South Brooklyn Commercial District

Along Pearl and Broadview roads in southwest Cleveland, thirty buildings form the commercial core of the old South Brooklyn village, also known as Old Brooklyn or Brighton Village. Most are one- to three-story masonry buildings of brick, limestone and sandstone, many using a pier-and-spandrel design with retail storefronts at street level. Styles range from Queen Anne and Commercial Style to Art Deco, as seen in the 1935 Pearlbrook Station post office with its 1936 WPA mural, and the 1926 Marshall Drug Company building in glazed terra cotta. Churches, lodges and apartments sit among the shops. The district developed after a high-level bridge over Big Creek Valley opened in 1887, and boom-town frame storefronts gave way to brick and stone blocks such as the 1895 Krather Block and the 1890 People's Store. Twenty-three buildings contribute to the district, which is significant for its role in local commerce and for its architecture between 1890 and 1948.