Superior Avenue Historic District
Why it's listed
Superior Avenue Historic District is a stretch of industrial, commercial and institutional buildings on Cleveland's east side, running east from East 19th Street. It includes multi-story brick warehouses and loft buildings, a Romanesque Revival church, and an apartment building, ranging from one to eight stories. Most were built between 1891 and 1954, and most sit close to the sidewalk along one of the city's widest streets. The district mattered because it was the center of Cleveland's garment industry in the early twentieth century, when the city ranked second only to New York City in women's clothing manufacture. Firms such as Emsheimer-Fishel and the S. Korach Company worked here. The buildings were also designed by prominent architects, including J. Milton Dyer, Walker & Weeks, Tenbusch & Hill and Robert Kohn, who designed the Tower Press Building. Many retain original industrial sash windows, though some storefronts and windows have been replaced or boarded up.
Significance in brief: The district was the center of Cleveland's early 20th-century garment industry, when the city ranked second to New York City in women's clothing manufacture. It also has architectural significance for its industrial loft buildings, a church and an apartment building designed by some of Cleveland's most important architects.
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 07000072, listed February 21, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1860-2553 Superior Ave., Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | February 21, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000072 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1893-1954 |
| Architect / builder | J. Milton Dyer, Walker & Weeks, W.W. Hodges, Sidney Badgley, Tenbusch & Hill, Christian, Schwarzenberg & Gaede, Forest City Engineering, Sigmund Braverman, William A. Powell, Samuel H. Weis, Robert Kohn |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Romanesque; Late 19th & 20th Century Revival: Classical Revival, Mission/Spanish Colonial; Commercial Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current uses include specialty stores, manufacturing and industrial, and multiple dwellings. Some buildings have boarded-up windows, and many original windows have been replaced. |
| Acreage | 22 |
| Coordinates | 41.50786, -81.67646 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 07000072.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.