BELLAIRE-PURITAS is a southwest-Cleveland neighborhood and Statistical Planning Area (SPA). It is bordered by I-480 on the south, I-71 on the west, Memphis Ave. and Giles Rd. on the east, and Bellaire Rd. and Puritas Ave. on the north (Bellaire becomes Puritas roughly at W. 139th St.).
BELLAMY, GEORGE ALBERT (29 Sept. 1872-8 July 1960), founded HIRAM HOUSE, the first social settlement in Cleveland. Born in Cascade, Mich. to William and Lucy Stow Bellamy, his family's involvement in the Disciples (Christian) church led him to enter the ministry.
BELLAMY, PAUL (26 Dec. 1884-12 Apr. 1956), was editor of the PLAIN DEALER from 1928-54. Son of utopian author Edward Bellamy and Emma (Sanderson) Bellamy, he was born in Chicopee Falls, Mass, graduated from Harvard (1906), and worked a year on the Springfield (Mass.) Union before coming to Cleveland as a reporter for the Plain Dealer.
BELLAMY, PETER (9 Nov. 1914-6 Jan. 1989) covered many beats during a journalism career of 50 years but was best remembered as drama critic of the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER. He was a native of Cleveland and the son of PAUL BELLAMY, editor of the Plain Dealer from 1928-54.
BELLEFAIRE-JCB is the oldest Jewish social-service agency in Cleveland. It was established in 1868 by the B'NAI B'RITH Grand Lodge #2 to care for Jewish Civil War orphans from 15 states. A large building on 4 1/ 2 acres, formerly Dr.
BELLEFONTAINE, located at 2701 Park Dr.
The BELLFLOWER CENTER FOR PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE, INC. opened in 1981 at 11234 Bellflower Rd. in UNIV. CIRCLE to support and educate parents in and about childrearing.
BEMIS, EDWARD W. (7 Apr. 1860-25 Sept. 1930), a college professor, expert on public taxation, and proponent of municipal ownership, was a political ally of TOM L. JOHNSON, serving as superintendent of the Cleveland Water Works from 1901-09. Born in Springfield, Mass., Bemis, son of Daniel W. and Mary W.
BEN was a fugitive slave who spent several months in Cleveland in 1806. In the spring of 1806, a small boat transporting a man named Hunter, his family, and Ben, was upset and driven ashore just east of ROCKY RIVER. Hunter, from Michigan, hoped to resettle in the WESTERN RESERVE.
BENADE, ARTHUR H. (2 Jan. 1925-4 Aug. 1987) physicist and recognized expert on the acoustics of musical instruments, was born in Chicago, the son of James Martin and Miriam McGaw Benade who shortly returned to India with their son to resume their careers as teaching missionaries. Arthur went to school in Lahore (now Pakistan) and after completing high school, he returned to the U.S.
BENEDICT, DANIEL (20 Mar. 1776-16 Nov. 1840) was a pioneer settler and the first permanent resident of BEDFORD. At the time the Township was organized in 1823, it was Benedict who proposed the name Bedford in honor of his home town.
BENEDICT, GEORGE A. (5 Aug. 1812-12 May 1876), was the editor of the CLEVELAND HERALD from 1857-76. Born in Watertown, N.Y. to Amos and Ann (Stone) Benedict, he moved to Cleveland in 1835, shortly after his admittance to the bar. He practiced law for several years, also serving briefly as city attorney and president of the city council.
BENES, W. DOMINICK (14 June 1857-15 May 1935), a prominent architect, was, with BENJAMIN S.
BENESCH, ALFRED ABRAHAM (7 Mar. 1879-21 May 1973), was an active community leader and senior partner in one of Cleveland's most prestigious law firms, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff. Born in Cleveland to Isidore J. and Bertha Federdian Benesch, he received his law degree from Harvard in 1903 and established a practice with Benjamin Star.
The BENJAMIN ROSE HOSPITAL, established in 1953 by the BENJAMIN ROSE INSTITUTE (BRI), advocated for and served the elderly in northeast Ohio until 1968, when UNIV. HOSPITALS OF CLEVELAND purchased it. Under directors Austin B. Chinn, M.D. (1953-60) and Amasa B. Ford, M.D.
The BENJAMIN ROSE INSTITUTE, organized in 1909, was the first foundation established in the U.S. to deal primarily with the needs of older Americans. Designed to assist "older persons in trouble and in need, in such a way as to help them maintain their self-respect and place in the community," the institute gained a national reputation for innovative services.
BENJAMIN, CHARLES H. (29 Aug. 1856-2 Aug. 1937), a mechanical engineer and educator at Case School of Applied Science from 1889-1907, established that school's mechanical engineering department. Benjamin was born in Patten, Maine, the son of Samuel E. and Ellen Fairfield Benjamin.
BENN, REV. LUTHER (28 Oct. 1910-15 Aug. 1993) was the founder of St. John Missionary Baptist Church in CLEVELAND HTS., known as a place where the hungry could go to get food and clothing. Benn was noted for his encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible and he was often sought out for advice on secular as well as religious matters.
BENTLEY, REVEREND ADAMSON (4 July 1785-2 Nov. 1864) was a minister of the DISCIPLES OF CHRIST, a banker and merchant, and the first settler in BENTLEYVILLE which he founded in 1831.
BENTLEYVILLE, originally part of CHAGRIN FALLS TWP., is a 2.75 sq. mi. village approx. 20 miles southeast of Cleveland.
BENTON, ELBERT JAY (23 Mar. 1871-28 Mar. 1946), was an author, educator, historian, and college administrator. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, to Oliver Dustin and Sarah Proctor Benton, Elbert grew up in Kansas where he received his A.B. degree from Campbell College, Kansas City University.
BEREA is a 5.72-sq.-mi. residential suburb approximately 10 miles southwest of downtown Cleveland.
BERGENER, ALBERT EDWARD MYRNE (A.E.M.) (5 Sept. 1875-14 May 1950) was, in the words of one of his reporters, the "cussing, shouting, reporter-insulting, hard-boiled" city editor of the CLEVELAND NEWS. The son of Henry and Katherine (Casyl) Bergener, he was born and raised in Chicago. He dropped out of the Univ.
BERGMAN, ROBERT P. (17 May 1945 - 6 May 1999) was the director of the Cleveland Museum of Art and a nationally recognized spokesman for arts institutions. Bergman was born in Bayonne, New Jersey to Ethel and Abe Bergman. He received a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and a master's degree and Ph.D. from Princeton University.
BERNARDI, GIACOMO (3 Jan. 1888-12 Aug. 1966) brought some of the greatest names in music to Cleveland in his career as impresario of more than 1,000 concerts. Born Jacob Moses Schwartzman in Bendery, Bessarabia, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1906 and soon found employment in a Cleveland clothing factory.
BERNON, (BERNSTEIN) MAURICE (24 Aug. 1885-23 Mar. 1954) political activist, and philanthropist, was born in Cleveland, the son of polish immigrants David J. and Augusta Jacobs Bernstein. Educated at CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, Bernstein entered Western Reserve University Law school at age 18 and , received an LLB degree in 1906.
BERNSTEIN, HARRY (1856-1920), known as "Czar" Bernstein, was an entrepreneur and Republican political ward boss who could, according to contemporary accounts, deliver the votes he promised from his ward to a man. Born in Poland to Berman and Rosa Bernstein, he was brought to Cleveland in 1868, and educated in the public schools.
BERTMAN, JOSEPH (1902-20 Oct. 1988), noted for his Ball Park mustard first used at LEAGUE PARK in the late 1920s and then at CLEVELAND MUNICIPAL STADIUM for many years, was born in Lublin, Poland in 1902 and came to this area with his parents as a child. Working as a deliveryman for William Edwards Co.
BETH HAKNESSETH ANSHE GRODNO congregation (1904-51), once also known as the Synagogue of the Province of Grodno, was founded in 1904 and incorporated that August by Morris Shapiro, Max Lifshitz, and Jacob Landy. Eleven Russian immigrant Jews from Grodno, Lithuania, founded the orthodox congregation. Religious services were held initially in the home of Benjamin Zelling. After 3 months, a hall was rented at Perry (E.
BETH ISRAEL-WEST TEMPLE was organized by 25 families, led by Abe Silverstein, in April 1954, to provide a religious center for Reform Jews living on Cleveland's west side. The congregation's first service, Rosh Hashonah, was held 27 Sept. 1954 at the First Universalist Church in N. OLMSTED. For the next 3 years, services were held either at the Universalist Church or the N.
The BETHANY NATIONAL EVANGELICAL CHURCH (Finnish) served the Finnish community on Cleveland's west side. It was founded in 1919. Unable to support its own minister in the early years, Bethany was served by visiting clerics from the large Finnish community in Fairport and Ashtabula. In 1942 it hired its own pastor. For many years the church, a member of the Finnish Natl.
BETHANY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 6415 W. Clinton Ave., originated from a mission Sunday school of the FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (OLD STONE) in Jan. 1888 and formally organized on 2 July 1889. Charles Fay and Rev. Wilton Merle Smith, assoc.
BETHEL UNION was organized on 31 Jan. 1867 as an auxiliary of the WESTERN SEAMEN'S FRIEND SOCIETY, to evangelize in the neighborhoods near the CUYAHOGA RIVER and to maintain a home for the friendless, the poor, and sailors between jobs. Loren Prentiss, Edward C. Pope, H. C. Tuttle, and Edwin R.
BETHLEHEM CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH (1888-1954), at the corner of Broadway and Fowler avenues, had its origins in Protestant missionary work among Czech immigrants in Cleveland in the early 1880s. In 1883 a Bohemian Mission Board of Cleveland was incorporated to coordinate the work of Cleveland Congregational churches with the Bohemian colony, and in 1884 Bethlehem Church was built at the corner of Broadway and Fowler.
The BHUTANESE were one of the largest refugee groups ever resettled in Northeast Ohio. They became a major immigrant group in the early 2000s, forming a steady and unexpected migration stream to Cleveland and Akron. Several thousand Bhutanese men, women, and children arrived between 2008 and 2018, bringing Himalayan culture and traditions to a region that had never seen the like.
BICKFORD, CLARA L. (GEHRING) (25 Sept. 1903-13 Dec. 1985), musician, teacher, and collector, founded and served as the first president (1933-35) of the Women's Committee of the CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC (CIM). A pianist, Bickford collected music manuscripts, letters, autographs, and photographs relating to MUSIC.
BICKFORD, GEORGE P. (28 Nov. 1901-14 Oct. 1991), a Cleveland attorney, became a noted authority on Indian and Far Eastern art through the process of acquiring an extensive personal collection in the field. A native of Berlin, N.H., he was raised in Washington, D.C. Following his graduation from Harvard in 1922, he traveled to China, where he studied Chinese and taught in a missionary school in Shanghai.
The BICKNELL FUND was incorporated in 1949 in Cleveland by Kate Hanna Bicknell and WARREN BICKNELL, JR., "for the purpose of promoting the well-being of mankind." The fund grants go primarily to local community and educational institutions, but not to individuals or for loans.
BICKNELL, WARREN, JR. (5 Sept. 1902-23 April 1975), leader in both business and PHILANTHROPY, founded the BICKNELL FUND with his wife, Kate Hanna Bicknell. He was born in Wheaton, IL, to Ann Guthrie Bicknell and Warren Bicknell, Sr.
The BIEHLE FAMILY were designers and painters who worked on frescoes and decorative painting for such clients as the Chamber of Commerce, churches, and several of Cleveland's foremost families. August Frederick Biehle, Sr. (4 July 1856-10 Nov. 1918), the senior family member, was born in Freiberg, Baden. His father, a manufacturer of costume jewelry, died when he was 4.
BIEHLE, AUGUST FREDERICK JR. (13 Jan. 1885-7 Feb. 1979) emerged from the artistic background of the BIEHLE FAMILY to become a recognized member of the "Cleveland School" of artists (see ART). Born in Cleveland, the son of Christina (Mussler) and August F.
BIELEN, CASIMIR (10 Feb. 1925-2 Sept. 1992), educator and clean-air activist, participated in more than 80 organizations, including nationality groups and political and educational organizations. The NATIONALITIES SERVICES CENTER recognized Bielen's fundraising efforts in 1977.
The BIG BROTHER/BIG SISTER MOVEMENT began in Cleveland in 1919 with the formation of the Jewish Big Brother and Jewish Big Sister associations, out of concern for the moral character of urban adolescents. Affiliated with the national Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America (founded 1903), these organizations provide "one-to-one friendships," matching adults with children from single-parent households.
BIG ITALY was Cleveland's first major Italian settlement and the center of the city's produce markets. In the late 1890s, Italians settled in the HAYMARKET along Woodland near the city center. By 1900 this formerly Jewish area was 93% Sicilian.
BIGGS, IONE KENNY (6 May 1916 – 16 Dec. 2005) was an outspoken advocate for peace and human rights, locally and around the globe.
BIGHAM, STELLA GODFREY WHITE (September 24, 1907-August 3, 1991) was an AFRICAN AMERICAN community activist, columnist for the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, and the first woman to serve on the
BILL, ARTHUR HOLBROOK (10 Nov. 1877-11 Mar. 1961), was an innovator in hospital obstetrics and helped establish Cleveland's reputation for low maternal mortality. Born in Cleveland to Herbert Weston and May McIlewain Bill, he received his B.A. from Adelbert College (1897), his M.A. from Western Reserve University (1898), and his M.D. from WRU Medical School (1901).
BILLINGSLEY, ALLEN LOREN (1890 - 6 October, 1954), was the president of Cleveland-based FULLER & SMITH & ROSS INC. advertising agency from 1928 to 1954.
The BING CO. was one of Ohio's largest furniture stores. Louis S. Bing and Elias Nathan opened a retail furniture store 24 Mar. 1891, on Seneca (W. 3rd) St. in Cleveland's retail trading center with 10 employees. The partnership lasted only a few years, and by 1895 Bing had bought out Nathan's interest, continuing business under his own name until the early 1900s when his younger brother, Sol, became a junior partner.