West 25th Street-Detroit Avenue Historic District
Why it's listed
Located at the intersection of Detroit Avenue and West 25th Street in Cleveland, this district marks a major entrance from downtown into Ohio City. It contains 16 buildings from 1836 to about 1960, mostly brick commercial and industrial structures. The oldest is St. John's Episcopal Church, a Gothic Revival sandstone building from 1836 designed by Hezekiah Eldridge. Other features include the former Baehr Brewery complex, the Italianate and Neo-Classical commercial blocks, the Cudell & Richardson-designed Seymour Block, the 1904 Forest City Savings and Trust Building with its former streetcar subway entrance, and the 1924 Lather's Union Building. The area developed as the Superior Viaduct (1878) and the High Level Bridge (1917) linked it to downtown. A 1953 tornado damaged the southern buildings, including the Odd Fellows building, which lost its upper floors. The period of significance runs from 1836 to 1954, covering the district's growth and the changes that followed the tornado and the end of streetcar service.
Significance in brief: The district reflects the commercial, industrial, religious and transportation development of a major gateway between downtown Cleveland and Ohio City. It includes the county's earliest surviving church, a former brewery, an Odd Fellows hall, and a bank building tied to streetcar service. Its present form also reflects the 1953 tornado and the end of streetcar service in the mid-1950s.
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 12001214, listed January 23, 2013. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Detroit Ave., Aust Ct., W. 25th & W. 28th Sts., Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | January 23, 2013 |
| Reference number | 12001214 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1836-1954 |
| Architect / builder | Hezekiah Eldridge (St. John's Church); Cudell & Richardson (Odd Fellows Building, Seymour Block); Searles and Hirsch (Forest City Savings and Trust); W.W. Hodger Co. (1444-1448 W. 25th St.); Dresser Minton Scobell Co. (Lather's Union Building) |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival, Second Empire, Italianate, Late 19th/Early 20th Century American Commercial, Neo-Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Industry, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Several buildings were altered after the 1953 tornado; the Seymour Block was recently rehabilitated. Current uses include commerce, religion and residential. |
| Acreage | 5.7 |
| Coordinates | 41.49015, -81.70790 (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 12001214.
- 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.