Old Brooklyn Neighborhood Guide – Cleveland
Old Brooklyn and Brooklyn Centre offer accessibility to highways, shopping, quality education, excellent housing and recreation. Getting to and from these two neighborhoods is done with ease, due to the accessibility of interstates 71, 480 and 90. Shopping ranges from local eateries with home-cooked food to well-established retail shops to the newly developed Steelyard Commons. Quality education attracts residents and keeps them in the area. The options range from excellent public to charter and parochial schools that are recognized as the best in Cleveland. Art House, a local nonprofit, provides opportunities for every generation to learn and express themselves through art. Both neighborhoods feature a variety of housing options ranging from historical century homes to quaint bungalows.
Neighborhood Gem
If recreation is your passion, then Old Brooklyn is the place to be. Lower Big Creek offers waterways in the heart of the city -people have even been known to canoe at the confluence of Big Creek and the Cuyahoga. The Treadway Creek Trail is the perfect place to take your family on a walk or bike ride. Old Brooklyn resident, Debra Hector, fondly talks about Treadway Creek: ” It is my private time with my dogs, and we love having nature so close to home. I’ve met many friendly neighbors there, as well as the path entrance at Harmody Park.” And the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail is located very nearby on Jennings and Harvard roads, which can take you all the way to Zoar, Ohio.
The housing stock isn’t the only pleasant surprise. Behind the local elementary school lies the Ben Franklin Community Garden, three acres of land with 200 garden plots. Here, families and seniors pay $30 a season for their own 20-by-25-foot vestige of farmland in the heart of the city.
Since its introduction some 25 years ago, the garden has produced so much that, according to Sandys, “tons is given to shelters and the food bank. Some of the growers have even been prize-winners at the Cuyahoga County Fair.”
Local Resident
“I didn’t think neighborhoods like Old Brooklyn existed anymore. My neighbors and I get together all the time to have coffee, raise our children and share stories. We have really become part of a community.” -Kim H
Helping Hands
Old Brooklyn CDC (OBCDC) markets and promotes Old Brooklyn and Brooklyn Centre. Both have easy access to major roads and highways, well-built housing, including historic homes. The area is within minutes of Steelyard Commons, Ridge Park Square and speciality shops and services. There are great neighborhood schools, with Rhodes High School being one of the best in Cleveland. The area is home to Metro Health’s Senior Health and Wellness Center.
Community Project
Plans to expand the recreational capacity of Lower Big Creek are underway. The first phase is to construct an all-purpose trail connection between the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail and Brookside Reservation via the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Studies are underway for this trail, and funds are being sought for construction and engineering designs. The Lower Big Creek Greenway Redevelopment Plan and Restoration Study outlines a plan for a camping site and adventure sports, such as rock climbing, a skate park and BMX trails. To learn more about this exciting development, go to www.oldbrooklyn.com/planning.htm.
Fun Fact
“Can I trade you my carrots for your green beans?” The Ben Franklin Community Garden, located within the South Hills neighborhood, is the largest of its kind in Cuyahoga County.