Category: Recreation and Popular Culture

KEITH'S EAST 105TH ST. THEATER opened in Nov. 1921 as a vaudeville house—one of many live theaters owned and/or operated by entertainment empresario Benjamin Franklin (B.F.) Keith.

LA CAVE grew from its humble beginnings as a coffeehouse folk club on Euclid Avenue to become one of Cleveland's most memorable and influential ROCK 'N' ROLL clubs.

LEO'S CASINO was a premier showcase in Cleveland for R&B and Motown artists. The co-owner of Leo's Casino, Leo Frank, got his first taste of the entertainment business while serving in the Navy in 1945. He was in charge of a theater on a base near San Francisco that featured Bob Hope, Harry James and other prominent entertainers. In 1952 Leo Frank opened his first club, called Leo's, at E. 49th St. and Central Ave.

LEVERT, GERALD (13 July 1966 – 10 November 2006), was a significant African-American vocalist, songwriter and producer. 

LEVERT, SEAN (28 September 1968 – 30 March  2008), was a famous African-American singer. 

LINCOLN PARK is a small, rectangular public park located between W. 11th and W. 14th streets and Kenilworth and Starkweather avenues in the TREMONT section. In 1850 Mrs. Thirsa Pelton purchased about 70 acres on Cleveland's south side with the idea of founding a girl's school.

LIPP, FREDERICK JOHN (23 Jul 1916 – 8 Jun 1995) was an award-winning novelist, play, radio and TV scriptwriter, and newspaper editor. The son of Fred J. Lipp Sr. and Lulu Hasenplug, Lipp was born in Toledo.

LOCKWOOD JR, ROBERT (27 March 1915 – 2 November 2006), was a prolific AFRICAN-AMERICAN blues musician who was taught guitar by Robert Johnson, one of the most influential figures in blues history. Lockwood would build on his

LOCONTI, HENRY JOSEPH (June 17, 1929- July 7, 2014) was the owner and founder of the legendary AGORA in Cleveland, Ohio. The son of Philomena LoConti-Bronstein and John LoConti, Henry grew up in Cleveland. In his youth he worked in the jukebox industry, first with some of his relatives and later with a company known as Leaf Music.

LOLA BISTRO was opened by Michael Symon in 1997 in TREMONT In 1998, a year after the restaurant’s opening, Symon was included as one of Food & Wine magazine's "Best New Chefs”. Lola moved to East 4th Street in downtown Cleveland in 2005.

LUKE EASTER PARK, at Kinsman Road and East 116th streets in southeast Cleveland, was formerly known as WOODLAND HILLS PARK. It was renamed in 1980 in honor of ballplayer LUSCIUS "LUKE

LUNA PARK, often billed as "Cleveland's Fairyland of Pleasure," was created by Fred Ingersoll, a well-known builder of amusement facilities—a number of which also were called Luna Park. Cleveland’s version was the 34th such project undertaken by the Ingersoll Constr. Co. of Pittsburgh. It comprised a 35-acre site on what is now the northeast corner of Woodhill Rd. and Woodland Ave.

MAISON FRANCAISE DE CLEVELAND was organized to promote Franco-American cultural activities. The group was founded by EMILE B. DE SAUZE in 1918. It was registered as a nonprofit organization by its first president, Paul D. Wurtzburger, and in 1923 it became affiliated with the French Alliances of the U.S. In 1995 the organization's membership stood at 207.

The MASONIC TEMPLE was built on the site of the former Henry Wick mansion at 3615 EUCLID AVE. The 220,000 sq. ft.

The MASONS, members of the secret fraternal order of Free and Accepted Masons, organized their first lodge in Cleveland in 1811. Chartered as Concord Lodge No. 15, for several years it met in the "long rooms" of various taverns, including the one owned by LORENZO CARTER, himself a Mason.

BOBBY MAY (20 Feb. 1907 - 7 Nov. 1981) was arguably the world’s most accomplished juggler. Born Ludwig T. Mayer, he was raised on E. 131st St.

 THE MAYFIELD THEATER, 12300 Mayfield Rd. in LITTLE ITALY, opened in 1923, when Michele Mastandrea, an Italian immigrant, built a two-story brick building with a theater on the first floor and a large apartment on the second.

MEANS, RUSSELL (Nov 10, 1938 - Oct 22, 2012) was an Oglala Sioux activist, writer, and actor, who founded the CLEVELAND AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER and was a central figure in the American Indian Movement.

The METROPOLITAN THEATER, on Euclid Ave. at E. 49th St., opened 31 Mar. 1913 with a performance of Aida, the first production in an 8-week season of opera in English.

The MID-DAY CLUB opened on the 21st floor of the Union Trust (Huntington Bank) Bldg. in 1924 as Cleveland's largest private luncheon facility. Incorporated by 1928, the club reserved membership for businessmen and professional men who were members of other private clubs.

MILES PARK was originally the public square of the village of NEWBURGH. Created when county surveyor AHAZ MERCHANT plotted the village in 1850, the park and commons at Gaylord (E. 93rd) and Walnut (Sawyer) streets were the site of a town hall in 1860.

MILLER, BILL “MR STRESS” (1 January  1943 – 19 May  2015), was a significant blues vocalist and harmonica player.