Double Your Impact!

Over the years, the Cleveland Restoration Society has taken many photographs of Cleveland's historic buildings and neighborhoods. You have seen many of these images used in Perspectives and other email communications. In looking back over forty-two years, you can imagine that we have an absolute treasury of images. Through the generosity of CRS trustee Michael Baruschke and Denise Huck, we are launching a project to digitize our collection, which numbers approximately 10,000. By digitizing our slides and photographs and by creating a system in which our digital files are tagged and searchable, we are making our collection more functional and accessible. As part of this project we will share a portion of these images as a special collection at Cleveland Memory, a free online repository hosted through Cleveland State University. 

We have already created the framework for this project, but to keep it rolling we need your help. For our 2014 year-end Annual Fund, Mike and Denise have generously offered to match new or increased donations, up to a total of $10,000. Your gift to this year's Annual Fund will be doubled - at no extra cost to you! If you were to give a $50 gift to our Annual Fund, CRS would actually receive $100! And remember, if your gift is made by year end, it will be tax deductible for the 2014 tax year. Thank you for your consideration of this special one-time only offer. Click here to donate to the Annual Fund. 

CRS's Annual  

Holiday Open House

Join the Cleveland Restoration Society on Sunday, December 7, from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. for our annual Holiday Open House! See the historic Sarah Benedict House dressed up in its festive finest at this Victorian holiday celebration. Enjoy tasty treats, good company, and a special visit from Santa! All ages are welcome. Bring the whole family! The open house is FREE for members of the Cleveland Restoration Society. Click here to RSVP. The Sarah Benedict House is located at 3751 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland. There is plenty of free parking available at the house.

Know Our Heritage  

Map App and Report

The Cleveland Restoration Society has published an interactive online map and a final report to conclude our series Know Our Heritage: The African American Experience in Cleveland. The final report (in PDF) is a summary of the information presented in the eight emails sent out over the past few months. The map app allows users to navigate the Glenville, Central, Hough, Fairfax, and Southeast Cleveland & Shaker Heights neighborhoods as seen through the Know Our Heritage lens. It presents a place-based narrative in the form of geotagged photos and captions linking to an interactive map organized by tabs which represent neighborhoods. Each tab presents a curated list of historic sites featured in the larger Know Our Heritage project. Users can click on the places either in the tabs or on the map to find out about them through a short synopsis of the site and a photo. Anyone with access to the Internet, through their computer or smartphone, and a curiosity about Cleveland can use this map app. 

CRS Partners with City of Cleveland and local CDCs for Model Block Program

The Cleveland Restoration Society is partnering with the City of Cleveland and neighborhood community development corporations to help facilitate the Model Block Program. The goal of Cleveland's Model Block Program is to provide grants to targeted residential areas funding exterior home repairs and maintenance. CRS's role is to provide technical assistance through the Heritage Home Program(SM) by helping to establish the scope of work, provide written project specifications, and review estimates. To date, CRS staff members have been active with the model block programs in Old Brooklyn in Ward 13 and along Newton Avenue in Ward 7 (shown here). The impact of exterior improvements up and down one street can be dramatic and encourage others to complete home improvement projects. The model block approach helps to increase property values and fosters neighborhood stability. By participating in this program, we are ensuring that Cleveland's older homes retain their architectural character and that homeowners get the best quality improvements.

Sacred Sites Initiative

The Cleveland Restoration Society has operated a Sacred Landmarks Assistance Program since 1996. Through the leadership of CRS trustee Doug Hoffman, we have been working to strengthen the impact of this program by utilizing the expertise of trustees, targeting our activities, and exploring ways that we can better partner with Partners for Sacred Spaces, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit. Through what is being called the Sacred Landmarks Support Initiative (SLSI), CRS is strengthening and expanding our ability to assist congregations associated with religious buildings of historical significance in this region. The historical significance could be based on the architecture, the interiors and/or the religious furnishings they house, including paintings, frescoes, tapestries, stained glass, pipe organs and religious artifacts. Through this initiative, CRS will lead an effort to identify the most significant sites and provide guidance on how to maintain them, protecting these treasures for future generations to know, use and appreciate. This Initiative is aimed to stem the tide of deteriorating sacred landmarks through the introduction of technical assistance, planning and guidance. Our members are seeking the opportunity to work with a few select sites to assess their needs and respond with positive solutions. So far, the group has identified the most significant sacred landmarks in the region and begun efforts to reach out to these congregations. Pictured is University Circle United Methodist Church (formerly Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church).

Grants to Support Community Development Announced

Enterprise, along with sponsors KeyBank, Ohio Savings Bank, and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, awarded grants totaling $55,000 to Tremont West Development Corporation, St. Clair Superior Development Corporation and LakewoodAlive for innovation in community development in November. "We're committed to ending housing insecurity within a generation, which means no more homelessness, no more families paying more than half of their income on housing and no more families living disconnected from jobs, education, healthcare and other opportunities. Congratulations to all the winners, whose ideas and innovations are bringing us closer to that goal every day," said Mark McDermott, vice president and Ohio market leader at Enterprise. The grants were announced November 12 at the Leadership in Community Innovation Award Forum hosted by Enterprise and the Levin College Forum Program at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Read more here.

CRS-AIA Awards Nominations

Nominations for the Cleveland Restoration Society's annual awards program are being accepted. This popular program, held in collaboration with the Cleveland chapter of the American Institute of Architects, recognizes the best preservation work taking place in Northeast Ohio. These presentation awards are given to individuals, companies, and organizations whose projects demonstrate a commitment to our communities through the restoration, rehabilitation, or reuse of the existing buildings across our cities, villages, and landscapes. Awards will be given at CRS's annual Celebration of Preservation program, taking place next May during National Preservation Month. Find the 2015 Nomination Form here .

Help CRS While You Shop 

Did you know that you can support Cleveland Restoration Society while doing your online shopping at Amazon? We know that many of you shop locally, but if your shopping list takes you online, this holiday season - and all year long - consider shopping through AmazonSmile, a year-old project of the online retailer that allows shoppers to donate to a charitable organization with each purchase, at no extra cost. When you shop through AmazonSmile.com, you will find the same product selection, prices, and shopping experience as at Amazon.com, but with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to CRS. On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you will need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. If you already have an Amazon account, you can use your same account with AmazonSmile. For more information, click here.

 Bidding Closes December 7 on FutureHeights'  

Annual Auction 

The 10th Annual FutureHeights Online Auction is underway, but only a few days remain before bidding closes on December 7! New items are being added daily. Now's your chance to get fantastic items and gifts at great prices while supporting this organization and its community development mission. Click here to see the items for sale.