chapel, minus any religious artifacts, is still intact, and can only be accessed through a single apartment. Number 9 on the second floor.  The chapel is on the third floor, with the only staircase located in this apartment.
    The “chapel” has a low pitched roof, with long benches (with storage) that run lengthwise down the entire room.  There is also a large coat closet.  The room has one small window that faces north, and it gets rather warm up there in the summertime, as the ventilation is not very good.
    I lived in apartment 10, which had access through French doors to the large second floor front porch. This was my favorite spot in the house. (Laura provided the photographs of apartment number 10 seen here.)
    The bathroom in this apartment is huge.  It was 12 feet long and almost 5 feet wide.  The original mosaic tile floor, ceramic tile on the walls, tub and pedestal sink are all still intact.  Interesting arches and patterned plasterwork are also in this apartment, in the kitchen area. I moved out in March of 04, and I think this apartment is still vacant.

    I have been in most of the apartments, as the current owner has 75% of the building vacant. He is a little eccentric, and I had about 4 “phone interviews” before I could even come look at the apartments)

    The apartments are quite chopped up, and it was quite interesting trying to figure out the original layout of this home. The old gas light jets can still be found in some of the rooms throughout the entire building. One apartment is even U-shaped.

    After I moved in, my aunt stated her father used to attend dances on the third floor ballroom in the late 20’s. I confirmed that the ballroom was still there with one of the tenants that currently lives in the building.

    I tried to see if I could get the current owner to shed a little “love and affection” on this old home.  IE: working with community development, possible low interest loans, possibly have it listed as an historic building, but he is not particularly interested. I am hoping that someday maybe they will restore this piece of history.
    If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask!

--- Laura Howard
--- Escrow Officer, Ameriquest Team Leader
--- Mortgage Information Services

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Marquard House on Warren Road

Martin Jewelry Store

I remember a Santa Claus figure that used to sit in the window during the Christmas season at Martin Jewelry near the Riverside Theater. (Martin Jewelry, 17021 Lorain Avenue.)  He was a mechanical figure that would play music while he rocked back and forth. He had a red velvet suit and a long white beard. He was gorgeous.

---  Barb McGilvray Fischer, Toledo, OH.  20 August 2007

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Ortli's Market on West 130th Street

I have a nice memory of Ortli's candy store. My older sister used to walk me to a barber shop on West 127th and Lorain for an 85 cent haircut. Afterward, we'd walk down 130th and stop at the Ortli's to blow the remaining 15 cents. If we decided to get ice cream instead, we'd walk down to the Dairy Dell at the corner of West Avenue and 130th. My favorite was a two scooper, one lime and one orange sherbet.

--- David Shepley, Brunswick OH.  30 May 2008

We had a small candy store across from Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary on W 130th. It was called Ortli's.  I can remember some of the kids going there during lunch or after school to buy candy.  But I didn't have any money to spend on that kind of stuff so I would just go in with my friends and look at the candy in the display cases.  Mrs. Ortli was up in years back then. I can still see her face, a stern, no-nonsense woman with wire rimmed glasses. The counter was to the right as you walked in the door. The house still stands but there is no store there now.

--- John Papay, North Royalton, OH.  31 March 2007

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Ortli's Market on West 130th Street

Post Office at West 132nd and Lorain Rd.

I'm sorry to see some of these old places go. One building I really liked was the post office at West 132nd and Lorain Rd. My dad (Bill Cremati) worked there. Back then the mail men would take the bus to their routes and then work out of boxes that would have all their mail for the day - which they had sorted and cased that morning.  The mail was delivered to them by another driver. Some of the carriers would take their cars but that was a big No-No! It was a lot easier to do that than carry their full mail sack to the route. I guess they finally figured out the cost of the bus, time getting there, the other driver drop-offs, then coming back to the station, would pay for the vehicles they now drive. Today of course they all have there own mini-trucks!

--- John Cremati, Cleveland, OH.  April 2006

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Puritas Avenue and Rocky River Drive area

I was born on West 127th Street on April 10, 1917. My folks moved to Fairview Park when I was there months old. My older sister, Eileen, and I used to go to Puritas Springs to roller skate. We'd walk through the valley from our home and climb up the side of the hill to the park.
    We were walking through the park one Sunday at the time the Cyclone roller coaster was getting ready to open. I was about 11 years old. My sister was older. They were hollering for volunteers to ride it. My sister and I went on. There were about ten of us riding altogether. The Cyclone went up the first hill and stopped. The brakes went on for some reason. We all had to get out and walk down the catwalk along the track.
    The Cyclone didn't open that Sunday but, I think, on the following Sunday. (The Cyclone opened in 1928.) It was a month after that I rode the Cyclone all the way through. It was alright but I liked the Flying Turns at Euclid Beach better.
    I don't recall buying food at Puritas Springs too much. Ice cream sometimes. We used to take our own food when we went on picnics.  They used to have a little ice house right where you went it and you could buy ice. There was a bowling alley, too. When pins got chipped, they'd just throw them down into the little ravines in the park. We used to go and pick them up. I thought Puritas Springs was a great place and had a lot of fun there.

--- Lewis H. Clark, Cleveland, OH.  9 October 2007

We lived right on Puritas Avenue. At night if we had the windows open we could hear Jungle Larry's lions roaring. We could hear the Cyclone going along the track, too.
    We were at Puritas Springs one time and got on the butterfly ride, and it went on and on. The poor little old gent that ran it sat down and had a stroke I think. We were on that ride about 20 minutes.

--- Nancy Clark Resendiz, Cleveland, OH.  9 October 2007

I follow your recent additions to westparkhistory.com with interest. I remember riding streetcars along Lorain and some of the buildings you picture. As you have worked your way to Kamm's Corners and then down Rocky River Drive, you are getting close to home. The intersection of Puritas and Rocky River is ever so familiar for me - beginning in February 1940. I lived on Flamingo Ave. and crossed this intersection for seven years on my way to Puritas Elementary school. I see there are many changes.
    Puritas, of course, was a two-lane street then and housing did not exist much beyond St. Patrick's Church to the west. This intersection had a stoplight, and a church cemetery on the northeast corner, but the other three corner lots were empty, except perhaps for a billboard or two.
    Frankie's Delicatessen existed but I do not remember the name. It was unusual to go up steps into the store, and as I remember, it was a very small neighborhood grocery, the forerunner of a convenience store. Often, on the way to school or the way home, a schoolmate by the name of Ron Thrasher and I would stop in the store and buy a two-pack of cupcakes (Hostess maybe) to share. I think they were a nickel.
    As I mentioned, Discount Tile Mart didn't exist, neither did the Gulf station, and the other corner lot was empty too. I think Kroger's built a store there. Now it is a Discount Drug Store, or was, when I went there for my father in the late 1990's.
    Homes were few along Puritas from Rocky River to Puritas Springs Park. Puritas was narrow and had dirt paths meandering into fields and even a dump to the north of the street. I wonder if those homeowners realize what exists beneath their home sites.
    Flamingo Avenue to the west of Rocky River Drive was a dirt path until the building boom following World War II. My father pointed out, probably in the 40's, a vaguely visible right-of-way along the western berm of Rocky River Drive heading south where there were signs of the old interurban railway that went to Berea. This evidence disappeared with the widening of Rocky River Drive and the developments that took place to the west.
    There was a street-car turn-around loop and terminal just to the north of St. Patrick's. Streetcars also used to turn around at Kamm's Corners but the extension south, down Rocky River to Puritas, occurred within my memory.
    Probably in 1946 or 47, I was handed a wooden pole, with a cloth "STOP" sign attached, and did my duty to assist the crossing guard at this intersection when school started and ended.
    I think Kim's hardware was a grocery in the 1940's, larger than the one near the corner of Rocky River and Puritas (Frankie's). My mother gave me a grocery list and cash (and meat tokens during WW II) and I would ride my bike there to shop.

--- Henry Kieffer, Lore City, OH. 7 April 2007.

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Puritas Plaza

I remember the first stores in the shopping center at Puritas and West 140th. I recall when W. T. Grant's opened there in the early 1960s. They had a clown, balloons, and a piano player.
     The property where Puritas Plaza shopping center was built used to be the Peterjohn Farm. They had at least two houses on the property, both now gone.
     I also used to go to Jay Drug at the same shopping center. They had a fascinating section with rather bizarre jokes and novelties. For instance, they sold fake ears, noses, and thumbs sealed in plastic jars in some kind of green liquid. They were meant to look like medical specimens. When I was a little boy I was thrilled to find them on sale locally because until then I'd only seen them in the advertising section of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine. I pleaded with my mom to buy me the ear, which she finally did. It sat on a window sill in my bedroom for years.
     In about 1961 a very unusual attraction set up for a few weeks in the Puritas Plaza parking lot. It was billed as a "petrified man." You paid a small entrance fee and walked through a trailer. Lying upon a slab in the trailer, under glass I think, was what appeared to be a man made of stone. He had a gash visible on his forehead which was believed to be the cause of the man's death.
     I recall asking my science teacher at Garfield School, Mr. McCann, if he had seen the petrified man. He kind of laughed at me and said a man would decay before he would petrify. I don't know if that's accurate or not but I've never forgotten looking at the petrified man.

--- Gary Swilik, Cleveland, OH.  9 March 2008

My family moved to West 135th and Puritas back in 1961 from West 58th and Bridge Avenue neighborhood. I can still smell how fresh the air smelled back then. It felt like we were moving out to the country.
     I have fond memories of Baker’s Bakery in the shopping center at Puritas and West 140th. It would smell so good to go inside the bakery. They had the best Date Nut Cake that I ever had in my life time. I have never ever had one since. On special occasions, that was where we went. I do hope they are still in business.
     I remember the W.T. Grant store well, too. They had a Neanderthal man in a case on display out on their sidewalk.  It must have been in the early 1960s too, Maybe 1964? He was a stone man on display. It was unforgettable.

--- Louise McLaughlin, St. Cloud, FL.  8 March 2008

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Reliable Drug

Reliable Drug was originally on the other side of West 134th. The later location, across from St. Vincent DePaul, was Fisher Foods before it was Reliable.
    Reliable had the best vanilla milk shakes at the old drug store in the whole world!
    A lady named Irene, short, dark-haired made them.  Then, when they moved to the new bldg., a Jewish fellow from the east side, Morrie Strauss, took over the huge soda fountain area.  I won a half-gallon of ice cream in an opening drawing. They forgot to take my name off, so I went back again!  Morrie served a super size sundae in a Pyrex casserole dish for $2.50 If you could finish it, you got another one free! What days those were! Brings a tear to my eye!
    There were two brothers owned Reliable, Albert and Charles Ruxin.  Albert could be grumpy but Charlie was a pretty good guy.

--- Jon Dolfurd, John Marshall High School, Class of 1957, Longs, SC.  6 March 2006

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Reliable Drug store

The Riverside Theatre

 I have fond memories of the Riverside Theater and hated to see it go.  I saw a lot of monster movie matinees there in the 1950s and early 60s.  I recall seeing HORROR OF DRACULA with my sister in 1958 and GOLDFINGER in 1964.
    Remember those little balconies at the side of the theater with regular chairs in them instead of theater seats? They weren't really balconies, more like little theater boxes.  They were not far above the other seats, just separate.  I've recently learned some kids called them "boats." If you were lucky enough to occupy one, you rearranged the chairs, put your feet up, and had a private seating area just to yourself.  The chairs were literally like something you'd have at a kitchen table.
    The drinking fountain had a softly lit glass panel on the wall over it.  There were fish and seaweed etched or painted on different levels of the glass which gave a three-dimensional impression.  I thought it was the coolest thing and wanted one in my house!
    The Men's Room was in the basement with curving, carpeted stairs going down to it.  We used to push each other down the stairs because the soft, thick carpet would cushion your fall and make it fun.

--- Gary Swilik, Cleveland, OH.  28 December 2007

 Another Kamm's Corners institution I miss is the ornate, art deco-era Riverside Theatre, now unfortunately the site of yet another Walgreen's.  I understand the old-time movie theaters no longer make financial sense for the operators but I hate that all we have left of most of them are faded pictures and memories.
    I thought the balcony had the best seats in the house!  We used to both throw, and get hit by, flying boxes of Raisinets, Sour Balls, Goobers and Milk Duds from that balcony.  I forgot about the men's room being downstairs, that's right.  I also remember a drinking fountain with a little light over it.  In my memory the Riverside was always pretty dark, almost spooky.  But it was cool, wasn't it? My kids can't believe it when I tell them my parents used to get rid of us for a whole Sunday afternoon at just 50 cents a head:  a quarter for admission, 15 cents for candy, and 10 cents for popcorn.  The bargain was even greater as that got us a double feature, a news reel, and a cartoon!
   One of the last features I saw was BYE BY BIRDIE which I still love to this day.  Funny thing but I now live about three blocks north of the house where Bobby Rydell (Hugo, in the movie) grew up.  South Philly but it is the birthplace of many pop stars from that era:  Chubby Checker, Fabian, James Darren, Frankie Avalon.  

--- Josephine (Curella) Cardillo, Philadelphia, PA.  28 December 2007

 The Riverside Theater was taken over by a man named Bill Helaney who at one time was manager of that theater for Lowe's.  He ran the theater as an independent until it was forced to close because of the property being redeveloped.  It was Bill's life's dream to run his own theater and he finally accomplished it.  He sold the tickets, ushered, sold candy, made popcorn and did what ever it took to make it.  He operated it as a second-run, $3-admission, independent movie theater.  You should really try to look up Bill Helaney if he is still around.  I am sure he would have some great pictures as he was quite the promoter.  I think he went way-back as a theater manager in the area.  (Note: Several attempts to make contact with William Helaney have not been successful.)

--- John Cremati, Cleveland, OH,  23 April 2006

 I like the website. For a long time I'd been searching online for photos of the old Riverside Theater on Lorain, which closed only a dozen years ago but holds many memories for me. I was born in 1971 and too young to have ever gone to the little theater that used to be in Kamm's Plaza (World West) -- The) Riverside was our theater--that was THE place where OLA kids would sneak into slasher horror movies.  Otherwise, parents would have to drive us to Loews West at Rockport.

--- Pete Roche, Cleveland, OH.  28 September 2006

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Riverside Theater

Royal Castle

I recall riding bikes from home next to JMH (John Marshall High School), to the Castle on 140 and Triskett.   There was a colorful character who worked behind the counter, maybe in his twenties, and undeniably from the deep south.   He had a very pronounced southern accent, and the usual order we placed was 6 royal castles and a birch beer.  He would declare in a loud booming voice to whom I have no idea,   "A BEER FOR HERE AND A SQUARE" !!  A square was 6 burgers, not  exceptionally large order for a teen.  This fellow was always referred to by us as the "Hillbilly at Royal Castle".  Not very PC these days, buy quite funny back then.  Today living in east Tennessee, we enjoy a similar chain called "Krystals".   Not unlike "White Castle" or "Royal Castle", the buildings are small and painted white, stay open very late, and serve small burgers by the "sackfull".  Close, but no cigar, or should I say no birch beer.  To have those small burgers without birch beer is like eating hot wings without draft beer.  Its just not the same!

--- Bill Chapo,  JMH.  Jan 66

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Royal Castle

Stroemple's hamburger stand

I remember Stroemple's custard and hamburger stand (on the west side of W. 140th, just north of Lakota Ave) because the milk and cream for it was first delivered by my dad, John Mokren, who had the Dairyman's route around the vicinity of John Marshall High School. The Stroemple's were home customers, too, and one of the reasons Mr. Stroemple opened was the delivery of milk products guaranteed by my dad. I always stayed in school during the lunch hour to see the movies but there was a stretch of time when I went outside instead. Needless to say, guess where I headed?

--- James Mokren, Jackson, OH.  9 June 2008

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Stroemple's/Lou's

The Variety Theater

My family and I lived only 3 houses from the Variety and we saw lots of the cool movies back then. Jerry Lewis, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, beach movies, etc. I had to pay 35 cents to get in when I was 11 years old. I was so tall they thought I was older. Wow!  A whole 35 cents!
    When we kids were real young, we used to sneak in and check under the seats for change people lost. I hope they do reopen!! It would be great for the neighborhood wonder if the opening day will only be 25 cents to get in? That'd be great!!

--- Tim Bauhof,  Parma, OH. 23 April 23 2008

I enjoyed the article about the Variety Theater. I once lived on West 123rd Street, the third house south of Lorain. As a teenager I spent many a matinee at the Variety with my high school friends watching cowboy movies with Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, etc. This was before John Wayne days.
     Did you know that on certain days the Variety gave each patron a plate, soup dish, or cup free of charge? My parents had quite a collection.
     Variety admission was 25 cents. Yes, 25 cents! How do I remember so clearly? Because the Almira Theater on West 105th charged only 15 cents and, money being short in 1936, we'd often walk the extra mile to save 10 cents.
     The Variety justified their higher charge by showing first-run movies, not re-runs like the Almira. Frankly we didn't know the difference. The good guys in the white hats always won in either case.

--- Frank J. Simone, Cleveland, OH. 7  December 2007

Oh, do I remember the Variety!  I used to go there almost every Sunday. I remember watching THE TINGLER with Vincent Price and how the seats vibrated. It brings back so many memories. Remember the policeman that used to walk up and down the aisles checking to make sure you were not causing any trouble?  Many a time I got kicked out for causing trouble. I remember the popcorn and all the other stuff. Sitting up in the balcony was a real treat. I moved from Cleveland 19 years ago and am now living in a little town in lower Alabama but, I sure miss all the fun I had growing up in Cleveland.

--- Sandy Shaw, Daleville, AL. 28 April 2007

At one time The Variety Theater had live performances. They had a full stage behind the movie screen. My mother, when young, gave a performance playing the Hawaiian guitar there. There were some pretty fabulous art deco dressing rooms in the basement.
    I once tried to restore the neon marquees of both the Variety and the Riverside Theaters. Neon was just a never-ending expense for them because of breakage so eventually they just let it go and maintained only the bare essential lights. The marquee wiring was so bad in both places I can not believe they did not burn down!
    I also took care of their heating and air conditioning systems. To heat and cool those barns was an incredible cost! Water towers had to be cleaned and maintained. Fifty horsepower AC Compressors were old and needed to be replaced. Million BTU boilers, steam coils and air handlers with 25 horsepower fans, all old, all needing on-going work ......Big Bucks to run and maintain!

--- John Cremati, Cleveland, OH.  April 2006

I was looking at the site a bit more, and saw an article on the Variety Theater. I remember my Dad taking me to see the original Star Wars there in 1977.  Very impressive! 
    A few years later I started attending the Variety to see bands play. Some of the larger bands I remember seeing were the Dead Kennedy’s, X, REM, Romeo Void, INXS and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
    We would “camp out” early in the afternoon on the day of the show, waiting to get the best spot in front of the stage. It was like a mini party.  We had our portable tape players, so we could listen to the tapes of the bands that we were going to see that night. The theater was general admission, so whoever was first in line got the best view!
    As far as I knew..  it was the Motorhead show at the Variety that caused the plaster to start to crumble. 

 --- Laura Howard, Cleveland, OH.  13 February 2006

 

I remember going there as a child and seeing movies and at the time it also included 3 cartoons either before or after the main feature.  We usually would not be able to afford the refreshments though. Instead we would stop off on the way at Kamms Rexall Drugstore at West 165th & Lorain Avenue.  There we would buy 5 cent candy bars for our refreshments for the movie. There was a bonus in buying candy at that particular store because we could get 6 nickel candy bars for 25 cents. When we got to the theater I remember the Variety was the only place I can remember where you went into the lobby and instead of walking straight down the aisle to your seat you needed to go to the right before you walked down an aisle. I also remember how fancy I thought the theater looked and how unusual the water fountains were and howrl the large circular shape designs were on each side of the stage. Entertainment then was so much easier to enjoy and the candy twice as large. Slo-pokes and Black Cow Suckers along with packages of Necco Wafers and Caramel Cremes. 

--- Tom McGlynn, Cleveland, OH.  6 June 2006

Was just looking over the article on the Variety Theater at 118th. and Lorain Ave.  I worked there as an usher in 1955-56.  Was a very interesting place.  Lots of interesting items in the back and behind stage.  I bet that was a wonderful place during the 30-40s.  I remember when the marquee was bent over and had to be torn down after the tornado that hit the area.  We got free passes for changing lights on same.  Good memories.  My boss's name was Shelly and he always wore a brown suit.  Nice guy.

--- Alan Toth, near Crestview, OH. 6 September 2005

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Variety Theater

Verda Brobst Elementary School
     Verda Brobst school (at West 192nd & Maplewood) and the surrounding homes were razed to create
     a buffer zone for the expansion of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
    The site now is the Verda Brobst Playfield in the Riverside Neighborhood.

My sister Vicki and I just love to stroll down "Memory Lane." The funny thing is we're way more sentimental about our Cleveland past than about the years we lived in North Olmsted. Maybe it's because Cleveland is where we spent our most innocent years before we learned that not everything is black and white. The west side of Cleveland will always hold a special place in our hearts as it really is where we spent our "wonder years."
    Some of my fondest memories occurred when I was a student at Verda Brobst Elementary School from K through 6, '57-'64. I loved that place and was heartbroken when it was torn down back in the 1990s.
    My family lived at 19007 Midvale Avenue. My younger sister Vicki and I had only a five-minute walk from our house to school. I remember going home for lunch every day, watching Captain Penny while eating, and then eagerly running back to school.
    I just hate that Verda Brobst school and that community of little bungalows north of Brookpark Road was razed for an industrial park. It was a wonderful place to live! I still have a Plain Dealer article about the eminent-domain takeover of that piece of West Park.
    Sweet Mr. Joseph DeLuca, who lived on nearby on Forestwood Avenue, was extremely chagrined to be losing his beloved home to a wrecking ball. He raised his family of eight kids in that house. Before vacating the premises he actually buried a time capsule in his backyard.
    Before they demolished our block we visited our old house which had already been burglarized, for scrap material I guess. I pulled our address sign off the front of the house and it now hangs in my walk-in closet. I also pulled a tile off the kitchen wall which I use as a coaster.

--- Josephine (Curella) Cardillo, Philadelphia, PA. 01 May 2008

My family lived at 19106 Maplewood Avenue from 1958 to 1989. Wonderful street! I went to Verda Brobst elementary school from kindergarten up to sixth grade. That was from 1963 to 1970. My brother Jim went there from 1956 to 1962.T  he school was located at 4840 West 192nd Street, west of Rocky River Drive, just north of Parkmount Avenue. It had two halves to it. The old red brick part was built in 1954. Due to us baby boomers, a modern section was added in 1961. The principal was Miss Daily and she was a dead ringer for "Aunt Bee" from Mayberry on the Andy Griffith Show. A very nice lady.

    My first grade teacher was Miss Summerfield. She was twenty-two years old and drove a convertible. We used to have recess and we would always play Duck, Duck, Goose. I remember Miss Summerfield used to play with us while the other teachers leaned against their cars smoking – yes, smoking. I always admired the fact Miss Summerfield could play a mean Duck, Duck Goose in spiked heels and a knee-length skirt! Again, this was 1963.
    Verda Brobst had a playground with a large slide and monkey bars made out of heavy lead pipe. If you fell and opened up a wound, your parents would blame you for being careless, not the school. It was a different time. The swings were bright orange and made out of a combination of heavy wood and steel. If you got hit in the head with those things, it was a ride to Fairview Hospital.
    One of the best memories was on summer nights when the little league was playing in the school ball diamonds. My parents (Richard & Betty Ferrell) would run the concession stand which was an ugly cinderblock building, painted an even uglier shade of bright blue. I remember mom and dad selling Orange Crush and hot dogs while I played on the swings, looking out over the parking lot filled with cars from the 50s and 60s.
    I would swing on into the soft summer night, safe and secure in my world.

--- Scott Ferrell, Cleveland, OH.  28 May 2007

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West Park Pharmacy

Your interest in my father's drugstore has afforded me the opportunity to reflect upon memories, many of which were long forgotten.  At this time, I would like to share them with you.
     West Park Pharmacy, located at Kamm's Corners on the northeast corner of Lorain and Rocky River Drive, was part of our family.  Everyone called my dad "doc".  He was totally dedicated to his customers and his profession.  He opened the store at 8:00 AM and closed at 11 P.M.  When my dad was home, we were not allowed to talk on the phone longer than 10 minutes in case "the store" needed him.  Light years away from today's cell phones!
    People loved to "hang out" at the store.  Eddie "the cop" (I don't remember his last name) was always on the corner helping "us kids" cross the street, but he took his breaks at West Park Pharmacy.  Another name that comes to mind is Mr. Betsicover, the manager of Cleveland Trust Bank.  I was employed there summers when I wasn't working at the store.
    My sister Carol and I were both "soda jerks" at the wonderful soda fountain whenever school was on break.  Milkshakes, sodas, & sundaes were all 25 cents.  During the Christmas holidays my mother, Ethel Weiner Miller, pitched in and we all worked.
    We believe our dad purchased the store around 1945 and sold it in the late 1970s.  (City directories indicate Bob Miller was managing the pharmacy as early as 1941.
    The nuns and priests of the parish were his customers, and he delivered their prescriptions to them.  When the discount stores came on the scene, they maintained their loyalty to him.  When my dad passed away in 1982, one of them wrote a letter saying Robert A. Miller was a "gentle gentleman."
    Thank you again from my sister and me for allowing us to pay tribute to this very special man, and his beloved pharmacy.

--- Nancy Miller Gilbert, South Euclid, OH.  15 May 2008   (Photograph:  Robert "Bob" Miller at the West Park Pharmacy, in the bank building on the northeast corner of Lorain Avenue and Rocky River Drive. Courtesy of his daughters, Nancy Gilbert and Carol Dorsey, and his grandson Alan Gilbert.)

Readers: Have you any memories or photos of Bob Miller's West Park Pharmacy?  If so, please email us.  We'd love to hear from you.

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West Park Recreation

West Park Recreation, at West 128th and Lorain, had a bowling alley in the basement.  I worked there as a pin setter, way before automatic pin setters, for ten cents a game.  League night was crazy, jumping between two adjacent alleys.  If the bowlers liked how fast you reset the pins they would throw a quarter or two down the alley after a game as a tip. Very dangerous work with pins flying all over the place.  I saw many of my buddies taken out of there after being beaned with a bowling pin!

--- Bill Chapo, Knoxville, TN.  17 June 2006

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West Park Recreation

Miscellaneous

I lived in West Park most of my life until I was married. My dad still lives there. I am only 35 but remember so many of the great buildings that have come and gone.
    My grandpa used to work in the Ohio Bell building. My greatest memories, however, took place in two buildings not mentioned.
    One is the G. C. Murphy Company at Kamms Plaza where my grandma used to take us to their lunch counter for hot dogs and floats "like in the old days."
    The other was the airport Brown Derby. I'm not sure if that was West Park or just outside of it. Our neighbor used to work there so we got to go out one Friday per month for the salad bar and French bread pizza on the kid's menu. We would eat at the salad bar and take the pizza home for Saturday night. Thank you for the memories in these money-grubbing times. I wish I had pics but I hope you can find some and add them to your site.

--- Tina Combs, Parma Heights, OH.  30 April 2008

Sure like your website as it reminds me of the days growing up as a teenager and hanging out around "Hank's" delicatessen and Garfield School. I understand the school is gone now.
I went to Garfield in 1951 before going on to Marshall High. In fact, it was on the steps of Garfield that some friends and I tattooed ourselves using a sewing needle wrapped in thread and dipped in India ink. I was 16 at the time. I still have my initials tattooed on my left arm.
    I attended Boy Scout meetings in the basement at Christ Methodist Church on the point at the intersection of West 137 and West 138th.
My crowd did get around town and we didn't spend all our teenage years in the immediate neighborhood. As we grew older we went to places like Bill's Bar on Lorain near West 143rd Street. We also frequented Bearden's drive-in and Kamm's Corners, too, along with occasional outings at Rocky River Park and late nights at Royal Castle or Manners Drive-in restaurant.
    When some of us got cars it expanded our horizons and we ventured far and wide around Cleveland, even going out to North Olmsted where one of our buddy's parents owned a farm. We had many parties in the woods out there.
    Just in case there are some visitors to your site that may wonder who's who, I'll include a few names of the old gang and see if that stirs up any interest. This is pretty much the local gang that hung around Garfield School and Hank's Delicatessen at the northeast corner of Lyric Avenue on West 140th:

Myself - Larry Phipps, of   W. 137th Street, Dave Shepley, Frank Savel, Tom Cleary, James and Pat Patton, Jack Kilbane, Art Yurek, Lee Calbrunner, Bob Farrell, Louie Reese, John (Yohan) Petrilla, Bob Onicilla, Jim Ravotti, Jerry Knipper, Tom Daly, Tim & Tom Terry, Bill Vanderlind, Charles (Butch) Miller, Bill Burke and Ron Fuller.

AND THE GIRLS:  Patti Abel, Carol Zietz, Carol Leitz, Joanne Szpak, Margaret (Cookie) Walsh, Mary Ellen Joice (Or Joyce), Sarah Cormier, Patty English and Sally McNally.

    Many others were around from time to time. Forgive me if I left anyone out. It's purely the passage of time that leaves the memory vague.
    By the way, "Hank" (Henry S. Kurzynski), of Hank's Delicatessen, died in an airplane crash. He had a pilot's license but I never heard what went wrong with his flight. I had left to go into the Navy by then.
    That's when everything started to change. One by one we entered the military and began to lose touch with each other. That and marriage was the end of "Our Gang".
    Soon we were all scattered to the wind. It was only a few years ago that some of us, through the internet, re-established contact. A few remained in touch throughout the years but most had left Cleveland for other places. Florida, Tennessee, California, etc.
    I'm hoping to get back to West Park next summer for a reunion.

 --- Larry Phipps, Chico, California. 4 December 2007

I remember a swamp just west of West 137th on the north side of Lorain Avenue. I think a building supply was eventually built there. My friends and I loved to explore that swamp. We'd bring home frogs and clams. Can you imagine clams in a swamp in the city?  I wonder how clams got there. In fact, I wonder how a swamp got there.
    Do you remember when the streets were all brick?  Can you imagine how labor intensive that must've been to build?  The wet bricks ere so slippery.  Funny we didn't see more accidents.
    I also recall the little 'woods' that existed on West137th at Lorain. It later became a big phone company building.  I believe there was a small phone building there originally, but it didn't affect the woods.
    How about the ice man?  It was the '50's, and some people still had their old ice boxes.  In the summer, I'd stand at the curb and wait for the iceman to drive up. Before he'd hook the blocks with his tongs and make his delivery, he'd lift the tarp off the load of giant ice cubes and, without a word, chip off a big chunk of ice and toss it to me to eat. I think we kids were much easier to please in those days.
    I remember ice cream man, too. The ice cream trucks were kind of unique, with the open cab and dry ice box in the back. Apparently refrigeratio