"The Land" Article: November 20, 2024
"The Land" Article: February 10, 2023
A Tradition of Community
When Western Reserve University moved to University Circle from Hudson in 1882, so began a long and fruitful relationship with the City of Cleveland and the vibrant neighborhoods adjacent to campus.
Today, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) continues this legacy of community engagement by welcoming local residents to its campus to enjoy free concerts, lectures, and community events, as well as sports camps for children and academic camps for teens.
A Rich and Storied History
Built in 1914-1915 by most accounts, 11310 Wade Park Avenue was deigned by Cleveland firm Dercum & Beer. Architect Hermann Dercum is best known for creating the ornamental iron gate for Cleveland's German Cultural Garden; the Penton Publishing Building at 1213 West 3rd Street in Cleveland; and the Cudell Clock Tower on West Boulevard. Dercum's firm designed stately, Craftsman-style homes, and Wade Park offered an ideal setting. The Wade Park District was envisioned by developers as Cleveland's first "garden suburb." Streets christened Bellflower, Hazel, Juniper, and Magnolia, criss-cross the campus of Case Western Reserve University as part of the University Circle neighborhood.
The first occupants were newlyweds Irving H. Putnam (an entrepreneur who founded an industrial parts company), and Ruth Bradford Putnam (a descendant of the Cozad family of early Cleveland settlers. They lived there for more than half a century. Case Western Reserve is in the process of renovating an historic Wade Park home to create a dedicated physical space for use by neighborhood residents and community groups.
In 1917, the Putnams sold the home to Hungarian immigrant Moris Wuliger, owner of the fledgling company Ohio Mattress. He--and later his son Frank--made this address their home for the next 27 years: through the company's 1924 purchase of a license to manufacture beds under the Sealy name; through the retirement of Moris and and leadership of Frank; and through the rapid growth in 1939, when Frank called his son Ernest home from college to help run the booming business. Ernest led the company for 40 years until the company was sold in 1989.
In the 1950s, the home became the residence and laboratory of Carl Schugt, a former employee of General Electric at Nela Park. With his wife Louise as his bookkeeper, Carl launched Euclid Glass Engineering Laboratory using his home's basement to transform glass and quartz into scientific instruments for Standard Oil, NASA, and other clients.
After Carl's death, Louise Schugt sold the home to Fellowship Christian Church. Congregants gathered to worship under its roof for 25 years from 1970, until 2015.
Case Western Reserve University purchased the home in 2017, with the long-term goal of eventually transforming the property.
Something for Everyone
The Wade Park Community Engagement Center:
- provides a dedicated location for community-facing activities and programs.
- is a place where CWRU faculty and students can come together with residents and community members from the surrounding neighborhoods to learn from each other and create opportunities to enhance education, build relationships and networks, and improve the economic conditions for the neighborhoods and the people within it.
- serves as a resource for members of surrounding communities to share their ideas of how CWRU can best support and add value to the neighborhood.
- welcomes intentional interactions between the campus community and neighborhood residents.
The Revitalized Wade Park Location
