Karamu House
Why it's listed
Karamu House is a community arts center at East 89th Street and Quincy Avenue in Cleveland. Its two-story building, designed by Small, Smith, Reeb & Draz, has an irregular plan of massed rectangular blocks that hold meeting rooms, classrooms and two theaters: a proscenium theater seating 223 and an arena theater seating 140. The exterior is brick with large areas of metal sash windows, ornamental cast spandrels, a flat overhanging cornice and aluminum doors. The institution traces its origins to 1915, when social workers Russell and Rowena Jelliffe started the Playhouse Settlement. It was renamed Karamu, a Swahili phrase meaning place of joyful meeting, in 1927, and moved into the present building in 1949. The nomination describes it as a multipurpose social center and biracial Afro-American community theater of exceptional significance. It stands on a busy corner in an urban residential and commercial neighborhood in the heart of Cleveland's Black community. The building remains in use as an arts center and is in good condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls Karamu House of exceptional recent significance as a multipurpose social center and biracial Afro-American community theater active since 1915. It began as the Playhouse Settlement, founded by social workers Russell and Rowena Jelliffe, and was named Karamu in 1927. The reviewer recommended Criterion A.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82001368, listed December 17, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2355 E. 89th St., Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | December 17, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001368 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1915; 1949-1959 |
| Architect / builder | Small, Smith, Reeb & Draz |
| Architectural style | International Style vernacular (listed as Modern) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Performing Arts |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition inside and out, and in use as a community arts center. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 41.49375, -81.62364 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82001368.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6368358
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.