1939 Retrospective
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THE PLAIN DEALER . SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1998 5-D OURCENTURY 1939 ATA GLANCE Devastation of war City takes control felt at home, too Declaring, “The Polish state has rejected my efforts to establish neighborly relations,” of lakefront Adolf Hitler sent tanks across the border and bombers over Polish cities on Sept. 1. Britain and France responded to the invasion of Po- Main Avenue Bridge connects land by declaring war on Germany. Italy stayed neutral; Hitler had sent dictator Benito East and West sides Mussolini a telegram saying he didn’t need tire route, Cleveland’s first freeway, Italy’s help. By Fred McGunagle would, in time, carry the name Clevelanders shuddered, especially the hun- Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, hon- dreds of thousands with relatives in the “old Four planes swooped out of the oring servicemen killed in World country.” The price of sugar shot up from night sky to rake the marchers with War II. $1.19 to $1.75 per pound as hoarders cleared machine gun fire. Down on the river, The bridge itself would be rededi- out supplies.A number of prominent Cleve- a Coast Guard cutter turned its pow- cated in 1986 as the Harold H. Bur- landers were stranded abroad, including Cath- erful searchlight on the attacking ton Bridge, a name that goes unused olic Bishop Joseph Schrembs in Italy, Rabbi planes. Soldiers returned fire from but fittingly honors the mayor whose Barnett Brickner in Switzerland and former mounted machine guns. And, on the gamble made the Shoreway possible. Law Director Ezra Shapiro in France. bridge and the river banks, 110,000 Clevelanders ap- Early Clevelanders gave little On the fourth day of the war, the British thought to preserving lakeshore plauded. liner Athenia was torpedoed off Scotland with property, instead letting commercial 1,400 passengers aboard, including at least In Europe for interests claim most of it. An excep- 100 Americans. Two were from Cleveland. the last month, the tion was John Stockley, who had built WHK, WCLE, WTAM and WGAR all cleared shooting had been the first pier. Historian William Gan- their schedules for news flashes and network son Rose records that when the correspondents reporting by short wave. real, but Cleve- land chose the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered an built its track along the lake in 1851, immediate 30 percent increase in the armed mock battle as part of one of its Stockley warned: “You’re letting the forces — 150,000 more men. The Navy raised railroad ruin the most beautiful thing its upper age limit on enlistees to 31 and biggest celebra- tions ever — the we have.” dropped the passing score on its mental test Burton from 85 to 50 percent. After 10 years, Ameri- opening of the William J. Gordon gave the city cans saw full employment quickly returning. new Main Avenue Gordon Park in 1892, and two years Bridge on Oct. 6, later, the city bought the estate of Ja- • 1939. (The old Main Avenue Bridge cob Perkins to create Edgewater Park. Elsewhere, railroads and busi- The Indians returned to the Stadium for 30 was a swing bridge 100 feet below, nesses moved in. In 1926, City Man- games in 1939, including their first seven un- since demolished.) ager William R. Hopkins declared: der the lights. But the brightest light of all was The proud workers who had built “An area suited by nature to be the the new bridge led the parade across location of great public conveniences the $7 million, 8,000-foot structure. young Bob Feller. At the and advantages has been allowed to Behind them walked veterans, frater- age of 20, he recorded 24 become for the most part an eyesore nal and civic organizations and others wins, 24 complete games, and a melancholy witness to the who wanted to see “in the soft glow of 296 innings and 246 strike- city’s failure to utilize its greatest sodium lights, the most efficient high- outs along with 142 walks natural asset.” PLAIN DEALER FILE way illumination yet devised.” — all league-leading fig- Hopkins suggested a roadway They were celebrating a link be- April 25, 1939: Bringing East and West together, workers shake over the ures. He also pitched two along the Edgewater Park shoreline. gold ceremonial spike in the new Main Avenue Bridge. one-hitters. tween East and West sides that would Others suggested taking it farther ease the traffic jams on the Detroit- Hal Trosky hit .335 with west, filling in land at the foot of the Superior (now Veterans Memorial) 1935, Burton won an $8 million WPA biggest WPA project in America — a 25 homers. But the Indians cliffs of Lakewood and Rocky River high-level bridge. But the event also project to fill in land for a lakefront $16.3 million highway along the cliffs had traded Earl Averill in to create recreation as well as trans- Feller symbolized Cleveland’s victory in the highway. In a “damn-the-torpedoes, from Edgewater Park and the Rocky the midst of a salary dis- portation opportunities. As the years “100-year war” to regain control of its full-speed-ahead” decision, he went River, which would also create new pute and the team got off to went by, committee after committee heritage, the lakefront. ahead with construction despite law- beaches and boating lagoons. Lake- a slow start. Then, in August, the Tribe came up with plan after forgotten suits from railroads and others claim- wood, the state and WPA officials re- brought up a rookie keystone combination At the west end was Bulkley Blvd., plan. The area north of downtown ing title to the land. The first section acted enthusiastically, but high costs from Buffalo — shortstop Lou Boudreau and a narrow roadway through Edgewa- turned into a dump and, in the 1930s, ran from E. 9th to E. 21st Sts. Compa- — and eventually World War II — second baseman Ray Mack. They helped the ter Park that over the next several a “Hooverville.” The Great Lakes Ex- nies claiming ownership quickly put doomed the project. team to rally and finish third. years would be turned into an ex- position brought it to life in 1936 and pressway reaching West Blvd. On the up billboards and gas stations along Meanwhile, the suits went forward. It looked like a sure pennant for 1940, de- 1937, but it gradually turned back the route. The main issue was whether the new east was what was called the lake- into a dump. spite manager Oscar Vitt’s worsening squab- front highway, gradually being ex- In 1936, Metropolitan Parks Direc- land in the lake was created naturally bles with the writers and his own players. tended toward Gordon Park. The en- When he became mayor in late tor William Stinchcomb proposed the by sediment, in which case it be- longed to owners of the lakefront • property, or man-made, in which case The Rams struggled on the football field it belonged to the state. The decision, and at the gate, but Notre Dame and Navy in May 1938, was that the land on drew 81,000 fans to the Stadium. Cleveland which the highway was built be- was still a college football town. longed to the state. But the decision Led by Phil Hergesheimer and Les Cunning- said one property holder was entitled ham, the 1938-39 Barons finished third in the to payment, thus failing to set a clear- Eastern Division of the American Hockey cut precedent. League. Nobody gave them much chance in Burton said the decision vindicated the playoffs, but with goalie Moe Roberts mak- the controversial decision to “build ing save after save they went all the way, de- first and litigate afterwards.” feating the Philadelphia Ramblers in the finals In November, running — as usual for the Calder Cup. — as an independent, Burton was re- elected to become the first three-term • mayor since Tom L. Johnson. In addi- tion to building the highway and the Labor violence continued. Police Chief Main Avenue Bridge, he had led the George Matowitz put his entire 1,400-officer fight to establish Civil Service and ex- force on 12-hour days and canceled days off to pand Muny Light, which had been combat bombing of Weinberger, Marshall and throttled under administrations fa- Standard drugstores by roving bands. Four vorable to the Illuminating Co. His AFL unions were organizing the chains. safety director, Eliot Ness, had fired Meanwhile, a grand jury was called to inves- crooked cops and convicted the rack- tigate a $5 million-a-year “policy racket” — an eteers who thrived under previous illegal lottery that operated mainly in black mayors. In 1940, Burton was elected neighborhoods. Police said it was run by “the to the U.S. Senate as a Republican. old Lonardo bootleg gang,” which “took con- In 1945, Democratic President trol of the policy and clearinghouse racket Harry Truman appointed him to the about seven years ago.” U.S. Supreme Court over the bitter Among those indicted: Solly Hart, “sus- objections of Democratic County pected of being the trigger man in many of Chairman Ray T. Miller. Burton re- Cleveland’s gangland killings”; Albert tired in 1958, and died in 1964, leav- “Chuck” Polizzi, “perennial gangland figure”; ing a legacy of the Shoreway, the Nick Satulla, “all-around hoodlum and mus- lakefront and honest government. cleman”; and Alex “Shondor” Birns, “a peren- PLAIN DEALER FILE McGunagle is a Cleveland free- nial public enemy who has one of the longest lance writer. arrest records of anyone out of captivity.” The first cars roll down the new highway, looking east on Bulkley Blvd.