FIVE POINTS is where St. Clair Ave., E. 152nd St. (originally Collamer St.) and Ivanhoe Rd. (originally East Collamer St.) come together to form a star. The Five Points name often is used to describe all of COLLINWOOD, although it actually is a specific intersection within the neighborhood of South Collinwood. (South Collinwood and North Collinwood are two Cleveland Statistical Planning Areas (SPAs) that make up what is often referred to as Collinwood. The Five Points intersection is home to Collinwood High School and (along with the Waterloo Arts District 1.5 miles to the north) is one of Collinwood’s two commercial hubs.
Beginning early in the 20th Century, Five Points was the destination of many ITALIANS who had previously resided in BIG ITALY. New residents poured in for decades, seeking work at nearby manufactories such as FISHER BODY, Thompson Prods. (see TRW), GENERAL ELECTRIC, LINCOLN ELECTRIC, Eaton Axle (see EATON CORP.), Natl. Acme (see ACME-CLEVELAND) and Bailey Meter (see BABCOCK & WILCOX). Workers, neighborhood people and students made the stores and restaurants at the Five Points intersection prosperous well into the 1950s. By the 1960s, however, white flight and deteriorating residential and commercial properties had begun to undermine the neighborhood’s fortunes.
By the 1970s, concerned citizens were fighting back. A revitalized merchants' group, the Collinwood Better Business Assn., fought for better city services and better cooperation among its members. In 1975 Collinwood received $100 million of Title I money to refurbish Five Points and other sections of the neighborhood. In 1982, Collinwood Villages Development (now known as Greater Collinwood Development Corp.) was formed. Since that time, the Five Points area and all of Collinwood have benefited from the organization’s efforts to construct new homes, attract new businesses, assemble land for industrial projects, and bring residents together.
Updated by Christopher Roy
Last updated: 4/3/2020