Lost Restaurants Of Downtown Cleveland

"From humble and hungry beginnings, the city of Cleveland grew over centuries until it boasted a dizzying array of gustatory choices. City dwellers and travelers alike flocked to the eateries at Public Square and Terminal Tower, including the Fred Harvey restaurants with their famous Harvey Girls. A single block-long street, Short Vincent featured the Theatrical Grille, the longest-running jazz joint in the area. The walls of Otto Moser's were a veritable Hollywood roll call, and the New York Spaghetti House offered a complete dining and aesthetic experience. Fill your cup with the libation of your choice, grab a snack and join author Bette Lou Higgins on a historical tour of the restaurants that kept Clevelanders fed."--Publisher's description.

Downtown Cleveland has many architectural landmarks that define this big, proud city on the lake. Most famous is Terminal Tower, the "grand dame" of Cleveland skyscrapers, which was the tallest office building outside of New York City from 1930 until 1967. Other notable high-rises such as the BP building, Key Tower (at 948 feet one of the tallest in the nation), and the new Federal Court House with its distinctive lighted cornice also dominate the city's beautiful Lake Erie skyline. And then there are the details-the terra-cotta "starburst" motif on the exterior of the Standard Building, the extensive metal decorative work inside the gargoyle-encircled atrium of The Arcade, and the immense stained-glass dome of the Cleveland Trust Rotunda.

Remember when food was local? This book collects the fondest memories of Clevelanders who ache for favorite treats from the past. Hough Bakery. Frostees in the Higbee's basement. Popcorn balls at Euclid Beach. Burgers at Manner's or Mawby's. Entertainment-filled nights at Alpine Village. Mustard at old Municipal Stadium. And much more.

At its height, Cleveland was a center of industry. Nearly 1 million people called the city home, and all of them needed various assortments of goods, wares and sundries. To serve their desires, fabulous stores once graced the city. The names alone--Higbee's, Halle's, May Company, Taylor Son & Company, Sterling Linder and Bailey's--conjure a comforting memory of sophisticated style and lost glamour. At the heart of this consumer paradise stood Euclid Avenue, Cleveland's golden façade. With its dynamic retail stores, homes to countless millionaires and elevated air, it was one of a trio of famous American retail promenades alongside New York's Fifth Avenue and State Street in Chicago. Local historian Michael DeAloia's illuminating chronicle evokes the golden age of Cleveland's prestige and elegance.

Originating as simple one- or two-room storefront operations, Cleveland's department stores grew as population and industry in the region boomed throughout the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th. They moved into ever larger and elaborate structures in an attempt to woo the shopping dollars of blue-collar and genteel Clevelanders alike. Stores such as Halle's, Higbee's, May Company, Bailey Company, Sterling-Lindner-Davis, and others both competed with and complemented one another, all the while leaving an indelible mark on the culture of northeast Ohio and beyond. From the humble origins of Halle's horse-drawn delivery wagons and the elaborate design of Higbee's on Public Square to Christmas favorites like Mr. Jingeling and the massive Christmas tree at Sterling-Lindner-Davis--it is all here in crisp, black-and-white images, many of which have not been seen in print for decades.

What made Christmas extra-special to a Cleveland kid? Relive some of your fondest memories: A visit to Mr. Jingeling at Halle's; gazing at the giant Sterling-Lindner-Davis tree; the long line to see Santa at Higbee's--followed by a Frosty; a concert at Severance Hall; mouthwatering treats from Hough Bakery; lights at GE's Nela Park; and more.

Fans of Les Robert's "Milan Jacovich" mystery series will enjoy this memoir in which Roberts tells how he discovered the heart and soul of a city while fictionalizing it for the series.

During Cleveland's heyday, the world's most influential businessmen, politicians and entertainers flocked to America's sixth-largest city, enjoying the full hospitality of splendid hotels befitting a first-rate metropolis. Marked by architectural splendor, sumptuous design, technical innovation and world-class service, these grand palaces rose and fell with Cleveland's fortunes. From Teddy Roosevelt dining under the ornate chandeliers of the Hotel Hollenden's famed Crystal Ballroom to Bob Hope and Jack Benny cracking wise at the Alcazar's bar, Michael DeAloia adds atmosphere to seven of the most elegant and inviting Cleveland hotels to emerge in the early twentieth century. Only one of these legendary establishments hosts guests today. This revealing chronicle recaptures the golden age of Cleveland's power and prestige.

In the late 1800s, East Cleveland took root as a small trading post alongside a wagon trail that led from Buffalo, New York, to Cleveland, Ohio. This wagon trail, then known as the "Lakeshore Trail" forged by American Indians long gone, later became Euclid Avenue--"the showplace of America." In 1911, East Cleveland planted its municipal roots seven miles east of downtown Cleveland. New gas and waterlines, streetcars, and women's municipal suffrage greatly increased economic growth. With help from investor John D. Rockefeller, businesses such as the National Bindery Company, the Nickel Plate Railroad, and General Electric's Nela Park thrived in the city's favorable economic climate. East Cleveland's racial demographics diversified after several wars abroad, and the city later faced "white flight" during the 1950s and 1960s. Although fiscal emergencies shook the city's foundation throughout the 1970s to 1990s, East Cleveland has experienced a recent upsurge of urban renewal. Once home to "Millionaires' Row," it is now the perfect climate for urban farming, sustainable business practices, community education, and innovative civic engagement.

A second rollicking collection of tales about colorful characters and memorable events from the author of "Crazy, With the Papers to Prove It." Sportswriter Dan Coughlin has met everyone from gun-toting softball fanatics to millionaire sports team owners. Reading his stories is like dipping into a bowl of bar nuts--easy to start and hard to stop!