Four Parishes May Be

FREE Volume 1 Number 2 TAKE ONEMay 6, 2008 HEIGHTS OBSERVER NEWS AND VIEWS FROM CLEVELAND HEIGHTS AND UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS IN THIS ISSUE Four parishes may be one Observations 2 News 4 Merger plan means Saint Louis in Cleveland Heights will most likely close Heights Eats 6 Carol Staiger Local Business 7 On April 30, teams of volunteers from Sustainability 8 four area Catholic churches simultane- ously presented the first draft of a plan The Arts 9 to merge their congregations. Parishio- Schools 10 ners from Saint Ann and Saint Louis of Cleveland Heights and Christ the King Library 12 and Saint Philomena of East Cleveland gathered at their respective churches to Neighborhoods 14 hear the report. Those at Saint Ann were generally receptive to the recommenda- tion that all four churches combine to form one parish. The parish would have two campuses, one at Saint Ann and the A MEMBER OF THE OBSERVER other at Saint Philomena. Saint Louis and Christ the King would close and the MEDIA GROUP AND AN OFFICIAL ONLEY number of priests currently serving the D . M. GOOGLE NEWS SOURCE four parishes would be reduced from G Saint Ann Church may become the locus of a four-church consolidated parish. four to two. The Catholic Church in Cleveland with aging infrastructure and stagnant, the issue. The diocese’s 231 parishes were A PROJECT OF and its nearby suburbs has been losing often declining, financial support. The to self-select into 69 clusters. Once the members to the growing, and sometimes number of priests serving the diocese clusters were approved by the bishop, new, parishes in farther-flung suburbs and continues to decline and their median age each was given a mandate that indicated cities as many Cuyahoga County residents continues to rise. the number of churches, the number of have migrated to these outer-ring cities About two years ago, the Most Rev. schools, and the number of priests that and the counties beyond. Left behind are Richard Lennon, head of the diocese of should serve each cluster, beginning in many proud congregations who struggle Cleveland, announced a plan to address 2010. Bishop Lennon had implemented continued on page 4 Roots of American These old houses music has roots in Deanna Bremer Fisher Register. The city of Cleveland Heights Landmark Commission also recognizes As Heights citizens join thousands of historic properties and has recognized Cleveland Heights people across the country to celebrate 51 such properties since its inception in National Preservation Month this 1973 (see map page 14). May they join a growing movement of Benefits of listing a property in the David Budin from its roots in blues, R&B, bluegrass individuals who are working to protect National Register include recognizing and country music. It was during those the unique character of their neighbor- the property’s historical, architectural Soon after graduating from CH-UH programs that Richards realized how hoods. and cultural significance, consideration High School, Kevin Richards started many kids had no idea that there was “I’d estimate at least 90% of our in planning for federal or federally as- giving guitar lessons at Dick Lurie’s any other music besides what they heard housing stock and at least 50% of our sisted projects, potential eligibility for Cedar-Lee studio. Eventually, Richards at home, whether it was hip-hop or commercial buildings are over 50 years federal and state tax credits and qualifi- opened his own school, the Fairmount rock. And, they certainly didn’t know— old and may be eligible for listing in the cation for federal assistance for historic School of Music, where he continued or have any reason to care—that the mu- National Register of Historic Places,” preservation when funds are available. to teach, while also playing in rock and sic they listened to had roots in other, says Kara Hamley-O’Donnell, historic National Register listing does not bluegrass bands. earlier forms. So, Richards launched preservation planner for the city of prevent an owner from doing anything When the Rock and Roll Hall of the Fairmount Music Education Fund, Cleveland Heights. they wish with their property, provided Fame and Museum opened, its educa- which was soon renamed Roots of Nominating a neighborhood or an that no federal license, permit, or fund- tion department tapped Richard to help American Music (ROAM). The non- individual building to be listed in the ing is involved, nor does it require an present some of their school’s programs, profit organization, is headquartered in National Register of Historic Places is owner to open a property to the public, which illustrated rock music’s evolution a storefront on Fairmount Boulevard, one of the ways that citizens work to restore it, or maintain it in any particu- continued on page 9 preserve the city’s character. In 1966 the lar manner. Case in point: although the National Historic Preservation Act cre- old Cleveland Heights City Hall was ROAm ated a national list of cultural resources listed in the Register in 1986, it was worthy of preservation. The program subsequently demolished. OURTESY OURTESY C was designed to coordinate efforts to Although anyone can write a identify, evaluate and protect historic National Register nomination, it is properties and is administered by the not an easy task. Individual citizens National Park Service, a part of the have completed the last three National U.S. Department of the Interior. The Register nominations in Cleveland register contains over 80,000 listings. Heights. Diana Wellman recently wrote Cleveland Heights contains, in the nomination for the Inglewood His- whole or in part, seven National Regis- toric District, an area of historic homes Rootsy American ter Historic Districts and will soon add north of Severance Town Center. “I’m musicians can be found and heard an eighth when the Inglewood District hoping that being in a historic district at the Fairmount is listed later this year. Nine buildings will increase property values or at least School of Music. are individually listed in the National hold them steady in the market today. continued on page 14 HEIGHTS OBSERVER MAY 6, 2008 1 JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT WWW.HEIGHTSOBSERVER.ORG OBSERVATIONS More on the movie One is her reference to Fred Taub as a Heights High kids ace HEIGHTS OBSERVER single member of the community making screening that wasn’t demands on the library. Mr. Taub took the spelling bee and more The Heights Observer is a citizen-based news source published monthly by FutureHeights, initiative and acted as a spokesman for 2163 Lee Rd., #103, many others. Dear Observer, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118. Dear Observer, Within the first minute of the video The good news of the Reaching Heights 216.320.1423 I take note of the recent criticism of the Copyright 2008 FutureHeights, All rights reserved. in question, I took note of distortions of Spelling Bee is in: Students from Any reproduction is forbidden without written permission. Cleveland Heights University Heights Li- the situation. The video is objectionable Heights High placed second in the com- brary Board over the cancellation of a film PUBLISHER because it serves to promote the concept petition [a team of CWRU faculty won about the conflict in the Middle East. Deanna Bremer Fisher that terrorists are victims and that the after three tiebreaker rounds]. Kids, Years ago, in a concurrence in the case ADVERTISING Israelis are equal perpetrators of violence our kids at our high school, from our called Whitney v. California, U.S. Supreme 216.320.1423 and injustice. The video itself shuts off school district defeated bankers, musi- [email protected] Court Justice Louis Brandeis observed free speech because it imbues the minds cians, librarians, and teachers. This was that in the face of troubling speech “the Editorial Board of the untutored with falsehood. I am no kid-on-kid competition. The annual Jeff Bendix, D. B. Fisher, Jane Flaherty, Mark remedy to be applied is more speech, not aware that people are uncomfortable with event was a free-for-all tumble amongst Majewski, Fran Mentch, Holly Pangrace, Jessica enforced silence.” It appears that was the Schreiber, Sarah Wean, Matthew Williams the label of anti-Semitism, yet that is ex- spellers of every age, race, gender, and original intent of the Library Board, to actly what it is, and we had better wake up academic background. My goodness, PhotographY show a film containing assertions some G. M. Donley, Hugh Fisher, Tonya Gibson, Mark and recognize it. Centuries ago, Jews were that is good news and we should rejoice. would find objectionable and then carry Majewski, David Wasserstrom, Sarah Wean persecuted for being Christ-killers, then After the magnificent “Fiddler on the out a panel discussion exploring the truth DESIGN AND PRODUCTION accused of being usurers and for the libel Roof,” the choral tour of New Orleans, or falsity of the claims—exposing them to G. M. Donley of using Christian blood for matzos. More and the wave of acceptance news from the test of the marketplace. recently they have been described as hav- students getting into every imaginable Contributing WRITERS It’s disappointing that the board Carla Bailey, Maryann Barnes, Charlotte Bifulco, ing big noses, speaking with odd accents college and university, something good Lynne Breitenstein-Aliberti, David Budin, Joanne didn’t stay the course, but understandable and having odd names. Israel-bashing is and wholesome is going on. And, on top Campbell, G. M. Donley, Hailee Dorflinger, Michael in the circumstances in which the library’s Dougherty, Gay Eyerman, Esther Feldman, D. B. simply the new face of the old hatred. of all this, children who go through our Fisher, Tonya Gibson, Lita Gonzalez, Kathryn Lad, future financial needs are on the ballot.

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